The HCB waiver is the central aging and physical-disability program
Kentucky calls its Home and Community Based waiver, or HCB, a 1915(c) HCBS Medicaid waiver. The state says it assists elderly people, adults with physical disabilities, and children with physical disabilities in living as independently as possible in the community (Kentucky HCB waiver page).
The HCB waiver is operated jointly by the Division of Medicaid Services and the Department for Aging and Independent Living. An applicant must first obtain financial eligibility for Medicaid, then may apply for HCB services through kynect, an Aging and Disability Resource Center, or a Community Mental Health Center (Kentucky HCB waiver page).
A live HCB waitlist changes the practical planning conversation
CHFS states that there is currently a waiting list for HCB services and supports. Placement is determined by the date the completed application is received, so the waiver's care need and financial eligibility are not the only timing questions for a family planning for care at home (Kentucky HCB waiver page).
The state's SFY 2026 allocation plan describes funded slots across ABI-LTC, HCB, MPW, and SCL programs, including 500 additional HCB slots for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025. A slot-allocation plan does not promise that any particular applicant will receive a service date, but it confirms that enrollment capacity is managed (Kentucky SFY 2026 HCBS slot-allocation plan).
Home care uses long-term-care financial rules
For Medicaid waiver services, Kentucky's manual applies the special income standard of $2,982 per month in 2026 and identifies a QIT as the route for an otherwise eligible applicant whose income exceeds that standard. The ordinary resource allowance is $2,000 for one person, subject to the specialized married-applicant rules (CHFS Volume IVA policy manual; Kentucky QIT information).
Kentucky also treats waiver applicants as institutionalized for transfer-policy purposes and applies the 60-month review to relevant post-2006 transfers. A family considering HCB should therefore combine the application, health assessment, current financial documents, and transfer history instead of treating home care as exempt from long-term-care Medicaid rules (CHFS Volume IVA policy manual; 907 KAR 20:030).
Home-care planning point: Kentucky's HCB waiver supports older people and people with physical disabilities in the community, but CHFS reports a current waitlist ordered by completed-application date (
Kentucky HCB waiver page).
Not mutually exclusive. Most families combine two or three funding pillars — this one rarely stands alone.
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