Housing Stabilization Services Moving Expenses are for people receiving Housing Stabilization-Transition services who are transitioning out of a Medicaid-funded institution or leaving a provider-operated living arrangement and moving into their own home. For purposes of this service component, “home” means a setting that a participant owns, rents, or leases that is not operated, owned, or leased by a provider of services or supports.
Moving Expenses are a component of Housing Stabilization-Transition Services. Moving expenses are non-reoccurring and limited to a maximum of $3,000 annually within an approved Housing Stabilization Services eligibility span.
Moving Expenses are reimbursed to providers. Moving Expenses are covered only to the extent that they are determined reasonable and necessary.
Who qualifies for Moving Expenses?
A person must be transitioning into their own home, approved for Housing Stabilization Services and leaving one of the following living situations to qualify for Moving Expenses:
1. Medicaid funded institutional settings:
- Nursing Facilities Hospitals,
- including Community Behavioral Health Hospitals (CBHH)
- Intermediate Care Facilities for persons with developmental disabilities (ICF/DD)
- Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Services facility (CABHS) (18+)
- Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTF)
- Institutions for Mental Disease (IMD) (refer to the 2.5.4 Program for People Living in Institutions for Mental Diseases webpage) only if:
- the facility is participating in the 1115 Substance Use Disorder (SUD) System Reform Demonstration; or
- the person is 18-21 years old or older than 65 years
- the person is enrolled in Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA)
- the person is age 21 to 65 and enrolled in a managed care plan with a length of stay of no more than 15 days during a calendar month
2. Currently homeless and has stayed in a shelter or county-funded emergency shelter (including hotel voucher program or other county-funded emergency housing sites) at some point over the last 12 months. The person must self-report shelter or county-funded emergency shelter stay.
3. Leaving one of these living environments:
- Adult foster care (corporate and family)
- Community residential services
- Assisted living (including those providing customized living)
- Integrated Community Supports (ICS)
- IRTS (Intensive Residential Treatment Services)
- Residential crisis stabilization
- Residential mental health programs (Rule 36) with 16 beds or less
- Community Behavioral Health Hospitals (CBHH)
- SUD settings that are not IMD
- Supportive housing
- Housing support
- Transitional housing
- Board and Lodging
- Boarding care homes
The person is no longer eligible for Moving Expenses if the person changes their housing plans or can no longer move into their own home for any reason. This applies even if the person was previously approved for Moving Expenses.
Providers must not submit claims for Moving Expenses when a person is no longer moving into their own home even if moving expenses were previously approved and paid for by the provider.
What is covered under Moving Expenses?
The following are covered under Moving Expenses. Refer to the Moving Expenses Covered/Not Covered document for more information and examples of allowable moving expenses.
- Applications, security deposits, and the cost of securing documentation that is required to obtain a lease on an apartment or home
- Essential household furnishings required to occupy a person’s home, including furniture, window coverings, food preparation items, and bed and bath linens
- One-time set-up fees or deposits for utility or service access, including telephone, electricity, heating, and water
- Necessary home accessibility adaptations such as grab bars in the bathroom, doorbells that blink, sound alerts, alarms on doors, entryway ramps, etc.
- Services necessary for the individual’s health and safety, such as pest eradication and one-time cleaning before occupancy