This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Home and community-based services

Shifting Care Patterns: How Medicaid Policies Shape Family and Formal Care Use
Analyzes the impacts of Medicaid 1915(c) waivers on likelihood of receiving formal versus family care among adults aged 70 years and older with functional limitations, utilizing 2011-2019 National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) data. Highlights the significance of waiver payments for family caregiving for population subgroups including Medicaid beneficiaries, rural residents, and people living with dementia.
Author(s): Johanna Thunell, Elise M Parrish, Katherine E M Miller
Citation: Alzheimer's & Dementia, 21(9), e70715
Date: 09/2025
view details
Missoula Veteran Directed Care Program Supports Veterans and Caregivers
Case study highlighting a partnership between a Montana Area Agency on Aging and the Veterans Administration to provide Veteran Directed Care, a program assisting veterans to manage their own care to promote aging in place. Notes the high rates of Montana veterans in rural areas.
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: USAging
view details
Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP, June 2025
Semi-annual report to Congress from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC). Covers recommendations related to transitions from pediatric to adult care for Medicaid-covered children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). Also discusses appropriate access to residential behavioral health treatment services for children, findings from MACPAC's analytic work on access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in Medicaid, an overview on the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, and self-direction for Medicaid home- and community-based services. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
view details
Caregiving in Rural Areas: A Qualitative Study of Challenges and Resilience
Examines rural-specific challenges and strengths in caregiving, utilizing interview data of 18 rural-dwelling caregivers in Vermont. Discusses community-based factors influencing care, access to services, and rural identity, among other topics.
Author(s): Hyojin Choi, Christine Vatovec, Maija Reblin
Citation: PLOS One, 20(6), e0325536
Date: 06/2025
view details
Disability Pride and Community Connection in Eastern Virginia: The disAbility Resource Center of the Rappahannock Area, Inc.
Case study highlighting the outreach efforts of The disAbility Resource Center of the Rappahannock Area, Inc (dRC), a Center for Independent Living (CIL) in eastern Virginia. Discusses the implementation and outcomes of peer mentoring and community engagement initiatives focused on supporting people with disabilities in underserved areas.
Author(s): Luke Santore, Lillie Greiman, Rayna Sage
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of Montana: Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities
view details
"I Now Have the Freedom to Do What I Want, When I Want, Like Anybody Else": The Impact, Creation, and Management of Transportation Voucher Programs
Explores the impacts and implementation of transportation voucher programs supporting people with disabilities in rural areas via interviews with CIL staff and disabled voucher program participants. Discusses the experiences of rural people with disabilities and highlights benefits and challenges of transportation voucher programs.
Author(s): Luke Santore, Andrew Myers
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of Montana: Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities
view details
Transportation: The Missing Link in Family Caregiver Support
Provides information on transportation services the professional or family caregivers of people with disabilities or aging-related challenges. See pages 8-9 for discussion of rural-specific challenges and strategies.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organizations: ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center, National Aging and Disability Transportation Center
view details
Use of Medicaid Personal Care Services in 2019 and 2020
Explores the change in the utilization of personal care services (PCS) among Medicaid beneficiaries from 2019 to 2020. Compares the number and characteristics of Medicaid enrollees with comprehensive benefits who received personal care services (PCS) between a pre-COVID-19 pandemic period (March and December of 2019) and a COVID-19 pandemic period (March through December of 2020). Presents data by patient demographic and clinical characteristics.
Author(s): Melissa Sanchez, Zosha Kandel, Andrea Wysocki, et al.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
view details
Operating Status of Adult Day Services Centers in 2022
Offers estimates from the 2022 National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study (NPALS) regarding operating status of adult day service centers as a result of COVID-19 response efforts. Compares U.S. Census Bureau regions, metropolitan and nonmetropolitan statistical areas, Medicaid licensure, and number of enrolled participants.
Author(s): Jessica P. Lendon, Priyanka Singh, Christine Caffrey, Manisha Sengupta, Zhaohui Lu
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
view details
Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP, March 2025
Reports on three aspects of Medicaid of interest to Congress: 1) improving the usability and transparency of the managed care external quality review process, 2) improvements on timely access to home- and community-based services (HCBS), and 3) ways to streamline Medicaid Section 1915 authorities for home-and community-based services and reduce the administrative burden.
Date: 03/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
view details