Home and Community Habilitation consists of services designed to assist individuals in acquiring, retaining, and improving the self-help, socialization, and adaptive skills necessary to reside successfully in home and community-based settings. Habilitation may be provided up to 24 hours a day based on the needs of the individual, to ensure the individual’s health and welfare. Included are provider training costs, supervisory costs, purchased personnel costs, and costs of supplies that are necessary to provide the habilitation service. Entrance fees to events and membership fees are not covered under this service. Camp day or overnight may only be provided under respite.

Through the provision of this service individuals learn, maintain, or improve skills through their participation in a variety of everyday life activities. They learn and use skills in the context of these activities; this can be considered a functional approach to the delivery of services. These activities must be necessary for individuals to live in the community, to live more independently, or to be more productive and participatory in community life. Services must be provided in a manner that ensures the person’s health and welfare.

In addition to supporting individuals in activities typically associated with those occurring in their homes and the immediate community, the Home and Community Habilitation service may also be used to provide staff assistance to support individuals in the following ways:

1. Habilitation provided in home and family settings that are not subject to Department licensing or approval, when the provider of habilitation meets established requirements/qualifications.
2. Support that enables the individual to access and use community resources such as instruction in using transportation, translator and communication assistance, and companion services to assist the individual in shopping and other necessary activities of community life.
3. Support that assists the individual in developing financial stability and security, such as assistance in arranging for disability-related work incentives and plans for achieving self-support; general banking; assistance in beginning a business enterprise; personal and estate planning; balancing accounts; preparing income taxes; and recordkeeping.
4. Support that enables an individual to participate in community projects, associations, groups, and functions, such as support that assists an individual to participate in a volunteer association or a community work project.
5. Support that enables an individual to visit with friends and family in the community, such as the support of a personal care worker.
6. Support that enables an individual to participate in public and private boards, advisory groups, and commissions.
7. Support that enables the individual to exercise rights as a citizen, such as assistance in exercising civic responsibilities.
8. Support that enables the individual to benefit from the participation of friends, relatives, and advocates as part of the individual’s support planning team. Reimbursement to support program planning team members shall be limited to the cost of the members’ travel to and from meetings, subsistence, phone charges, and orientation/training. Travel and subsistence allowances shall be held to the ceiling established by the Department for its employees.