Baton Rouge Senior AdvisorWhat is the difference between the CCW and LT-PCS?
LT-PCS is a Medicaid state plan service paying for hands-on personal care hours at home, while the Community Choices Waiver (CCW) is a waiver with a broader menu, including support coordination, respite, home-delivered meals and home modifications, available only when a slot opens on the Request for Services Registry.
Both require nursing facility level of care and long-term care Medicaid eligibility.
Which starts sooner?
LT-PCS usually starts sooner, because it has no waiver registry; the CCW serves priority groups first and then everyone else in order of request date.
That is why families should request the CCW as early as possible, even while using LT-PCS. People approved for 32 hours of LT-PCS who would otherwise need a nursing home get expedited CCW access.
Who qualifies for LT-PCS but not the CCW, or the other way around?
LT-PCS adds a risk test: the person must be in a nursing home and able to leave with help, likely to need admission within 120 days, or have a primary caregiver who is disabled or 70 or older; the CCW has no such test but has the registry.
The CCW is for adults 21 and older; LT-PCS also starts at 21. OAAS determines eligibility for both.
Can someone use both at once?
A CCW participant receives personal assistance services through the waiver rather than LT-PCS, so in practice people move from LT-PCS to the CCW when a slot is offered, and the waiver's plan of care replaces the LT-PCS hours.
Ask the support coordinator how hours will compare after the switch, and whether services such as monitored in-home caregiving would suit your family better.
How do Baton Rouge families request either program?
Call Louisiana Options in Long-Term Care at 1-877-456-1146; it handles requests for the CCW, LT-PCS, the ADHC Waiver and nursing home admission.
The East Baton Rouge Council on Aging ((225) 923-8000) and the Capital Area Agency on Aging ((225) 922-2525) can help families through the process. Write down the date of the request and the name of the person you spoke with; for the CCW, that date is your place in line.
Side by side
| LT-PCS | Community Choices Waiver | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Medicaid state plan service | Home and community-based waiver |
| Waiting | No registry | Request for Services Registry |
| Services | Personal care hours | Broad menu incl. respite and meals |
| Extra test | Risk condition or caregiver 70+/disabled | None beyond level of care |
Sources: LAC 48:I.Chapter 68 for adult residential care, Louisiana Department of Health (Health Standards Section and Office of Aging and Adult Services) program pages, the Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs, CareScout and VA rate tables, each cited in the text. Our editorial standards explain how we check them.
