The Waiver Unit determines Medicaid eligibility for individuals applying to any of Ohio’s waiver programs.

Before someone can be enrolled in a waiver program, they must first be found Medicaid eligible. Once we receive your application, we will work with you to determine your eligibility for the waiver program as well as other public assistance programs, including cash, medical, food, and Medicare assistance.

Medicaid waiver programs can serve as an alternative to nursing home placement. Income and resource guidelines follow Ohio’s long-term care policy.

Ohio Medicaid’s Estate Recovery Program seeks repayment for Medicaid services provided to individuals who were permanently institutionalized or age 55 and older once they pass away. Recovery is taken from the person’s estate, which includes all real and personal property, after certain conditions are met, such as having no surviving spouse or qualifying child. The Ohio Attorney General’s Office files the claim, and the estate’s executor is responsible for informing them and notifying affected heirs. Some exceptions may apply in cases of undue hardship, and a home may be subject to recovery under specific rules.

Additional information is available in the ODM 07400 Ohio Medicaid Estate Recovery information flyer.

To apply for this program, applicants must complete ODM 02399 Request for Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) and the JFS 07200 Request for Cash, Food and Medical Assistance Application (if they do not have an open Medicaid case). You can submit your application online, fax it to 866-351-8292, mail or bring it to 1180 S. Main Street, Suite 102, Akron, OH 44301, email it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 844-640-6446 and follow the prompts to select long-term care.

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Enrollment in a Medicaid waiver program is determined with a level-of-care assessment completed by different Ohio agencies:

Direction Home Akron Canton Area Agency on Aging oversees the PASSPORT Waiver program and the Assisted-Living Waiver program. PASSPORT services, for individuals 60 and older, include adult day health programs, environmental-accessibility adaptations, home-delivered meals, personal emergency-response systems, specialized medical equipment and supplies, chore assistance, independent-living assistance, nutritional consultation, personal-care services, social work and counseling, and transportation. The Assisted-Living Waiver allows individuals age 18 and older to reside in and receive services from a licensed residential- care facility. 

The Ohio Home Care Waiver Program is designed to meet the home-care needs of individuals ages 0 to 60 whose medical condition and/or functional limitations would otherwise qualify them for Medicaid coverage in a nursing home or hospital. In addition to core services such as nursing, daily living assistance, and skilled therapies, waiver services may include home-delivered meals, emergency-response systems, supplemental adaptive/assistive devices, adult day health services, out-of-home respite, supplemental transportation, nutrition or social-work counseling, and care coordination.

Contact the Area Agency on Aging at 330.896.9172 to schedule an assessment, during which they can assist with your Medicaid application.

Summit County Developmental Disabilities Board oversees the Individual Options (IO) Waiver, the Level 1 Waiver, and the Self-Empowered Life Funding (SELF) waiver. IO Waiver services include homemaker/personal care, home modifications and adaptations, non-medical transportation, respite care, social work, home-delivered meals, nutrition, interpreter services, specialized adaptive or assistive medical equipment and supplies, supported employments, and adult day- services array. Level 1 Waiver services include homemaker/personal care, institutional respite, informal respite, non-medical transportation, personal-emergency response systems, specialized medical equipment and supplies, environmental accessibility adaptations, emergency assistance, supported employment, and adult day-services array. The SELF Waiver is Ohio’s first participant-directed waiver. Participant direction means that individuals with developmental disabilities have authority to make decisions about their waiver services and accept responsibility for taking a direct role in managing their services. To apply for any of these waivers, contact the Summit County Developmental Disabilities Board at 330.634.8000 or 1.877.271.6733 (toll free).  

McGregor PACE is a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. Under the PACE program, we provide services that address the medical, rehabilitative, social, and personal care needs of older adults. An interdisciplinary team works with participants and their caregivers to develop a personalized plan of care. Using a community-based approach, McGregor PACE enables older adults to remain among familiar surroundings while receiving the help they need. McGregor PACE is for people, 55 years of age or older, who live in Summit County, who qualify for nursing home level of care, and who are able to live safely in the community.

Medicare Assistance Programs

Medicare Part A (for hospital) and Part B (for medical) have associated premiums, deductibles, and co-payments. The Medicare program was never designed to pay medical costs in full. The Medicaid Program can act as a Medigap payer to help some eligible Medicare recipients with these costs.

QMB

Qualified Medicare Beneficiaries (QMB) whose income (after exclusions) does not exceed 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (currently $1,255 for an individual and $1,704 for a married couple) are entitled to have the Medicaid program pay their Part B premium ($185.00 in 2025) and all other costs and deductibles not paid by Medicare. Applicants aged 65 who have SSI income and are not eligible for free Part A may be eligible for Medicaid to pay the Part A hospital premium.

SLMB

Specified Low–Income Medicare Beneficiaries (SLMB) whose income does not exceed 120% of the Federal Poverty Level (currently $1,506 for an individual and $2,044 for a married couple) are entitled to have the Medicaid program pay their Part B premium ($185.00 for 2025).

*The current QMB/SLMB resource limit is $9,600 for an individual and $14,4701 for a married couple.

QI-1

Qualified Individual (QI) program helps Medicare-eligible applicants who do not qualify for QMB or SLMB (and whose income is does not exceed $1,695 for an individual and $2,300 for a married couple) are eligible for Medicaid to pay their Part B premium only.