Congregate and Home-Delivered Meal Services Eligibility

CONGREGATE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

1. Person 60 years of age or older and the spouse of that person regardless of his or her age; or

2. Volunteer less than 60 years of age who provides volunteer services during meal hours, as long as his or her meal will not deprive an eligible participant of a meal; or

3. Non-elderly disabled person who resides in a housing facility occupied primarily by individuals 60 years of age or older where congregate nutrition services are provided; or

4. Non-elderly disabled person who resides in a home with and accompanies an individual 60 years of age or older.

HOME-DELIVERED ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

1. Individual 60 years of age or older who is homebound; or

2. Individual 60 years of age or older who is isolated; or

3. Individual 60 years of age or older who is a caretaker, as long as it is in the participant's best interest (see definition of "caretaker" in Section 4.1.2; OAA Title III B only).

4. Spouse of an eligible participant as long as it is in the participant's best issue; or

5. Individual with disability or dependent individual who resides in a non-institutional setting with an eligible participant, and it is in the participant's best interest; or

6. Registered congregate meal participant who needs home delivered meals due to an illness or health condition ( i.e., congregate meal-illness related home delivered or CMELH). The participant may only receive CMELH meals for up to 30 consecutive days per year.

Indicator Questions for Home Delivered Meals

1. Do you still drive?

2. If yes, where do you go? 

*Federal law allows an individual to go to the beauty shop, church, medical treatment, and store however, individual must feel uncomfortable/unsafe when driving.

3. Are you comfortable driving?

Please note:

· If they answer yes to question 3, they do not qualify for home delivered meals. 

· If they answer question 2 and they are driving to play cards or visit friends and are driving themselves, they do not qualify for home delivered meals. 

· Income is not a qualifying factor no matter how high or low their income might be.

DEFINITIONS

HOMEBOUND

-Is physically homebound and/or socially homebound; and

-Is unable to prepare meals for himself or herself because of: 

-Limited physical mobility; or

-A cognitive impairment; or

-Lacks the knowledge or skills to select and prepare nourishing and well-balanced meals; and

-Lacks an informal support system such as family, friends, neighbors, or others who are willing and able to perform the services needed or the informal support system needs to be temporarily or permanently supplemented

This says that the person must be homebound and unable to prepare meals and lack anyone else to prepare them. You must meet all three criteria. 

PHYSICALLY HOMEBOUND

Cannot leave his or her house under normal circumstances (ie: without assistance) due to illness and/or incapacitating disability and is unable to participate in the congregate nutrition program.

SOCIALLY HOMEBOUND

Chooses not to receive meals in the congregate setting and in the assessor’s professional judgment the person is psychologically, emotionally or socially impaired.

ISOLATED

Geographic isolation due primarily to an individual residing in a rural location which does not afford access to a congregate setting because:

-A congregate setting is not located in the community and no transportation is available to a neighboring community with a congregate setting OR

-The person is not able or chooses not to drive to a neighboring community with a congregate setting

The intent of the definition allows the nutrition program to serve the few people who live in a rural setting who really can’t get to a nutrition site. It is not intended to allow meals to people who just choose not to go to a nutrition site.

NONPARTICIPANT

Anyone who does not meet the eligibility guidelines and comes to the site and pays full cost for the meal. 

This does not include any Medicaid clients that are being provided meals through a contract between ECKAAANP and the Managed Care Organization.

TAKE-OUT MEALS

A congregate meal the eligible participant removes form the congregate setting prior to consumption. (UPR)