Bridges to Health Home and Community-Based Medicaid Waiver Program for Children in Foster Care (B2H)
Program Goal
The Bridges to Health (B2H) Program provides certain services to children in foster care who have significant mental health, developmental disabilities, or health care needs to help them to live in a home or community-based setting.
Eligibility
Children must be:
- Under the age of 21 years
- In the care and custody of a Local Social Services District (LDSS) or the Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS)
- Have significant mental health, developmental disabilities, or health care needs, and
- Require an institutional level of care.
Children discharged from foster care may remain in the program if they are otherwise Medicaid eligible based on child's own income and resources.
Description
The B2H Waiver allows Medicaid to pay for some services not normally provided through Medicaid. The B2H program will provide the following services:
- Accessibility modifications
- Adaptive and assistive equipment
- Crisis respite
- Crisis avoidance, management and training
- Immediate crisis response services
- Day habilitation (help with activities of daily living, such as dressing, feeding, bathing)
- Family caregiver supports and services
- Health care integration (coordination and care management)
- Intensive in-home supports
- Planned respite
- Prevocational services (services that teach the person work habits that will help him/her to get and keep a job)
- Skill building
- Special needs community advocacy and support
- Supported employment (providing the services of a job coach who will assist the person adjust to the new work location, and work closely with the supervisor to understand the person's needs, etc.)
For More Information
Program information is available at www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main/b2h. You can also call the Office of Children and Family Services at (518) 408-4064, or the Department of Health at (518) 486-6562.
