Overview of 1915c Children's Waiver and 1115 Waiver

Any questions surrounding the implementation of the Children's Medicaid System Transformation can be sent to BH.Transition@health.ny.gov

Effective on April 1, 2019, the following six 1915(c) Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waivers have been consolidated into a single, 1915(c) Children's Waiver:

  • Office of Mental Health (OMH) Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) waiver #NY.0296;
  • Department of Health (DOH) Care at Home (CAH) I/II waiver #NY.4125;
  • Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) Care at Home waiver #40176; and
  • Office of Children and Families (OCFS) Bridges to Health (B2H) SED waiver #NY.0469, B2H Developmental Disability (DD) waiver #NY.0470, and B2H Medically Fragile waiver #NY.0471.

The 1915(c) Children's Waiver:

  • Streamlines the children's HCBS administration to have more consistent eligibility processes and benefits across all populations.
  • Provides a single HCBS benefit package to children meeting institutional level of care (LOC) functional criteria. The Children's Waiver also eliminated the use of waiting lists related to HCBS capacity under the waiver. All of the HCBS services authorized under the previous six 1915(c) children's waivers continue to be authorized as either an HCBS authorized under the 1915(c) Children's Waiver or a new State Plan service.
  • Provides Health Home care management to children eligible for HCBS and an administrative alternative for children that may opt of Health Home.

The 1115 waiver, which is implemented concurrently with the 1915(c) Children's Waiver:

  • Incorporates certain Medicaid State Plan behavioral health services into the MMC and HIV SNP contracts for enrolled children.
  • Includes newly aligned HCBS authorized under the concurrent 1915(c) Children's Waiver in the managed care benefit package.
  • Removes the exemption from mandatory enrollment into MMC and HIV SNPS for children in the 1915(c) Children's Waiver, unless the child is otherwise exempt or excluded from enrollment (i.e., available comprehensive Third-Party Health Insurance and/or Medicare, or Medically Needy child who is provisionally eligible). Children who are otherwise exempt or excluded from enrollment into MMC and enrolled in 1915(c) Children's waiver will remain in, or receive FFS Medicaid, including HCBS, until those exemptions or exclusions from MMC and HIV SNP enrollment are removed.
  • Removes the exclusion from MMC enrollment for children in the care of a voluntary foster care agency, and include Residential Supports and Services (authorized under a separate State Plan Amendment) in MMC benefit package.
  • Authorized transitional rates for waiver providers under six children's 1915(c) waivers that transitioned from waiver care management rates to Health Home rates. Provides conflict free case management for children receiving HCBS and Health Home care management.
  • Proposed 1915c HCBS Waiver Application NY.4125.R06.03 for Effective Date January 1, 2026 - (PDF) - July 3, 2025
    • Proposed 1915(b) (4) Waiver for Effective Date January 1, 2026 - (PDF) - September 23, 2025
  • Approved Effective March 1, 2024 1915c HCBS Waiver Application NY.4125.R06.02 - (PDF) - February 2024
    • Approved Effective March 1, 2024 1915 (b)(4) Waiver NY.050.00.00 - (PDF) - February 2024
  • Children's Waiver Amendment Approval Announcement - (Web) - November 27, 2023
  • Approved Effective November 1, 2023 1915c HCBS Waiver Application NY.4125.R06.01 - (PDF) - November 2023
    • Request for Additional Information New York 1915(b)(4) Waiver NY-0015.R00.00 - (Web) - October 30, 2023
  • Children's Waiver Renewal Announcement - (PDF) - July 2022 (PDF)
  • Approved Effective April 1, 2022 HCBS Waiver Renewal NY.4125.R06.00 - (PDF) - April 2022
  • Children's Waiver Renewal Temporarily Extended (NY.4125.R05.00) - (PDF) - March 2022
  • Approved Effective December 1, 2021 HCBS Waiver Application NY 4125 R05.11 - (PDF) - December 2021
  • Approved Effective December 1, 2020 HCBS Waiver Application NY 4125 R05.09 - (PDF) - December 2020
  • Approved Effective March 15, 2020 HCBS Waiver Application NY 4125 R05.05 - (PDF) - March 2020
  • Approved Effective October 1, 2019 HCBS Waiver Application NY 4125 R05.06 - (PDF) - October 2019
  • Approved Effective August 1, 2019 HCBS Waiver Application NY 4125 R05.04 - (PDF) - August 2019
  • Approved Effective April 1, 2019 HCBS Waiver Application NY 4125 R05.03 - (PDF) - April 2019
  • Independent Evaluation of the New York State 1115 Waiver Amendment: Interim Findings - (PDF) submitted to CMS July 2021
  • Children's 1115 Evaluation Design Approval Letter - (PDF) - April 2020
  • Approved Children's 1115 Evaluation Design - (Web) - (PDF) - April 2020
  • Approved 1115 Demonstration Project Number 11-W-001142/2 - (PDF) Effective August 2, 2019
  • Children's 1115 Waiver Amendment - (PDF) - April 2018
  • Children's 1115 Waiver Amendment - (PDF) - May 2017

Amendment and Evaluation

Coming Soon

The NYS Spending Plan, Quarterly Reports and other updates can be located here.

  • ARPA eFMAP Children's Workforce and Infrastructure FAQ - (Web) - (PDF) - November 2023
  • Children's Workforce and Infrastructure eFMAP FAQs - (Web) - (PDF) - December 2022
  • Workforce and Infrastructure Attestation Announcement - (Web) - (PDF) - November 2022
  • Children's eFMAP Attestation - (Web) - (PDF) - November 2022
  • Children's eFMAP Release of Funds Announcement - (Web) - (PDF) - March 17, 2022
  • eFMAP Rate Changes for Children's Services - (Web) - (PDF) - February 18, 2022
  • Children's HCBS eFMAP Rate Announcement - (Web) - (PDF) - December 15, 2021
  • HCBS Rate Summary - (Web) - (PDF) - Effective April 1,2021
  • FPSS, YPS, CPST, PSR, CI Rate Summary - (Web) - (PDF) - Effective April 1, 2021
  • OLP Rate Summary - (Web) - (PDF) - Effective April 1, 2021
  • PHE Unwind of Flexibilities Related to the Medicaid Children's Waiver and Health Home Services - (Web) - February 2, 2024
  • PHE Unwind Guidance Regarding Children and Family Treatment and Support Services (CFTSS) Flexibilities - (Web) - June 27, 2023
    • COVID-19 Guidance for Designated Children and Family Treatment and Support Services' Providers - (Web) - March 19, 2020 (Updated June 27, 2023)
  • Changes to Respite Telehealth Services Under the 1915(c) Children's Waiver Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) - (PDF) - December 13, 2022
    • COVID-19 HCBS Respite Guidance - (PDF) - April 8, 2020 (Updated June 25, 2021)
  • Public Health Emergency Unwind Clarification - (PDF) - February 16, 2023
  • COVID-19 Guidance for Children's Waiver Health Home Care Management Agencies, C-YES, HCBS Providers, and MMCP/HIV SNP - (PDF) - March 29, 2020 (Updated June 2021)
  • COVID-19 Guidance for Children's Waiver Services Providers - (PDF) - March 14, 2020 (Updated June 2021)
  • COVID-19 Guidance for Designated Children and Family Treatment and Support Services' Providers - (PDF) - March 19, 2020 (Updated June 25, 2021)
  • CMS Approval Letter for 1915c Children Waiver Appendix K Amendment NY.4125.R05.13 for COVID-19 - Implementation of 5.4% COLA - (PDF) - July 2022
  • CMS APPROVED 1915c Children Waiver Appendix K Amendment NY.4125.R05.13 for COVID-19 - Implementation of 5.4% COLA - (PDF) - July 2022
  • CMS APPROVED 1915c Children Waiver Appendix K Amendment NY.4125.R05.12 for COVID-19 - Implementation of ARPA - (PDF) - February 2022
  • CMS APPROVED 1915c Children Waiver Appendix K Amendment NY.4125.R05.10 for COVID-19 - Extended Effective Dates - (PDF) - March 2021
  • CMS APPROVED Second Appendix K NY.4125.R05.08 for COVID-19 - Retainer Payment - (PDF) - September 2020
  • CMS APPROVED 1915c Children Waiver Appendix K NY.4125.R05.07 Amendment for COVID-19 - (PDF) - June 2020
  • COVID-19 Children's Waiver HCBS/LOC Ineligible Clarification - (PDF) - October 2020
    • COVID-19 Children's Waiver HCBS/LOC Review Form - (PDF)
  • FAQ to Address Appendix K COVID-19 Questions - (PDF) - Updated August 26, 2020
  • Elements of the Approved Appendix K for COVID-19 - (PDF) - August 6, 2020
  • End of PHE Children's HCBS Level of Care (LOC) Eligibility Determination Flexibility - (PDF) - January 26, 2023
  • PHE Account for non HCBS LOC Reassessments - (XLSX)
  • Draft Effective September 1, 2021 HCBS Waiver Application NY.019.05.11 - (PDF) - September 2021
    • Public Notice: Draft Effective September 1, 2021 HCBS Waiver Application NY.019.05.11 - (External Link) - April 2021
  • Proposed Amendment Changes to HCBS Waiver Application NY 4125 R05.07 - (PDF) - March 2020
  • Proposed Amendment Changes to HCBS Waiver Application NY 4125 R05.02 - (PDF) for August 2019 - July 2019
  • APPROVED Effective April 1, 2019 HCBS Waiver Application NY 4125 R05.02 - (PDF) - April 1, 2019
  • 1915c Children's Waiver Stakeholder feedback - (PDF) - October 18, 2018