CMS Awards Grants to Expand HCBS in Five New States and Territories

On Monday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it had awarded approximately $25 million in planning grants to five new states and territories to expand access to home and community-based services (HCBS) through Medicaid’s Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration program. CMS announced that awards of up to $5 million will be granted for Illinois, Kansas, and New Hampshire, as well as for American Samoa and Puerto Rico. This announcement marks the first time MFP grants have been made available to territories.

The MFP program has been integral in providing access to supports and services for individuals outside of institutional settings. In fact, a new report from CMS details how MFP has helped facilitate more than 107,000 transitions out of institutional settings since 2008. The report also highlights that more than 85% of people who used Medicaid long-term services and supports in 2019 received HCBS rather than institutional services.