Pennsylvania Code › Title 6 - AGING › Part I - Department of Aging › Chapter 20 - FAMILY CAREGIVER SUPPORT PROGRAM › CAREGIVER PARTICIPATION › Section 20.22 - Conditions of participation

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
(a)
Certification of accountability.
As a condition of
				  participation in the Program, an eligible primary caregiver shall sign a
				  certification of accountability as provided under §
										20.32 (relating to assessment and
				  care management). The primary caregiver's signature on the certification will
				  attest to the truth of information provided during the assessment and will
				  indicate the caregiver's understanding of responsibility for compliance with
				  Program requirements, especially those under §§
										20.41-20.45 (relating to reimbursement
				  benefits) which relate to the reimbursement of caregiver expenses and the
				  penalties for violation of this chapter.
(b)
Change of status.
It is
				  the responsibility of the primary caregiver to report to the area agency on
				  aging any change of status in the caregiving situation which might affect
				  eligibility for the Program or the service plan developed under §
										20.32. Reportable changes include
				  significant changes in the health status of the carereceiver, living
				  arrangements or household income, the ability of the caregiver to provide the
				  necessary care and the availability of informal supports to the care being
				  provided.
(c)
Documentation
				  of information.
The area agency on aging shall require a primary
				  caregiver to document household income with a copy of Federal income tax
				  returns from the previous calendar year. If the required tax return is
				  unavailable, examples of other documentation which may be provided are listed
				  under §
										20.23 (relating to income). The
				  area agency on aging may require a primary caregiver to document other
				  eligibility-related information provided during assessment.
(d)
Choice of available
				  services.
(1) Individual
				  carereceivers and their caregiver families may not receive the services of the
				  Program and Level II Services of the OPTIONS Program simultaneously. The
				  caregivers of carereceivers who are on a waiting list for OPTIONS Level II
				  Services may be accepted into the Program until the carereceiver is admitted to
				  Level II Services. When a place becomes available in Level II Services, the
				  area agency on aging, in full consultation with a family which has been in the
				  Program while on the waiting list for Level II Services, shall review the
				  relative benefits and the appropriateness of the two programs and choose the
				  one which is most appropriate. This provision does not preclude the possibility
				  of an OPTIONS Level II care recipient living in the same residence as a
				  separate carereceiver and caregiver who are eligible to receive benefits and
				  services under this chapter.
(2)
				  Carereceivers who are assessed under the OPTIONS Program and referred to Level
				  I Services may receive these services, when appropriate, in addition to their
				  primary caregiver receiving benefits and services from the
				  Program.