In 2019, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration set out to assess and revamp its home and community-based services (HCBS) waiver programs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disability. They hired the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) to analyze the Family Supports Waiver (FSW) and Community Integration and Habilitation (CIH), interview stakeholders, research options from other states and provide a recommendation for waiver redesign. HSRI hired Lawrance Policy Consulting as its Indiana-based women business enterprise subcontractor. 

Solution 

In 2020, we traveled the state with the Indiana University Institute on Disability and Community and the Arc of Indiana to host focus groups with self-advocates and their caregivers. These efforts culminated right before the COVID-19 lock down and resulted in a rich data set of consumer feedback for redesign. 

Results/Outcome 

Post-pandemic, the State needed assistance in supporting providers and members to recover. They developed the Innovation Pilot Projects to allow entities to test alternative methods of delivering HCBS in Indiana. We supported the state by reviewing applications, hosting symposia for the grantees and synthesizing the data and survey results they produced. We are taking that information along with the consumer and caregiver feedback and continuing to strengthen and enhance Indiana’s waiver program.