Program Description:

New Jersey Assistance for Community Caregiving or JACC for short is a non-Medicaid program that provides a variety of care services and supports to elderly residents that require assistance with their activities of daily living and are at-risk for nursing home placement. Services are provided to program participants in their homes, in the homes of caregivers or in adult day care centers.

Under JACC, family member can be paid to provide caregiving services to their loved ones.

JACC offers program participants the option to choose their own service providers for several approved services. To avoid confusion, it should be mentioned that this model of care delivery is referred to by a variety of names including participant direction, consumer direction, cash and counseling, participant employed provider and client employed provider. For services such as attendant care, chores and transportation assistance, nearly anyone can be hired to provide assistance including family members and friends so long as they meet the program’s requirements. Unlike in many states, in NJ, spouses and the adult children of aging parents are included in the list of relatives that can be paid.

The JACC program also covers minor home modifications to improve home access or safety. Examples of this are wheelchair ramps or walk in tub replacements for dangerous showers. NJ seniors are eligible for free estimates for bathroom safety modifications such as walk in tubs.

Eligibility Guidelines:

In addition to being New Jersey residents and at least 60 years of age, there are also financial and functionality requirements to be eligible for this program.

Functional: person must need ‘nursing home level care’. However, they must live at home, in a rental property or with family members. They can not live in a residential care facility such as adult foster care, assisted living or a nursing home.

Financial: the income limit is 365% of the Federal Poverty Level. For a single, unmarried applicant in 2016, this is $3613.50/month and $4872.75/month. Assets or countable resources (which do not include the value of a home), must be less than $40,000 for an individual or $60,000 for a couple.

Income and assets can not be so low that the applicant is also eligible for Medicaid or a Medicaid HCBS Waiver (approximately $2,199/month in income and $2,000 in assets). Individuals in this situation will qualify for the Medicaid Managed Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) (/Medicaid-waiver/nj-mltss.html) instead which provides similar services.

Benefits and Services:

A broad array of services and supports are available in the JACC Program. For some individuals, services are provided free of charge. Others will be required to make a co-payment. Rest assured that any co-payments will be well below that market rate for care services in NJ. Co-payments are based on a sliding scale on the participant’s income. The total value of the services provided to a single applicant can not exceed $7200 in one year or $600/month.

Participants and their caregivers can receive any of the following:

*Adult day care and adult day health care

*Caregiving training

*Chore services such as yard work and light home maintenance.

*Durable medical equipment and supplies

*Home modifications to improve accessibility

*Home-delivered meal service

*Homemaker services such as laundry and housecleaning

*Personal care

*Personal emergency response service

*Respite care for the participant’s primary caregiver

*Transportation assistance for medical appointments

How to apply/Learn More:

To apply, call 877-222-3737 or contact your local Area Agency on Aging or Aging and Disability Resource Center. A list of locations is available here (/longtermcare/find_aging_agencies_adrc_aaa.html?state=NJ)

One can download a PDF brochure about the program here (http://www.nj.gov/humanservices/news/publications/jacc)

*Disclaimer: all of this information was taken off the New Jersey Assistance for Community Caregiving (JACC) website and the website contains more information on things like Costs od Senior Care, Types of Senior Care, Payment of Senior Care, Resource Locater Tool, Compare Benefits & Care, Helping Pay for Care, Help Planning for Care, Find Affordable Senior Care, Lower your cost of Care and Cost Saving Technologies. I have not used the service so I have no opinion of yes or no to the service but please look on the website or call for more information and let this be a step by step guide on what to do next for your loved one. Please check out your opinions.