Access to Home for Medicaid Recipients

The Access to Home for Medicaid Recipients program was developed in partnership with the New York State Department of Health (DOH). This program provides financial assistance to make dwelling units accessible for low- and moderate-income persons receiving Medicaid and living with a disability. Assistance with the cost of adapting homes to meet the needs of those with disabilities will enable individuals to live in their residences safely and comfortably, instead of residing in an institutional setting. The Access to Home for Medicaid Recipients program has a secondary long-term goal of lowering health care costs.

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants for the Access to Home for Medicaid Recipients Program are units of local government and organizations incorporated under the New York State Not-For-Profit Corporation Law, that have substantial experience in adapting or retrofitting homes for persons with disabilities.

Eligible Participants

An eligible participant must meet the following criteria:

• Qualified Medicaid recipient.
• Documented substantial limitation caused by a disability.
• Household income at or below 80 percent of area median income (120 percent of area median income for veterans who are certified by the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense as entitled to receive disability payments for a disability incurred in time of war).

The assisted residential unit must be the primary, permanent residence of the eligible participant. The primary residence may be owner-occupied or a rental unit. Applicants proposing to assist rental units must ensure that the property owner is not otherwise obligated by federal, State or local law to provide such improvements.

Eligible Activities

Funding may be used to provide financial assistance to make accessibility modifications, to the primary residences of low- and moderate-income individuals living with disabilities. Activities reimbursable by grant funds may only include accessibility modifications designed to address the needs of the person living with a disability. Examples of modifications may include wheelchair ramps and lifts, handrails, doorway widening, and roll-in showers. Review the Access to Home for Medicaid Recipients Program Manual for more information related to eligible activities: https://hcr.ny.gov/access-home-medicaid-recipients#program-manual.

• Current Funding Opportunities

Municipalities and not-for-profit organizations are eligible to apply for Access to Home for Medicaid Members program resources, homeowners and individuals are not eligible to apply directly to HCR for assistance. Once selected for funding, these municipalities and not-for-profit organizations become “Local Program Administrators” and provide assistance to eligible homeowners. A list of grants currently available through Local Program Administrators and a directory of a statewide network of housing and community development not-for-profits is available online, here: https://hcr.ny.gov/grants-available-through-local-partners