In-Home Dementia Care in Washington

Paying for care in Washington: Community First Choice and the Community Options Program Entry System

Medicare does not pay for the long-term help dementia requires. In Washington the programme that can is CFC and COPES, administered by the Aging and Long-Term Support Administration at the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, through local Home and Community Services offices.

Who qualifies

Both programs require a nursing-facility level of care determined by assessment; COPES is generally provided to people already enrolled in Community First Choice. The cited page does not describe any dementia-specific eligibility route, so ask the office that administers the programme how a dementia diagnosis is weighed in that assessment.

The financial limits

Single applicant

Not published on the cited DSHS page; set by Washington Apple Health long-term care financial eligibility rules

Married couple

Not published on the cited DSHS page; spousal impoverishment rules apply

Look-back period

Not published on the cited page; standard Medicaid transfer-of-asset rules apply

How to apply

Apply at a local Home and Community Services office, by requesting a paper application, or online at washingtonconnection.org. Community Living Connections (waclc.org, 1-855-567-0252) is the state's entry point for finding services.

What is unusual about Washington

Community First Choice lets participants choose who provides their care, including hiring family members as paid caregivers. Washington also runs a Medicaid Specialized Dementia Care Program, a dementia-specific benefit most states do not have.

Rules and figures change. Confirm the current position with the programme itself before making a financial decision.