The Money Follows the Person Demonstration helps Medicaid beneficiaries who have lived in an institution return to the community. Successful transitions require that care be coordinated – not only during the transition, but on an ongoing basis.

*Milestone details:

*Full name: Increase the capacity for facility-to-community transitions through expansion of the Money Follows the Person Demonstration Program.

*Relevance to the ACA:

The Money Follows the Person Demonstration Program encourages states to identify Medicaid beneficiaries who have lived in an institution and wish to return to community living. When a state facilitates an institution-to-community transition, the state receives enhanced federal matching funds for the Medicaid home and community based services and supports provided during the first year of a beneficiary’s relocation. The increased Medicaid funds states earn under the demonstration must be reinvested in long-term services and supports to increase the availability of community-based options. The Money Follows the Person Demonstration was originally scheduled to end in 2011. §2404 of the ACA extends the Demonstration through 2016 and reduces the institutional length of stay needed to qualify for enhanced matching payments.