Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Waiver

In 2004, our Mercy Haven Advocacy Program (MAP) welcomed a five (5) year contract with the New York State Department of Health (DOH) to administer the Home and Community-Based Services Medicaid Waiver for Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (HCBS).  The waiver uses Medicaid funding to provide supports and services to assist an individual with traumatic brain injury (TBI) toward successful inclusion in the community.  These persons are: a Medicaid recipient; have a diagnosis of traumatic brain injury; are between the ages of 18 and 64; and have made the “Freedom of Choice” decision to live their life in the community and not a rehabilitation unit or long-term care facility.

Mercy Haven serves as the Regional Resource Development Center (RRDC) for the Long Island Region (Nassau and Suffolk Counties). The Mercy Haven RRDC administers the HCBS waiver program initiatives at the regional level under the direction of the DOH waiver management staff.  The Mercy Haven RRDC is responsible for managing the operation of all aspects of the waiver program with emphasis on ensuring quality, availability and cost effectiveness of services in the Long Island region. Currently, there are over 200 TBI waiver participants enrolled on Long Island.

The Mercy Haven RRDC office consists of five staff members all of whom are devoted to the program’s philosophy that:

·      An individual with TBI has the same right to be in control of his or her life as anyone else in our society;

·      An individual with TBI has the right to choose where he or she wants to live, with whom he or she will live and socialize with and which personal goals and/or activities will be pursued;

·      An individual with TBI has the right to learn as a member of society, by encountering and managing risks and failures through life experiences.


Waiver services are provided based on the participant’s unique strengths, needs, choices and goals. The waiver participant is the primary decision-maker and works in cooperation with providers to develop an individualized plan for services. This amazing process leads to personal empowerment, increased independence, greater community inclusion, self-reliance and meaningful and productive quality-of-life activities.

Given the high cost of living on Long Island, Mercy Haven RRDC staff are regularly challenged to ensure the provision of quality services and that the aggregate average cost of these services do not exceed that of serving such individuals in an institutional setting.  The Mercy Haven RRDC is responsible for the development of community resources and thus, recommending service providers in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.  Increasing the number of providers facilitates the waiver participant’s ability to make a personalized choice, as well as creates a healthy competitive client-first environment within the TBI service provider community.

 

Dedicated to education, the Mercy Haven RRDC is responsible for providing ongoing technical assistance and support services to participants, family members and others, and TBI provider agencies within the Long Island region. These learning sessions cover the most current TBI research and services available, in addition to quality management issues.  Mercy Haven RRDC has invited several nationally recognized speakers to offer training opportunities in specialty areas, including:  Ombudsman Services, Assistive Technology with TBI, Entitlements, Consumer Directed Personal Care Programs (CDPAP), Elder Law and TBI Substance Abuse. Some renowned presenters were:  Frank A. Naccarato, Sister Pat Hartigan, Esq., John A Castellano, Esq., Margaret Ramada and Ruth Berger.

 

Accountable to the DOH, the Mercy Haven RRDC provides statistical data on regional needs, trends, outcomes, quality assurance, quality improvement and cost saving.  These quarterly reports include programmatic and fiscal accountability and summarize services provided and progress made toward attaining and maintaining the TBI waiver program objectives.  Mercy Haven, Inc., is proud to offer this proactive approach in health services to the Long Island community.


                                            
                                             
Mercy Haven's mission is to engage and support Long Island's most at-risk residents.
Through advocacy, housing, supportive services, education and outreach
we offer the community a place to experience and practice compassion.
...Where experience and creative solutions come together to open the door of possibility for those most in need
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