In April 2022, Nebraska Legislature passed LB376. The Governor's DD Advisory Council was tasked with strategic oversight of LB376. The Council worked with the Division of Developmental Disabilities on the tasks outlined.
Family Support Program - A New HCBS Waiver
B376 directed DHHS to develop a Family Support Waiver. This is a Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Waiver with developmental disabilities eligibility requirements.
The intent of the waiver is to help eliminate unmet needs for children in Nebraska. The new waiver will serve up to 850 children with developmental disabilities. Each participant will have a maximum annual budget of $10,000.
Become a Provider for Family Support Waiver Services
Learn about becoming a FSW provider.
The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) approved Nebraska's new waiver on March 1, 2024. The new Family Support Waiver will begin serving people on March 1, 2024.
The following documents are final:
The following publications provide more information:
- FSW Info Sheet – A one-page flyer listing services and eligibility requirements.
- FSW Eligibility and Priority Brochure – A trifold brochure including eligibility requirements, DD Registry information, FSW funding priorities, and a flow-chart on the funding offer process.
- DD Services Quick Guide – Paragraph descriptions of each service available on DD waivers (including the FSW), as well as a chart comparing to the services available on other DD Waivers.
- April 2022 - LB376 signed in to law
- June 2022 - Internal planning and development begins
- August 2022
- Stakeholder engagement begins
- Regulation development begins
- October 2022 - Family Support Waiver development begins
- May 2023 - Policy and procedure development begins
- July 2023
- Tribal and public comment period for draft Family Support Waiver
- Training begins
- September 2023
- Second tribal and public comment period for updated draft Family Support Waiver
- October 2023
- Submit application to CMS for Family Support Waiver
- Begin regulation promulgation
- March 2024 - Implementation of Family Support Waiver
- October 2024 - Waiver amendment removing 850 cap
Information about the Family Support Waiver.
- Family Support Waiver Application
- Family Support Waiver Application Submitted to CMS - October 2023
- Second Draft Family Support Waiver Application - for Sept to Oct 2023 (second) public comment period
- Draft Family Support Waiver Application – for July to Aug 2023 (first) public comment period
- Second Public Comment Period
- Public Comment FSW Summary - September 2023
- First Public Comment Period
- PowerPoint slides - August 4, 7, and 14, 2023
- Public Comment FSW Summary - July 2023
- Listening Tour - April 25, May 4, May 9, and May 15, 2023
- Presentation to DD Advisory Council - December 1, 2022
- Initial Listening Sessions - November 1 and 2, 2022
An important part of the Family Support Waiver process is receiving and responding to stakeholder feedback.
- October 13 - 27, 2022 - Family Support Waiver Engagement Survey
- November 1 and 2, 2022 - Listening Sessions (see presentation section for slides and recording)
- April - May 2023 - Listening Sessions (see presentation section for slides and handouts)
- July 28 - August 27, 2023 - 30-day public comment period
- September 8 - October 8, 2023 - second 30-day public comment period
System Evaluation
LB376 directs DHHS to review the current system. DHHS signed with CBIZ Optumas with Myers and Stauffer to complete the evaluation of all Nebraska HCBS waivers. DHHS will receive best practice recommendations and comparisons to other states.
Final Report
Starting in late 2022, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) contracted with Optumas/Myers and Stauffer to perform an evaluation of Nebraska's developmental disability (DD) service system as prescribed in Legislative Bill 376. The evaluation focused on understanding how Nebraska can better serve individuals with a variety of disabilities and complex medical conditions and their families and included a comprehensive evaluation of Nebraska's current system. The evaluation process included several opportunities for stakeholder engagement which allowed the contractors to collect invaluable information of personal experiences.
After several months of evaluation, the final report has been submitted to the Developmental Disabilities Division (DDD) and the Health and Human Services Committee of the Legislature.
DDD remains focused on empowering individuals and families through quality services and is dedicated to exploring new possibilities with internal and external partners based on the recommendations provided by Optumas/Myers and Stauffer.
- April 2022 - LB376 signed in to law
- June 2022 - Internal planning begins
- September 2022 - Signed with CBIZ Optumas with Myers and Stauffer
- November 2023 - DHHS received the final report
The process included stakeholder engagement, particularly from families and participants served on existing HCBS waivers and those waiting for a DD Waiver slot.
To submit questions or comments about the System Evaluation, call (877) 667-6266 or email NE_DDSystemEval@mslc.com.