COPES Waiver
WA Department of Social and Health Services
The Community Options Program Entry System (COPES) is Washington's 1915(c) HCBS waiver for adults who meet nursing facility level of care (NFLOC). HCA and HCLA (Home and Community Living Administration) jointly administer the waiver. A January 1, 2025 amendment (1) adds 6 years of professional/practical social-service experience equivalent to a Social Service Specialist 2 to the qualifications of evaluators/assessors, (2) updates the Adult Day Care service definition so personal-care hours are no longer manually reduced by 30 minutes per hour of Adult Day Care, instead Adult Day Care is accounted for in the CARE Assessment as informal support, and (3) adds a new provider type, Death Doula, in the Client Support Training & Wellness Education service.
Who qualifies
What it covers
Cost
How to apply
Where to get this in Washington
15 organizations deliver this program. Coverage varies, so check the area each one serves.
Free public agency that helps older adults and people with disabilities in central Washington find in-home care, caregiver support, nutrition, transportation, and benefits help.
AAA for the Spokane region; one number connects callers to information, caregiver support, dementia help, Medicaid in-home care, Medicare counseling, and nutrition.
Council-of-governments AAA covering eight southeast Washington counties; one call connects callers to information & referral, case management, nutrition, caregiver support, and Medicaid in-home care.
Free public AAA for the Vancouver/Longview area covering five counties; one stop for caregiver assistance, dementia resources, in-home help, kinship care, Medicare counseling, and WA Cares Fund support.
Technology nonprofit operating an online care matching platform that connects families needing in-home care with verified caregivers, including Medicaid and state-funded Individual Providers in Washington.
Seattle-based nonprofit operating adult day health centers, in-home caregiver respite, and elder companionship programs for older adults and people with chronic illness or disability in King and Snohomish counties.
Kin On's licensed in-home care agency for King County Asian elders. Personal care assistants speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Toishanese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog and can shop and cook to cultural tastes.
Kitsap County Human Services division and AAA for Kitsap County. Coordinates information, case management, caregiver support, nutrition, kinship care, and Medicaid in-home services.
KWA's licensed Medicaid/private home-care agency serving Western Washington since 1972. Matches multilingual caregivers with seniors and people with disabilities to support aging in place.
Three-county AAA for Lewis, Mason, and Thurston counties offering caregiver support, in-home services, nutrition, and the Senior Farmers Market produce benefit.
AAA for Whatcom, Skagit, Island, and San Juan counties. Helps older adults, adults with disabilities, and family caregivers navigate aging and disability services since 1971.
AAA covering the Olympic Peninsula and southwest Washington coast; offers information & assistance, caregiver support, nutrition, transportation, and Medicaid case management for seniors and adults with disabilities.
Pierce County's AAA and Aging & Disability Resource Center; coordinates long-term services and supports for older adults, adults with disabilities, and caregivers.
Seattle Human Services division that serves as the AAA for King County. Runs Community Living Connections for aging/disability help and administers caregiver support, healthy aging, and age-friendly programs.
Snohomish County's AAA. Partners with Homage to deliver caregiver support, nutrition, kinship care, transportation, and Medicaid in-home services.
Source www.dshs.wa.gov/altsa/stakeholders/hcbs-%E2%80%93-copes-waiver-amendment