Pfaff demands FSSA take accountability for leaving Hoosier seniors out to dry
This July, the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) launched the PathWays for Aging home- and community-based service (HCBS) Waiver for eligible Hoosiers aged 60 or older. According to the FSSA, the Medicaid managed care program was intended to improve the health and well-being of aging Hoosier populations. However, since the program's launch, many eligible Hoosiers have been left on a waitlist with no end in sight.
The PathWays Waiver has a total of 10,500 slots for newly eligible seniors, and 9,247 Hoosiers are currently on the waitlist. Despite the number of open slots exceeding the number of people on the waitlist, the FSSA is only filling 800 of those open slots each month from the waitlist. The thousands of Hoosiers remaining on the waitlist have been left pathless without adequate support or communication.
“With the thousands of applicants on the waitlist, this means that the FSSA plans to let Hoosier seniors wait an entire year to finally receive government services they've been paying into their entire lives,” State Rep. Tonya Pfaff (D-Terre Haute) said. “Now, these same seniors are left without answers as they are forced to wait months for critical services.”
“I recently contacted the FSSA asking them to send a representative to assist concerned seniors at the Silver Birch assisted living in Terre Haute. This request was denied. The FSSA did not explain why they could not send a liaison to meet with these residents. Instead, the FSSA advised the individuals at Silver Birch to wade through a sea of red tape if they want any answers. The apathy shown by the FSSA towards our Hoosier seniors is unacceptable. I will do everything in my power to ensure that our seniors get the support they so desperately need.
“Left without any guidance or transparency from the FSSA, those stuck on the waitlist are now at risk of becoming unhoused and losing access to essential services. This is as irresponsible as it is unconscionable. It is unacceptable to allow the FSSA to take advantage of our vulnerable senior population by refusing to help them get the care they need. Until the FSSA takes accountability for the mess they made, my office will continue to do what we can on behalf of affected seniors.”