| Glossary of Terms used in Alabama Medicaid Waiver Programs SS. | Definition | Additional Resources |
| 310 Board | County-level entities that contract with ADMH to manage the daily operations of the ID and LAH Waivers. | https://disabilityadvocacysolutions.com/case-management/ |
| AAA (Area Agency on Aging) | Regional agencies designated to serve older adults. In Alabama, AAAs also serve individuals with disabilities through the E&D and ACT Waivers. | https://disabilityadvocacysolutions.com/contact-information-for-alabama-medicaid-tt/#aging |
| ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) | A law that protected Americans with disabilities from discriminination | |
| ADL (Activities of Daily Living) | Basic personal care tasks such as bathing, dressing, eating, using the toilet, walking or transferring, and mobility assistance. | |
| ADMH (Alabama Department of Mental Health) | State agency responsible for serving individuals with mental illness, intellectual disabilities, and substance use disorders. Manages statewide services and supports. | |
| ADRS (Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services) | Provides disability-related services through programs like Early Intervention, Children’s Rehabilitation Services, Vocational Rehabilitation, and SAIL. | https://disabilityadvocacysolutions.com/state-of-alabama-independent-living-sail-waiver-overview/ https://disabilityadvocacysolutions.com/vocational-rehabilitation-college-sponsorship-and-who-qualifies/ |
| ADSS (Alabama Department of Senior Services) | State agency that administers programs for seniors and people with disabilities statewide, working through Regional Planning Commissions and local AAAs. | https://disabilityadvocacysolutions.com/alabama-community-transition-act-waiver/ |
| CMHC (Community Mental Health Center) | Provides mental health services—prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation—as alternatives to institutional care. | |
| CYSHCN (Children and Youth with Special Healthcare Needs) | Infants, children, and adolescents (up to age 21) who have or are at risk for chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional conditions that require more specialized health and support services than usual. | |
| DD (Developmental Disability) | A severe, chronic disability of an individual 5 years of age or older that: 1. is attributable to a mental or physical imparimnet or combination of impairments; 2. occurs before the age of 22; 3. is likely to continue; 4. results in substantial functional limitations in 3 or more of the following: self care, receptive/expressive language, learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for independent living, economic self-sufficiency; 5. reflects the individual’s need for services and supports, or other that is of lifelong or extended duration. (Source Developmental Disabilities Act) | https://acl.gov/about-acl/authorizing-statutes/developmental-disabilities-assistance-and-bill-rights-act-2000 |
| DME (Durable Medical Equipment) | Equipment that can withstand repeated use, has an expected life of at least three years, and is primarily used for medical purpose in a home setting. | |
| Enteral Nutrition | Fed through a feeding tube | Resource of note: https://aspenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1177/0884533617718471 |
| EPSDT (Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment) | A Medicaid benefit for individuals under 21 providing comprehensive and preventive healthcare services. EPSDT is what most people think of when they think of Medicaid for kids. | https://disabilityadvocacysolutions.com/medicaid-and-private-duty-nursing/ |
| Extraordinary Care | Personal or similar care by a legally responsible individual that exceed the range of activities a person without a disability or chronic illness of the same age would ordinarily perform in a household. | |
| HCBS (Home- and Community-Based Services) | Medicaid-funded services allowing individuals with significant needs to remain in their homes or communities instead of institutional settings. | https://disabilityadvocacysolutions.com/medicaid-waivers-start-here/ |
| ICF/IID (Intermediate Care Facility for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities) | Institutions defined by federal law that provide health or rehabilitative services for individuals with intellectual disabilities. | https://disabilityadvocacysolutions.com/community-waiver-program/ |
| ID (Intellectual Disability) | A condition marked by significant limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, beginning before age 22. Often measured by an IQ score of 75 or below. However, the cut off for Medicaid Waivers varies by state and program. | |
| LOC (Level of Care) | An assessment of an individual’s medical and support needs to determine the services required for safe living. | |
| LTSS (Long-Term Services and Supports) | A range of services designed to help individuals with disabilities or chronic conditions live independently and with dignity. | |
| Natural Supports | Natural supports (parent/guardian/grands) are unpaid supports that are provided VOLUNTARILY in lieu of waiver services and supports. Natural supports are not required to provide ICF or NF LOC; they are not required to provide ‘extraordinary care’; they are required to provide ‘age-appropriate parenting’. Compulsion of natural supports is antithetical to the law! | https://disabilityadvocacysolutions.com/elderly-disabled-ed-waiver/ |
| NF/NH (Nursing Facility/Nursing Home) | Institutions providing long-term, intensive care. “Nursing facility” is the preferred term among advocates. This is not necessarily a nursing home. | |
| NF LOC (Nursing Facility Level of Care) | A designation indicating that a person requires the intensity of services typically provided in a nursing facility. | https://disabilityadvocacysolutions.com/state-of-alabama-independent-living-sail-waiver-overview/ |
| Operating Agency (OA) | State agencies that manage waiver programs on behalf of Alabama Medicaid. Examples include ADMH, ADRS, and ADSS. | |
| Personal Choices – self-directed services | An option that allows eligible Alabama Medicaid waiver recipients to manage their own services. | |
| QIDP (Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional) | A professional with at least one year of direct experience with individuals with ID/DD and a degree or license in a relevant field (e.g., nursing, social work, education, psychology). | |
| ADMH Regional Offices | Offices across Alabama that are run by Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) to administer the ID, CWP, and LAH Medicaid Waiver programs. | |
| Section 504 | A section of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in programs and activities receiving federal funding. | |
| Section 508 | A section of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that requires U.S. federal agencies to provide people with disabilities with comparable access to electronic information and data. | |
| Self Direct Services – some waivers refer to this as Personal Choices | An option that allows eligible Alabama Medicaid waiver recipients to manage their own services. | |
| Support Coordinator | People who work with recipients of the Alabama Medicaid waiver programs and assist people with maintaining eligibility for the waiver and provide education and support as needed. | |
| Title II of ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) | This federal law prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities by state and local governments. This means these public entities must provide equal access to all their programs, services, and activities, including those provided through the web and mobile apps. | |
| TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition) | Fed through a central venous catheter (central line) directly to the heart, bypassing the GI system | Resource of note: https://aspenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1177/0884533617718471 |
| Waivers | A “waiver” means that states do not have to follow certain Medicaid rules in order to offer more services to people who might otherwise have to go to an institution or remain in a nursing facility. Waiver programs are designed to help people stay in the community by providing extra support that isn’t available in regular Medicaid. | https://disabilityadvocacysolutions.com/medicaid-waivers-start-here/ |
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