Program
Pennsylvania home-care programs (CHC / LIFE)
Pennsylvania Medicaid programs that cover care at home, or all-in-one care through LIFE.
What it can pay for
- ramps
- grab bars
- stair lift
- wider doors
- flooring
- bathroom changes
- kitchen changes
- electrical
- plumbing
- a home care aide
- personal care
- respite care
- meals
- assistive devices
- medical equipment
- Official name
- Community HealthChoices (CHC) and LIFE — Pennsylvania's Medicaid home care for older adults (there is no separate 'elderly waiver')
- Where
- PA
- Status
- Call to check
- About the amount
- No individual cost limit in the CHC waiver; the only stated dollar caps are Community Transition Services ($4,000 lifetime, for moving out of a nursing home) and vehicle modifications over $5,000 requiring a vehicle under 5 years/50,000 miles. Home Adaptations itself has NO published dollar cap.
- Housing rules
- Renters can get adaptations with written owner permission, no expectation of restoration, and no rent increase because of it. Not available in assisted living or other provider-owned settings.
- How long it takes
- Not published. Medicaid coverage starts the date of application if approved; CHC coverage starts the date of eligibility determination. No approval deadline exists for home adaptations — OLTL told 2026 waiver commenters a 30-day decision requirement was 'outside the scope of the waiver.'
- How to apply
- Call the PA Independent Enrollment Broker to start home-care/LIFE enrollment and get an in-person assessment; apply for Medicaid online at COMPASS, by phone, at your County Assistance Office, or by mail.
- Does not pay for
- General maintenance and upkeep, items not up to code, room additions (except an accessible bathroom when cheaper than retrofitting), and any home in foreclosure/tax-delinquent status or structurally unsound are excluded. Home Adaptations are payer-of-last-resort — other payers must be tried first.
- Official source
- pa.gov
- Last checked
- July 1, 2026