# COVID HCBS Relief Act of 2021

This bill provides emergency financial support to help states pay for home and community-based services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Home and community-based services (HCBS) are care programs that help elderly people and individuals with disabilities live independently in their homes or communities rather than in institutions like nursing homes or hospitals. These services include things like personal care assistance, adult day care, and support services that help people manage daily activities.

The bill addresses a specific problem that emerged during the pandemic: as COVID-19 spread, many states faced budget crises and couldn't afford to maintain these essential services. People who depend on HCBS—primarily seniors and people with disabilities—were at risk of losing access to the care they need to stay in their homes. The legislation provides federal funding to help states continue paying for these services without having to cut programs or reduce the number of people they serve.

The money goes directly to state Medicaid programs, which administer most HCBS in the country. This means the funding helps ensure that home health aides, personal care attendants, and other service providers can continue working and that eligible individuals can keep receiving the support they depend on. For people relying on these services, it means they can avoid being forced into institutional care during an economic crisis. For service providers, it means job stability during an uncertain time. The bill essentially acts as a financial lifeline to prevent the collapse of state-run HCBS programs when they were most vulnerable.

COVID HCBS Relief Act of 2021

Casey, Robert P., Jr.

COVID HCBS Relief Act of 2021 This bill temporarily increases the applicable Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (i.e., federal matching rate) under Medicaid for certain approved home- and community-based services that are provided between October 1, 2020, and September 30, 2022. As a condition for receiving the increased rate, a state must agree to undertake activities to improve the delivery of such services during and after the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), such as by providing additional benefits to home health workers and by helping individuals who were relocated to nursing facilities during the emergency move back to their homes.