Partnership for Hope May provide hope for dental care to some with disabilities

by ROBIN RUST P

artnership for Hope is a home and community-based program that began serving people with intellec- tual and developmental disabilities

(IDD) in late 2010. The program is a partner- ship of the Division of Developmental Dis- abilities, County Boards for Developmental Disabilities (also known as “SB 40” boards), MO HealthNet and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Partnership for Hope is supported with state, local and federal funds and covers personal assistance, job discovery, job preparation, employment supports, environmental accessibility modi- fications for homes and vehicles, specialized medical equipment, assistive technology and a wide variety of other supports to maintain independence in the community.

Partnership for Hope also covers dental services for adults. Dental care for children ages 20 and younger is not covered in this program, as MO HealthNet covers children’s dental care. Dental services provided to adult participants in this program are prior- authorized by the Division of DD Regional Office based on approval by the local county DD board.

Through the program, people receive a waiver, which has a total cost limit of $12,000 per year, per participant, regardless of whether they receive only one waiver service or a combination of several services, dental included. An additional $3,000 per year in services may be authorized on an ongoing basis if a person’s needs change after they are enrolled in the waiver, and there is also an exception for a one-time expense of up to $10,000 (annually) during a period of crisis or transition. The limit does not include the cost of MO HealthNet state plan services, such as inpatient hospitalization, prescrip- tions, outpatient services, etc.

REGIONAL OFFICE NAME Albany

Central Missouri Hannibal Joplin

Kansas City Kirksville

Poplar Bluff Rolla

Sikeston Springfield St. Louis County PHONE Jo Bryson

Lynn Maggard Steve Laws Teresa Clark

Jama Mahanes Penny Mata Kevin Dilbeck

Chas Benton Tracy Mauk

St. Louis Tri-County John Fischer St. Louis RO

EMAIL

816-671-7000 jo.bryson@dmh.mo.gov 660-831-3110 lynn.maggard@dmh.mo.gov 573-248-2400 steve.laws@dmh.mo.gov 417-629-3568 teresa.clark@dmh.mo.gov 816-889-3466 jama.mahanes@dmh.mo.gov 660-785-2346 penny.mata@dmh.mo.gov 573-840-9350 kevin.dilbeck@dmh.mo.gov

Michelle Brown 573-368-2545 michelle.brown@dmh.mo.gov

573-290-5436 573-290-5285

314-475-7616

chas.benton@dmh.mo.gov tracy.l.mauk@dmh.mo.gov

Lisa Price-Suttee 417-895-7432 lisa.price-suttee@dmh.mo.gov Jane Alexander

jane.alexander@dmh.mo.gov 314-340-3460 john.w.fischer@dmh.mo.gov PR Main Number 314-244-8800

DENTISTS INTERESTED in accepting referrals from local agencies and providing dental care to participants of this program should contact Provider Relations at the DD Regional Office serving the county where your practice is located.

The target population for Partnership for Hope is MO HealthNet-eligible people with IDD who would otherwise require full time care in a facility. Partnership for Hope is one of five home and community-based pro- grams for people with IDD in Missouri and has served nearly 2,500 people since October 2010. The program is expected to serve more than 3,000 individuals of all ages this year. Approximately two-thirds of participants are adults. At the time the program was launched in 2010, Partnership for Hope was available in only 37 counties and had capacity for only 470 participants, but interest in the program spread quickly and more local County Boards have voted to participate in the program. The program has been expanded six times in just over two years and is currently available in 96 Missouri Counties and the City of St. Louis, and two more counties are pending approval with CMS.

More information about the Partnership for Hope dental benefit is posted at http://dmh. mo.gov/docs/dd/PfHFAQdental.pdf and a

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map of counties participating in Partnership for Hope is posted at http://dmh.mo.gov/ docs/dd/pfmap.pdf. You also may access fre- quently asked questions regarding the dental services at http://dmh.mo.gov/docs/dd/PfH- FAQdental.pdf (the cost limit is explained in number 8).

Dentists who are interested in accepting referrals from local agencies and providing dental care to participants of this program should contact Provider Relations at the DD Regional Office serving the county where your practice is located. A map of the DD regional offices is posted on this website: http://dmh.mo.gov/dd/facilities/map.htm. Provider relations contacts can be found in the table above. f

ROBIN RUST is the Director of Federal Programs, Division of Developmental Disabilities for the Missouri Department of Mental Health. Contact her at 573-751-8209 or Robin. Rust@dmh.mo.gov.