Chautauqua County NY Connects phone line is available to all people in Chautauqua County, as a first call for information and assistance for long-term care needs for anyone- of any age. Long-term care needs are not just nursing home information. You may need long-term care at home in your community. NY Connects can assist you with all kinds of information. There are a lot of changes in New York State with Medicaid redesign. Here are some key points on the changes now in effect in Chautauqua County.

Managed

Long-Term Care

The Managed Long-Term Care Medicaid policy continues that affects Medicaid beneficiaries who reside in Chautauqua County. Individuals receiving both Medicaid (MA) and Medicare (MC) benefits, ages 21 and older, and need long term care services for more than 120 days are required to join managed long term care plans. The Department of Health is the state agency responsible for oversight of the managed long term care program and for authorizing managed care plans (agencies or providers) to provide long term care services.

Long-Term Care Services

The main goal of managed long-term care is to assist individuals with disabilities or chronic illnesses to remain living at home. Managed long-term care plans coordinate a range of day-to-day support and services in the plan member’s home and community.

Medicaid Health Services

The models of care that are available now in Chautauqua County are a Partially Capitated Managed Long-Term Care plan and a PACE- All Inclusive Care for the Elderly.

The Partial Capitated Plan includes home care services along with other long term care support services. The benefit package could include health services from a registered nurse, home health aide or physical therapist. Services provided in the community can include personal care, personal emergency response systems, home delivered meals, medical appointment transportation, social day and medical adult day care services. With this MLTC (Managed Long-Term Care)- Medicaid Plan, enrollment  is mandatory for those who: are dual eligible (eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare) and over 21 years of age, and need community based long-term care services for more than 120 days.

The PACE plan includes all long-term care services as well as medical appointments, transportation, nursing home, homecare, social and medical day care, prescriptions, home delivered meals, therapies, emergency response systems, etc. The person must be 55 to join this type of plan.

You can call NY Connects for more information and be connected to New York Medicaid Choice. This state program offers managed care information to local residents. Representatives will be glad to assist people who now receive Medicaid home care services and patients with Medicare/Medicaid who want to apply for services. To contact New York Medicaid Choice call: 1-888-401-6582, TTY: 1-888-329-1541. Or visit www.nymedicaidchoice.com. They are open Monday — Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

You can access Chautauqua County New York Connects in many ways to fit your needs. E-mail: ccnyc@co.chautauqua.ny.us, Mayville 753-4582, Dunkirk 363-4582 or Jamestown 661-7582.  Fax # is 753-4477. You can even come to our main office location at 7 North Erie St. in Mayville in the HRC building at the County seat offices.  NY Connects is brought to you by the Chautauqua County Office for the Aging and the Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services