Acquired Brain Injury Waiver Program

This fact sheet contains information about the Acquired Brian Injury Program. What types of waivers are offered, who is eligible, and what services are available through this program.

What is the Acquired Brain Injury (ABI ) Waiver Program?

The ABI Waiver Program enables eligible brain injury survivors to move from nursing homes, chronic care or rehabilitation hospitals into the community.  The Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission and MassHealth, in conjunction with UMass Chan Medical School, offer two home- and community-based services waivers to help Medicaid-eligible persons with acquired brain injury (ABI) move to the community and obtain community-based services.

What are the two waivers offered?

The two waivers are ABI Waiver with Residential Habilitation (ABI-RH) and ABI Waiver with No Residential Habilitation (ABI-N) .

ABI applications may be submitted at any time.

What are the eligibility requirements?

In order to be eligible for one of these waivers, applicants must

• be living in a nursing facility or a chronic or rehabilitation hospital and have resided there for at least 90 days;
• have experienced an acquired brain injury at age 22 or older. An acquired brain injury can result from a stroke, brain trauma, infection of the brain (such as encephalitis), brain tumor, or anoxia (lack of oxygen);
• meet the clinical requirements and need of the waiver services available; and
• meet the financial requirements to qualify for MassHealth. Special financial rules exist for waiver participants.

The University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School ABI Unit is responsible for screening all applications for clinical eligibility, which includes the projected cost of services each person will need to live safely in the community.

What services/supports are provided?

Services available in the ABI-RH Waiver include

• assisted living services
• shared living – 24-hour supports
• residential habilitation
• day service
• supported employment
• transportation
• occupational, physical, or speech therapy
• specialized medical equipment
• transitional assistance

Services available in the ABI-N Waiver include

• day services
• supported employment
• transportation
• occupational, physical, or speech therapy
• specialized medical equipment
• transitional assistance
• homemaker
• personal care
• adult companion
• individual support and community habilitation
• respite
• chore
• home accessibility adaptations

For More Information: 

UMass Chan ABI Waiver Unit

Phone: 1-866-281-5602

E-mail: ABIinfo@umassmed.edu

Acquired Brain Injury Waivers

• ABI–Residential Habilitation (ABI-RH)

For people who need supervision and staffing 24 hours a day, seven days a week in a provider-operated residence

• ABI–Non-residential Habilitation (ABI-N)

For people who can move to their own home or apartment or to the home of someone else and receive services in the community.

ABI Waivers Brochure (pdf)

Fact Sheet last updated on: 5/11/2022

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Disclaimer: INDEX is pleased to provide you this information. Please note,  this information is not comprehensive, nor is it intended to take the place of professional advice. We encourage you to check other resources of such information. No endorsement by the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, DisabilityInfo.org,  INDEX, or affiliates, should be inferred. We reserve the right to remove, to modify, or to add any information at any time, for any reason, and without notice.