Ohio Shared Living provides an option for adults with a developmental disability to get the support they need while living with a family member or a caregiver. The person resides with one or more family members or caregivers, and they provide twenty percent or more of the person’s care and support services. Shared Living family members and caregivers support adults with developmental disabilities in a home setting. Some benefits of using the Shared Living service are that it:

nurtures family bonds, long-term relationships, and community connections; provides consistency of care and a safe environment; helps the person experience a genuine community life; develops life routines chosen by the person; and promotes shared decision-making

Eligibility for the Shared Living service is decided based on a person’s living situation and person-centered needs outlined in the Ohio Individual Service Plan (OhioISP). To qualify for the Shared Living  service, a person must be at least 18 years of age, have an Individual Options (IO) Waiver, and live with one or more family members or caregivers approved to be Shared Living providers.

Shared Living service may be authorized when one or more adult caregivers who reside with the person provide twenty percent or more of the personal care and support services needed. Shared Living applies regardless of whether the person receiving the service and the caregiver are related.

Other IO Waiver services, such as, Respite, Self-Directed Transportation, Interpreter Services, Non-Medical Transportation, Adult Day, Vocational Habilitation, and employment or career services, are still available to people participating in Shared Living.

A person receiving the Shared Living service may, or may not, have other roommates with developmental disabilities. A maximum of four people with developmental disabilities can live in a home providing Shared Living services.

A person who meets any of the following criteria may be exempted from Ohio Shared Living and choose to receive Homemaker Personal Care instead: assessed to need 2:1 support, assessed to need 24-hour awake support, assessed to meet the behavior support add-on, or assessed to meet the complex care rate add-on.

Shared Living family members and caregivers are paid to provide hands-on care and supportive services. Family members and caregivers provide, or help to coordinate the services outlined in a person’s service plan. Assistance with personal care, supervision, housekeeping, and accessing community activities are all part of the Shared Living service.

Shared Living can provide peace of mind and consistency for both the person and family member. For caregivers hoping to be a Shared Living provider, they may want to become a certified independent provider or an employee of an agency certified to provide Shared Living.

Although Shared Living is a full-time commitment, Residential Respite at a 15-minute unit rate can be authorized to provide the shared living caregiver(s) with a break on the same day shared living is provided.  Residential Respite at the 15-minute unit rate may be authorized up to 12 hours per day and up to 52 hours per month.  Residential Respite cannot take place at the same time as Shared Living and cannot be provided by the Shared Living caregiver or any other person who lives in the same home.

Providers must complete the initial provider certification process (including a background check) and annual training requirements to deliver this service.

Billing and Payment Information

To be successfully submitted for payment through eMBS, all services must be delivered as specified in the OhioISP and authorized by the county board in the Payment Authorization for Waiver Services (PAWS) system.

Rates and limits for Shared Living are contained in the service rule’s appendix.

Shared Living has separate daily rates for independent providers and provider agencies.

Neither the medical, behavioral, nor complex care add-on apply to Shared Living services.