California Pathways Grant: Money Follows the Person

California Department of Health Services: Real Choice Systems Change Grant for Community Living

Goal: To develop and field test a model for a uniform assessment and transition protocol that would enable nursing facility residents to exercise informed choice of home and community-based services and to provide case encounter and cost data that provide the basis for policy recommendations for Money Follows the Person initiatives in California.

Budget: $750,000 federal funding over three years.

Grant Description: The Department of Health Services proposes to:
Contract with a lead organization to develop a pilot project called California Pathways in one location in California. A pilot project community will be chosen based on its potential for successful transitions to community living; for example, the availability of an array of housing and service options.

The lead contractor would produce the following outcomes by the end of the three-year grant period:

Development or selection of a uniform assessment tool that can be used in various nursing facilities and by a variety of care planners throughout the state.

Cost and encounter data that supports one or more financing model(s) that demonstrates that the money follows the person;

A uniform transition care planning protocol that enables nursing facility residents to exercise interest and informed choice of care options and services in a community setting.

A successful care-planning protocol that enables consumer preferences of service providers and service types.

Cost and other information on ongoing or one-time services needed by nursing facility residents in order to transition to community living.
Utilize public/private partnerships to develop and implement the pilot project.

Utilize the Long-Term Care Council, Olmstead Advisory Committee as a mechanism to obtain stakeholder input in addition to input from local stakeholders and potential consumers in pilot project location(s).

Coordinate with other long-term care programs statewide that can benefit from the pilot project formative learning and outcomes.

Develop recommendations to build on the successes of the pilot project; including care planning models, service costs associated with chronic conditions, and initiatives that enable the Money to Follow the Person.