What Is the Ohio Assisted Living Waiver?

The Assisted Living Waiver is a Medicaid home and community-based services waiver, distinct from PASSPORT, aimed at people who need a nursing-facility level of care but live in a licensed residential care facility — what most Columbus-area families call assisted living — instead of at home or in a nursing home. Where PASSPORT serves people in their own home, the Assisted Living Waiver serves people already residing in, or moving into, a participating community. It covers personal care and related services delivered inside the community, but it does not cover room and board, which federal Medicaid rules bar waivers from paying; the resident is still responsible for a state-capped monthly room-and-board amount from their own income. Financial and functional eligibility rules mirror PASSPORT's — see our full explanation of Medicaid and PASSPORT in Ohio. Not every assisted living community in the Columbus area participates, and participating communities may have a limited number of Medicaid-certified beds, so it's worth asking directly during a tour.