LINCOLN - The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services adopted a new tool last year to assess the needs of people with developmental disabilities seeking a Medicaid waiver allowing them to remain in their homes. In July, the state began using interRAI, which it said could be deployed for multiple purposes to cut down on administrative costs and reduce the number of assessments for people who receive Medicaid funding.

The comprehensive assessment accounts for an individual’s medical history, lifestyle, existing needs and supports, producing a number called a case-mix index that tells the state which of five funding tiers the individual requires for care. But the rollout of interRAI has resulted in a “significant redistribution” of funding tiers in its first few months of use, according to a committee that advises the state on issues facing people with disabilities.

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