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Ohio Medicaid Waivers and Assisted Living

The Assisted Living Waiver, PASSPORT and MyCare Ohio are three different programs. Here is what each actually pays for.

HomeCosts & PayingOhio Medicaid Waivers and Assisted Living
Short answer

Ohio has no single combined managed-care waiver for seniors. The Assisted Living Waiver pays for care services inside a licensed Residential Care Facility but not room and board. PASSPORT pays for in-home services only. MyCare Ohio coordinates care for people eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. None of the three pays a family's full monthly assisted living bill.

Three different programs, easily confused

Families researching Ohio senior care funding often assume there is one waiver to apply for, the way some other states run a single combined program. Ohio splits long-term services and supports across three separate programs, two run by the Ohio Department of Aging and one a Medicaid managed care demonstration.

ProgramWhere care happensPays room and board?
Assisted Living WaiverInside a licensed RCFNo — capped resident payment only
PASSPORTAt homeNo — in-home program only
MyCare OhioCoordinates across settingsDepends on the underlying service authorized
How Cleveland families pay for care. Medicare does not cover assisted living. Ohio's long-term supports run through the Assisted Living Waiver, PASSPORT, and MyCare Ohio for dual-eligibles, none of which cover room and board in assisted living. Read the full explanation →

Questions Cleveland families ask

What senior care resources exist in Lake County, Ohio?

Lake County is served by the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging and is included in MyCare Ohio's Northeast Ohio region and the Region 10A Long-Term Care Ombudsman. With about 24.5% of its roughly 232,000 residents age 65 or older, Lake County has the highest senior population share of this site's seven counties, and it relies on Laketran's Dial-a-Ride and fare-free Seniors on the Go program for transportation, distinct from Cuyahoga's RTA system.

What senior care resources exist in Lorain County, Ohio?

Lorain County is served by the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging and falls under MyCare Ohio's Northeast Ohio region and the Region 10A Long-Term Care Ombudsman. With roughly 72,000 residents 65 and older out of a population of about 323,000, Lorain County has grown modestly in population since 2020, even as some neighboring counties held flat, and its Lake Erie shoreline communities like Avon Lake reflect that growth.

What senior care resources exist in Medina County, Ohio?

Medina County is served by the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging and falls under MyCare Ohio's Northeast Ohio region and the Region 10A Long-Term Care Ombudsman. With about 41,000 residents 65 and older, Medina sits outside the Greater Cleveland RTA service area and is not currently included in VANTAGE Aging's Meals on Wheels of Northeast Ohio service territory, so families should confirm meal delivery options locally rather than assuming regional coverage.

What senior care resources exist in Geauga County, Ohio?

Geauga County is served by the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging and falls under MyCare Ohio's Northeast Ohio region and the Region 10A Long-Term Care Ombudsman. Geauga has one of the highest senior population shares in the region, around 23.7% of its roughly 96,000 residents, making it, alongside Lake County, one of the two counties here with an outsized proportion of older adults relative to the rest of the region.

What senior care resources exist in Summit County, Ohio?

Summit County is served by Direction Home Akron Canton Area Agency on Aging and Disabilities, not Western Reserve, a key distinction from the other five counties in this region, and falls under the Region 10B Long-Term Care Ombudsman rather than Region 10A. Summit is still included in MyCare Ohio's Northeast Ohio region, and with about 116,000 residents 65 and older out of roughly 538,000 total, it's the second-most populous county in this site's coverage area.

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