Alaska Medicaid’s Community First Choice & Personal Care Services (CFC-PCS)

Last updated: January 23, 2025

 

Overview of Alaska’s Community First Choice Medicaid

Alaska’s Community First Choice Program, or CFC Program, is a suite of long-term services and supports for state residents who are elderly or disabled, and require care equivalent to that which is provided in a nursing home. Intended to prevent and delay unnecessary nursing facility admissions, personal care services, specifically called Community First Choice Personal Care Services (CFC-PCS), are available. This includes assistance with the Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs). These activities include bathing, dressing, toileting, eating, shopping for essentials, light housecleaning, and laundry. Chore services and personal emergency response systems are also potential benefits.

The services offered under this program may be provided by licensed agency workers via the Agency Based Personal Care Services Program, or program participants have the option to self-direct their care. The participant-directed option, called the Consumer Directed Personal Care Services Program (CDPCS), allows one to hire, train, supervise, and even fire, the “personal care assistant” of their choosing. Friends and relatives, including one’s adult child or spouse, can be hired, given they pass a background check and complete the required training. A Consumer Directed Provider Agency handles the financial aspects of employment responsibilities, such as tax withholding and caregiver payments.

Program participants must reside in a private home, either their own or that of a loved one. Services cannot be provided to persons living in an assisted living residence. Alaska does not offer adult foster care homes.

The Community First Choice Program is a Medicaid State Plan Option that was created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It is a 1915(k) State Plan Amendment. CFC services are an entitlement; meeting the state’s Medicaid eligibility criteria guarantees one will immediately receive assistance.

 What is the Community First Choice Option?
The Community First Choice (CFC) Option, established by the Affordable Care Act, allows states to provide limited Home and Community Based Services (HCBS), such as personal care assistance, via their state’s Regular State Plan Medicaid program. Previously, states mainly provided HCBS via 1915(c) Medicaid Waivers, which limit the number of participant enrollment slots. Therefore, wait lists commonly exist. In contrast, CFC benefits are an entitlement and the number of program beneficiaries are not limited. This means the availability of limited Home and Community Based Services via the CFC Option is open to anyone who meets the eligibility criteria.

 

Benefits of Alaska’s Community First Choice & Personal Care Services

Follows is a list of potential Home and Community Based Services available via Community First Choice. An individual care plan will determine which services and supports a program participant will receive.

– Case Management
– Chore Services – i.e., securing loose rugs, snow removal, chopping wood
– Community First Choice Personal Care Services (CFC-PCS) – assistance with bathing, personal hygiene, dressing, meal preparation, shopping for essential items, basic housecleaning, etc.
– Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS)
– Skills Training – to become more independent in completing daily activities
– Supervision / Reminders – for persons with cognitive impairments and behavioral issues
– Worker Supervision – training to assist persons who opt for participant directed care in selecting and managing their caregiver (personal care assistant)

 

Eligibility Requirements for Community First Choice Medicaid

The CFC suite of long-term care services is for Alaska residents who are eligible for Alaska’s Regular State Plan Medicaid. The additional criteria below is relevant for the elderly (65+ years of age).

 The American Council on Aging provides an AK Medicaid Eligibility Test for seniors requiring long-term care.
Financial Criteria: Income, Assets & Home Ownership

Income
In 2025, the individual applicant income limit is $1,795 / month, and the couple income limit with both spouses as applicants is $2,658 / month. When only one spouse is an applicant, the individual income limit of $1,795 / month is used. The income of the non-applicant spouse is not counted towards the income eligibility of their spouse. Furthermore, monthly income from the applicant spouse can be transferred to the non-applicant spouse as a Spousal Income Allowance, also called a Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance.

In Alaska, the maximum amount of income that can be transferred to the non-applicant spouse is $3,948 / month. For clarification, this allowance is intended to bring a non-applicant’s total monthly income up to $3,948. If a non-applicant’s own income is equal to or greater than this amount, they are not entitled to a Spousal Income Allowance.

 There are other avenues through which Alaska seniors might be financially eligible for the Community First Choice Program. For example, persons enrolled in the Alaskans Living Independently Medicaid Waiver, through which a variety of Home and Community Based Services are provided, may simultaneously receive CFC benefits. Persons who qualify for CFC via the waiver program are allowed a higher monthly income than those who qualify via Regular State Plan Medicaid.

Assets
In 2025, the asset limit is $2,000 for a single applicant. For married couples, with both spouses as applicants, the asset limit is $3,000. When only one spouse is an applicant, the assets of both spouses are still limited. This is because Medicaid considers the assets of a married couple to be jointly owned. In this case, the applicant spouse can have $2,000 in assets, while the non-applicant spouse is allocated a larger portion of the couple’s assets as a Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA) to prevent spousal impoverishment. In 2025, the CSRA allows the non-applicant spouse to keep up to $157,920 of the couple’s assets.

Some assets are not counted towards Medicaid’s asset limit. These generally include an applicant’s primary home, household furnishings and appliances, personal effects, and a vehicle.

Assets should not be given away or sold under fair market value prior to applying for long-term care Medicaid. AK Medicaid has a 60-month Look-Back Rulefor applicants of long-term Home and Community Based Services. Violating this rule results in a Penalty Period of Medicaid ineligibility.

 To determine if you might have assets over Medicaid’s countable limit, and if so, receive an estimate of the amount, use our Medicaid Spend Down Calculator.

 

Home Ownership
The home is often the highest valued asset a Medicaid applicant owns, and many persons worry that Medicaid will take it. Fortunately, for eligibility purposes, Alaska Medicaid considers the home exempt (non-countable) in the following circumstances.

– The applicant lives in the home or has Intent to Return, and in 2025, their home equity interest is no greater than $730,000. Home equity is the current value of the home minus any outstanding mortgage. Equity interest is the portion of the home’s equity value that is owned by the applicant.
– The applicant has a spouse living in the home.
– The applicant has a minor child (under 21 years old) living in the home.
– The applicant has a blind or disabled child (of any age) living in the home.

Learn more about the potential of Medicaid taking the home.

 Seniors who require personal care assistance, but do not require a Nursing Facility Level of Care might want to consider Alaska’s State Plan Personal Care Services Program.

 

Medical Criteria: Functional Need

An applicant must require a Nursing Facility Level of Care (NFLOC). The Division of Senior and Disabilities Services’ Intake and Assessment Unit utilizes the Consumer Assessment Tool (CAT) to make this determination. An applicant’s ability / inability to complete their Activities of Daily Living (i.e., transferring from the bed to a chair, mobility, dressing, eating, toileting, bathing) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (i.e., housekeeping, medication management, shopping, laundry) are assessed. Other areas of consideration are nursing needs (i.e., injections, feeding tube, treatments), and relevant to some persons with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia, cognition (i.e., memory, recall ability, decision making) and problematic behavior (i.e., wandering, socially inappropriate behavior, resisting care). A diagnosis of dementia in and of itself does not mean one will automatically meet a NFLOC.

 Learn more about long-term care Medicaid in Alaska.

 

Qualifying When Over the Limits

Having income and / or assets over Medicaid’s limit(s) does not mean an applicant cannot still qualify for Medicaid. There are a variety of planning strategies that can be used to help persons who would otherwise be ineligible to become eligible. Some of these strategies are fairly easy to implement, and others, exceedingly complex. Below are the most common.

When persons have income over the limits, Miller Trusts, also called Qualified Income Trusts, can help. Specific to Alaska, they are called Irrevocable Income Trusts. “Excess” income is deposited into the trust, no longer counting as income.

When persons have assets over the limit, one option is to “spend down” the extra assets. Examples include paying off debt, making home improvements (i.e., updating heating and plumbing), and purchasing pre-paid funeral and burial expense trusts called Irrevocable Funeral Trusts. Persons may also convert a lump sum of cash into a monthly income stream by purchasing a Medicaid-Compliant Annuity. There are many other options when the applicant has assets exceeding the limit.

Inadequate planning or improperly implementing a Medicaid Planning strategy can result in a denial or delay of Medicaid benefits. Professional Medicaid Planners are educated in the planning strategies available in Alaska to meet Medicaid’s financial eligibility criteria without jeopardizing Medicaid eligibility. There are also planning strategies that not only help one meet Medicaid’s financial criteria, but also protects assets from Medicaid’s Estate Recovery Program, preserving them for family as inheritance. These strategies often violate Medicaid’s 60-month Look-Back Period, and therefore, should be implemented well in advance of the need for long-term care. However, there are some workarounds, and Medicaid Planners are aware of them. For these reasons, it is highly suggested one consult a Medicaid Planner for assistance in qualifying for Medicaid when over the income and / or asset limit(s). Find a Certified Medicaid Planner.

 

How to Apply for Alaska’s Community First Choice Medicaid

Before You Apply

Prior to submitting an application for CFC services, applicants need to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria for Medicaid in Alaska. Applying when over the income and / or asset limit(s) will be cause for denial of benefits. The American Council on Aging offers a free Medicaid Eligibility Test to determine if one might meet Medicaid’s eligibility criteria.

As part of the application process, applicants will need to gather documentation for submission. Examples include copies of Social Security cards, Medicare cards, life insurance policies, property deeds, pre-need burial contracts, bank statements up to 60-months prior to application, and proof of income. Unfortunately, a common reason applications are held up is required documentation is missing or not submitted in a timely manner.

 

Application Process

To apply for the Community First Choice Program, seniors should contact their local Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC). Persons can also call ADRC’s statewide number at 855-565-2017 or 877-625-2372. If it is likely one is eligible for CFC, a list of care coordinators will be provided to assist them with the application process. This includes arranging for the functional needs assessment. Learn more about the Community First Choice Program.

The CFC Program is administered by the Alaska Department of Health (DOH). The Department’s Division of Senior and Disabilities Services (SDS) determines functional eligibility and the Division of Public Assistance determines financial eligibility.

 

Approval Process & Timing

Alaska’s Medicaid application process can take up to 3 months, or even longer, from the beginning of the application process through the receipt of the determination letter indicating approval or denial. Generally, it takes one several weeks to complete the application and gather all of the supportive documentation. If the application is not properly completed, or required documentation is missing, the application process will be delayed. Based on federal law, Medicaid offices have up to 45 days to review and approve or deny one’s application (up to 90 days for disability applications). Despite the law, applications are sometimes delayed even further.

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