Errington calls on governor to address the PathWays for Aging ‘forever waitlist’

INDIANAPOLIS – 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, thousands of Hoosiers have been left pathless without adequate support or communication.

“The lack of transparency from the FSSA is putting our seniors in a lose-lose situation,” State Rep. Sue Errington (D-Muncie) said. “To qualify for Medicaid, they have been encouraged by the government to spend down their assets. But after spending down, they are trapped on a seemingly endless waitlist, unable to receive necessary care.

“Hoosiers in my district and across the state are now in very real danger of losing the resources they need to survive. Forty-four individuals at Silver Birch assisted living facilities across the state have spent down their savings to qualify for Medicaid. After depleting their savings as instructed, they are being left out in the cold waiting for the PathWays Waiver after the discontinuation of the Aged and Disabled Waiver. Five individuals have been affected at the Muncie facility and now face the risk of becoming unhoused. I commend these individuals for rightfully protesting this indignity this week and want to make sure I am doing all I can as your state representative to help you.

“This treatment is unacceptable, and we must take immediate action. I have sent a letter directly to Gov. Holcomb, imploring him to address this issue before it's too late. We have a duty to protect Indiana's most vulnerable communities, but this 'forever waitlist' is doing just the opposite. Intervention is urgently needed to ensure that our seniors are receiving the care that meets their needs.”