Using your benefits You can use your WA Cares benefits to get covered services and supports from a provider you choose. Start using benefits 1 Choose the services you want to receive Explore the services and supports we cover and decide what benefits you want to receive. 2 Find a WA Cares provider You can get services from any provider who is registered with WA Cares. You’ll contact providers to talk about services you want to receive and costs. 3 Approve your pre-authorization Before you start services, you must approve a pre-authorization in your benefits account. This is a formal agreement between you and your provider about costs and details of your services. 4 Manage your benefits Use your benefits account to manage your services and track the benefit amount you have available. Image You can find the benefits guide you received at your assessment appointment in our toolkit, including translations in many languages. Our toolkit materials use human translation, rather automatic translation. Suggested services Once you apply and get approval to use benefits, you can choose the services you want to receive. You can use your benefits to get any of our covered services and supports from a WA Cares provider. The letter we send you when your application is approved will include a list of suggested services. You can use the suggestions to think about care options, but you aren’t required to choose from that list. Cost of services Your benefit amount is the lifetime total you can receive in benefits. To make your benefits last longer, think about whether you can meet your care needs with less expensive services, such as in-home care and supports. You can choose your providers based on what you’re willing to pay. When you contact providers, you’ll discuss the services you want to receive and how much they charge. You may want to get quotes from multiple providers before choosing one. Each covered service or support has a maximum rate. Providers can’t charge more than the maximum and can’t ask you to pay extra out of pocket. In the rates information we provide, you’ll find the maximum rate and a typical cost range for each service or support. The ranges will give you a general idea of how much services might cost, but the amount you pay will vary depending on where you live and your care needs. Get rates information Find a provider Using the Directory You can get services from any provider who is registered with WA Cares. You can search our Provider Network Directory to find providers in your area who offer the services you want. Listings include the provider’s name, services they offer, contact information and any additional languages they offer. On the directory’s main page, you can enter the service you’re looking for in the search box or click on a group of services listed below. From your results, you can use additional filters, print or email the list of providers, or show a map of provider locations. You can contact any providers you’re interested in to ask for more information on services they offer, locations, availability and prices. Make sure to let them know you’re using WA Cares benefits. Finding in-home caregivers If you want in-home personal care to help with daily activities like eating and bathing, you have two options for providers: Consumer Direct Care Network Washington or a licensed home care agency. To learn more about the differences between these providers, check our provider comparison for this service. To find a home care agency, you can visit our Provider Network Directory. You can choose In-Home Personal Care in the search box or click the Caregivers button. Caregivers employed through CDWA aren’t listed in the Provider Network Directory. If you’d like to get care through CDWA, you can get more information on their website or call 360-456-1234. If you want to hire a family member or loved one as your paid caregiver, they can choose to work for a home care agency or CDWA. Learn more about paid family caregiving. If you have any questions about finding a provider or need help using the directory, you can contact us by phone, email or live chat. Language assistance is available. Managing your benefits Tracking your balance When you log in to your benefits account, your dashboard will show any notifications you need to check, any pre-authorizations you need to review and the current benefit amount you have available. You’ll see your original benefit amount, minus the cost of services you’ve received and any pre-authorizations you’ve approved. Support or reimbursement from financial management services Our financial management services vendor, GT Independence, can help you with: Finding and buying adaptive equipment and technology we cover Getting reimbursement for transportation costs or adaptive equipment and technology that you’ve paid for out of pocket Getting reimbursement for paying a family member or friend to provide you with transportation Before you can use financial management services, you must be approved to use WA Cares benefits, have a benefit balance that would cover the cost of the reimbursement or purchase, and create an online account with GT Independence. Learn more about requirements and process for getting support or reimbursement through financial management services. Help with your account If you need help, you can have a loved one or representative manage your benefits account. You can also contact us to answer questions or guide you through using your account. Language assistance is available.
