South Carolina Medicaid Long-Term Care

Quick answer: South Carolina's Medicaid program, Healthy Connections Medicaid, covers long-term care in Medicaid-certified nursing facilities or at home through approved waivers. SCDHHS's Office of Waiver and Facility Services handles nursing facilities, PACE, hospice, Home Again and several waivers.

South Carolina's Medicaid program carries the name Healthy Connections Medicaid, administered by the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) under state law. Within that agency, the Office of Waiver and Facility Services handles long-term-living functions specifically — nursing facilities, PACE, hospice, the Home Again program, and several Medicaid waivers all fall under its umbrella.

Long-term services can reach a person either through a Medicaid-certified nursing facility or, alternatively, at home through an approved waiver. SCDHHS describes nursing facilities as offering round-the-clock licensed nursing care, distinguishing between skilled and intermediate levels of care. The choice of setting isn't purely a financial one — an applicant must also clear the applicable clinical level-of-care standard on top of meeting Medicaid's financial eligibility rules.