In-Home and Community Habilitation
Home Healthcare Agencies in Pennsylvania
Home and Community Habilitation is a service that may be provided to individuals in their own home or in other community settings not subject to licensing regulations.
Home and Community Habilitation consists of services designed to assist individuals in acquiring, retaining, and improving the self-help, socialization, and adaptive skills necessary to reside successfully in home and community-based settings. Habilitation may be provided up to 24 hours a day based on the needs of the individual, to protect the individual’s health and welfare. A day camp or overnight camp may only be provided under respite. Through this service, individuals learn, maintain, or improve skills through their participation in a variety of everyday life activities. They learn and use skills in the context of these activities; this is considered a functional approach to the delivery of services. These activities must be necessary for individuals to live in the community, to live more independently, or to be more productive and participatory in community life. Services must be provided in a manner that protects the individual’s health and welfare.
In addition to supporting individuals in activities typically associated with those occurring in their homes and their community, the Home and Community Habilitation service may also be used to provide staff assistance to support individuals in the following ways:
There may be multiple uses of this service with different providers within an individual’s ISP as long as there is documented need and there are no conflicts or overlaps with regard to day and/or time of service. For example, an individual may participate in activities that are community-based and receive Home and Community Habilitation from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, Monday through Friday to satisfy an outcome of participating in a community resource. The same individual could also be provided with a Home and Community Habilitation service that is home-based, scheduled Monday through Friday from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM to support him/her in achieving an outcome of independent meal preparation. This service may not overlap with or duplicate Companion Services. Home and Community Habilitation (Unlicensed) and Companion Services have a combined maximum limit of 24 hours (96 15-minute units) per participant per calendar day. This service should be coordinated with any service(s) that may be provided in the Specialized Therapies and Nursing Services category to ensure consistency in services to individuals across service settings.
Licensed Day Habilitation, Prevocational Services, Transitional Work Services, Supported Employment (direct service), and Home and Community Habilitation (unlicensed) services may not overlap in terms of day and time.