CHARLESTON — The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Medical Services recently announced federal changes to the Take Me Home Transition Program to expand program eligibility to more residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

The Take Me Home Transition Program, a federally funded ‘Money Follows the Person’ program, has been reauthorized by the United States Congress for an extension of three years. The program assists qualifying individuals who are currently living in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities in moving back into their own homes and apartments in the community.

Prior to the reauthorization, individuals qualified for the Take Me Home Transition Program if they had lived in a nursing or other long-term care facility for at least 90 consecutive days. This new authorization, signed into law as a part of a coronavirus relief bill in December 2020, lowers this requirement to 60 days.

“This change will allow us to help individuals who wish to transition out of long-term care facilities even sooner,” said Take Me Home Transition Program Director Marcus Canaday. “This is an important change, especially in light of the coronavirus global health emergency.”

Since the program was launched in West Virginia in 2013, the Take Me Home Transition Program has helped more than 470 individuals transition back into the community. At least 294 of those individuals have successfully remained in the community for at least 365 days.

For more information about the Take Me Home Transition Program, individuals can call 1-855-519-7557 or visit TMHWV.org.