INDIANAPOLIS —The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) announced today that Indiana PathWays for Aging launched for more than 123,000 eligible Hoosiers aged 60 and over.
“This is an exciting day for Indiana as we go live with this transformative program,” Indiana Medicaid Director Cora Steinmetz said. “We thank our partners across the state who have been instrumental in helping us design a program that will make a difference for this population, and the state.”
PathWays for Aging is a Medicaid managed care program designed to improve the health and wellbeing of the Hoosiers it serves, provide choice for those members who want to age in their homes or communities, and better manage the rising costs of providing Medicaid coverage to the aging population. This becomes the state’s fourth managed care program in addition to the Healthy Indiana Plan, Hoosier Healthwise and Hoosier Care Connect.
“Before PathWays, the aging individuals on Medicaid had to navigate a complicated healthcare and supports system on their own,” FSSA Secretary Dan Rusyniak, M.D., said. “Now, individuals need only one point of contact for assistance, making it easier for more Hoosiers to stay in their homes, surrounded by family and friends.”
On PathWays, individuals contact a care coordinator who can help them access services or find other resources to meet their needs.
Some individuals on the PathWays program will qualify for additional services based on their needs and will be eligible for the PathWays home and community-based services (HCBS) waiver.
July 1 also marks the end of the Aged and Disabled Waiver. Two new waivers, the PathWays Waiver for individuals aged 60 and older and the Health and Wellness Waiver for individuals 59 and younger, will provide home and community-based services to eligible Hoosiers who need nursing facility level of care.
Per the federal approvals, both waivers have a designated number of slots available. A slot can only be used by one person during the July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025 waiver year and cannot be re-used by a different person if a member no longer needs services, for example if the individual moved out of state.
- PathWays for Aging Waiver: 39,842 slots, of which 29,268 are filled by Hoosiers already receiving services. 10,574 slots will remain for newly eligible individuals.
- Health and Wellness Waiver: 16,127 slots, of which 13,190 are filled by Hoosiers already receiving services. 2,937 slots will remain for newly eligible individuals.
In April, FSSA established a waiting list for the former Aged and Disabled Waiver. Beginning this month, the agency will begin inviting eligible individuals on the waiting list to continue the process to access either the PathWays Waiver or Health and Wellness Waiver.
Individuals currently receiving waiver services through the former Aged and Disabled Waiver, now transitioned to the Health and Wellness Waiver or PathWays Waiver, do not have to complete this process.
No waitlist will exist for the overall PathWays program, only individuals eligible for waiver services under PathWays may be placed on a waitlist.
At this time, 9,015 people are on the waiting list for the PathWays Waiver, and 3,762 are on the waiting list for the Health and Wellness Waiver.
FSSA will invite a group of individuals to continue the process to begin receiving services each month as long as capacity remains. Based on the number of slots, the number of people on the waiting list, and the steps that must be taken, FSSA plans to invite individuals as follows:
- 125 individuals per month to Health and Wellness HCBS Waiver
- 800 individuals per month to PathWays HCBS Waiver
These estimates are based on the steps that must be taken following invitation, with the goal of allowing eligible members to access services as quickly as possible. For example, face-to-face level of care assessments must be completed, and functional eligibility and Medicaid eligibility must be determined. Individuals invited to proceed will receive a letter with further details.
Transition Structured Family Caregiving or new Attendant Care caregiver
As announced early this year, legally responsible individuals are no longer permitted to provide Attendant Care as of today. Two options were offered: Structured Family Caregiving or Attendant Care from a caregiver who is not a legally responsible individual.
More than 1,700 members, or the vast majority of those affected, had completed a newly approved service plan and can begin their new services. After July 1, all Health and Wellness waiver members 17 and younger who select Structured Family Caregiving for the first time will be assessed by care managers to determine the appropriate tier of service. Families who transitioned to Structured Family Caregiving before the July 1 start were placed in a tier based on the Attendant Care hours they were already utilizing.
In mid-2025, a new Structured Family Caregiving Level of Service Assessment will be in place.
By Jerry Curry, Staff Writer
I recently had the opportunity to interview an author from Salem. Her name is Tanya Coats Konerman, and she graduated from Salem High School in 1985.
Konerman lived in Salem until she went to college at Indiana University and stayed there. She has a double major in Journalism and Psychology, with a focus on childhood development. Her home now is in Bloomington where she lives with her husband, who is an electrical engineer for Crane Naval Base. The couple have three daughters.
She specializes in children’s books and has written several. In July she had a book signing at Morgenstern’s Bookstore and Café. This is the largest independent bookstore in Indiana, located in Bloomington.
The book was “Haunted States of America”. It is a collection of ghost stories, published by Macmillan’s Laura Godwin Books. Several authors sent in stories geared for middle school students, and it is an anthology of ghost stories.
Konerman's contribution to the collection was “Danger at the Dune.” It a tale about a young woman, Dian from Chicago, who moved to the dunes in the 1900’s. She married a petty thief who was a suspect in the killing of a female found in the dunes. Well, the husband goes to the sheriff, who has no respect for him, to prove he didn’t do it. The sheriff shoots him in the foot. In the altercation he hits Diana in the head with the butt of his rifle. She dies later, and her ghost is now roaming the dunes. Today she is known as Diana of the Dunes. She now has a headstone.
Konerman's ghost story was chosen to represent Indiana in the anthology for middle school students. Her new book is “Mud to the Rescue.” It is a lyrical nonfiction look at the ingenious ways animals use mud to survive. This will be released in the spring of 2025.
Konerman's agent is Mona Kanin at Great Dog Literary.
Konerman is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and she publishes their Indiana edition newsletter.
She is 55 years old and is a very creative person and winner of several awards. She has over twenty years experience writing for magazines, newspaper, and websites, as well as a background in advertising and public relations.
INDIANAPOLIS (July 22, 2024) – Indiana Grown and the Indiana Farmers Market Community of Practice (INFMP) announced the Indiana's Ultimate Farmers Market is returning this summer for its second year. Previously called the Indiana's Ultimate Farmers Market Challenge, this contest is a chance for customers across the state to vote for their favorite hometown farmers market to encourage local engagement and statewide recognition.
“The Indiana's Ultimate Farmers Market allows for communities to support their local farmers market by voting for their favorite," said Christina Ferroli, INFMP Program Coordinator. "Not only can consumers show support of their favorite farmers market, but by voting, it helps others discover local products."
Is your farmers market the best? Nominate them for the Indiana's Ultimate Farmers Market distinction on INFMP's website beginning July 19 through July 26. Once the nomination period is complete, voting will begin July 29 and will run through Aug. 11. Farmers market fans are allowed one vote per person, per day. The winning farmers market will be announced Aug.13.
"One thing is certain, Hoosiers love their farmers markets," said Caroline Patrick, Indiana Grown Program Director. "Farmers markets are an integral part of Indiana communities' economies, and it is great to see consumers supporting them!"
Editor's Note: Salem's Farmers Market is set up in the parking lot of the Washington County Justice Center, 801 S. Jackson St., every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon.
ABOUT INDIANA GROWN
Indiana Grown is administered by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture in partnership with the lieutenant governor’s office. The initiative educates consumers on the importance of buying Indiana Grown products, helps Indiana farmers and producers sell more products and supports Indiana businesses in their efforts to process more Indiana Grown products. Indiana Grown members and partners include farmers, producers, processors and artisans, as well as retailers, grocers, hospitals and restaurants. For more information, visit indianagrown.org.
If you’re traveling internationally, you may need to renew your passport. Consumers unaware of the passport renewal process may fall victim to online scams. These scams trick U.S. citizens into paying a fee to fill out a renewal form that is a free download on the government’s website. As a result, consumers may be tricked into providing their personal and financial information on potentially unsecured websites.
As of June 2024, eligible U.S. citizens can renew their passports online through a new test system. If you do not qualify for online renewal or do not want to use the online renewal system, you can still renew your passport by mail.
How this scam works
You have planned an exciting international trip, so you go online and search for how to renew your passport. At the top of your search results is what appears to be the U.S. passport renewal website. The site tells you what forms need to be provided and that you can fill out the forms right there. You’re asked to provide your personal information, such as your social security number, home address, birth date, and much more.
After completing the form, you’re asked to pay a “processing fee” or an “application fee.” You’re then told that you’ll receive your completed form as a PDF in an email confirmation. (Easy!)
When you receive your confirmation email with your completed PDF form, you are told that you still need to pay money for the actual renewal of your passport. At this moment, you may realize you’ve been scammed into paying to fill out a form instead of actually paying to renew your passport. On top of that, you may have just handed your personal and financial information over to a scammer.
BBB Scam Tracker has received reports of online passport renewal scams. One consumer shared the following experience, “I went into the site assuming it was the State.gov site because it resembled it completely, including the URL. I did not notice that it ended as state.com, not state.gov. By the time I had submitted the application for my passport renewal and payment, I noticed that it was a fraud by the language on the confirmation page.” Another consumer reported this experience, "I went online to renew my father's passport. I inputted all his personal information and was charged 68.00--this company is posing as a government agency and scamming people."
How to avoid similar scams
Do your research. Before renewing your passport, look up the most recent information on the renewal process. Check with the U.S. government to confirm if online renewal services are available for passports. Remember that you should not have to pay a fee to fill out the required forms for a passport renewal – you’ll only need to provide payment for the renewal itself.
Give yourself plenty of time when renewing your passport. Processing times for passport renewals can change often. In addition to the indicated processing times, you should also consider the time it takes for your passport to arrive at the passport agency and then be mailed back to your home address. Check state.gov to see current processing times and plan ahead. Giving yourself plenty of time may reduce your likelihood of searching for quicker options, some of which could be scams. You can expedite your passport renewal with the U.S. government for an extra fee, but it may take several weeks.
Confirm the website’s URL before providing sensitive information. It can be easy to click on a sponsored ad or an impostor website without noticing. Remember, government websites end in .gov but always take a closer look. Scammers can trick you into thinking URLs look legitimate when they aren’t. Before typing in sensitive information, check that the website and link are secure. Learn more about identifying fake websites.
Be wary of third-party websites. There are legitimate passport assistance services, but check with BBB.org and BBB Scam Tracker first to ensure you aren’t sharing your personal or financial information with a scammer.
If you see a scam or fall victim to one, help others by reporting it to BBB Scam Tracker at www.bbb.org/scamtracker.
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