AARP Eye Center
Karen Roach
West Virginia is pressing to expand the Medicaid Aged and Disabled Waiver Program, which helps state residents continue to live at home as they age, rather than moving into a nursing home or assisted living facility.
About 9 in 10 older Americans want to stay at home as they age, AARP research shows, and in-home services usually are more cost-effective than institutional care.
The program provides in-home services—such as help with bathing—for about 6,000 West Virginians. About an additional 2,000 people are eligible but are on a waiting list.
State lawmakers voted this year to eliminate the waiting list, but Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) trimmed the expansion with a line-item veto. AARP is working to get the money restored and urges members to call the governor’s office at 304-558-2000.
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