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MassHealth COVID-19 Guidance for Home Health Agencies, CSNs, and PCAs

This page provides MassHealth Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) guidance and information from MassHealth specific to home health agencies, continuous skilled nurse agencies, and personal care attendants.

For MassHealth COVID-19 guidance and information covering all MassHealth providers, please see MassHealth COVID-19 Guidance for All Providers. You may also find it helpful to review DPH’s COVID-19 guidance for health care professionals.

Table of Contents

Continuous Skilled Nursing Agency Bulletins

  • Continuous Skilled Nursing Agency Bulletin 16: Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance for Continuous Skilled Nursing Agency Providers rescinds the COVID-19 vaccination requirements of Continuous Skilled Nursing Agency Bulletin 5 and Home Health Agency Bulletins 69 effective September 12, 2023.  PDF | Word

  • Continuous Skilled Nursing Agency Bulletin 12: COVID-19 Flexibilities after the End of the Public Health Emergency replaces and supersedes CSN Agency Bulletin 10 by clarifying the providers qualified to order services and establish a plan of care. PDF | Word

  • Continuous Skilled Nursing Agency Bulletin 10: COVID-19 Flexibilities after the End of the Public Health Emergency communicates provider requirements that were suspended during the Federal Public Health Emergency (FPHE) and that will be enforced after the FPHE ends. This bulletin also communicates changes in requirements implemented during the FPHE that will continue past the end of the FPHE. PDF | Word

  • Continuous Skilled Nursing Agency Bulletin 5: Deadline for Vaccine Requirement for Home Care Workers Extended to March 21, 2022 announces that the deadline for compliance with the vaccination requirements outlined in Home Health Agency Bulletin 69 are being extended to March 21, 2022, for individuals providing in-home, direct care who are employed by a home health agency that is contracted or subcontracted with the Commonwealth. PDF | Word

  • Continuous Skilled Nursing Agency Bulletin 4: Revised MassHealth Telehealth Policy for Continuous Skilled Nursing (CSN) Services and Telehealth Documentation Requirement describes a telehealth flexibility for MassHealth CSN services that will be in effect until the end of the FPHE and describes a recordkeeping and documentation requirement regarding telehealth services. This bulletin supersedes Home Health Agency bulletins 60, 63, and 68. PDF | Word

  • Continuous Skilled Nursing Agency Bulletin 2: Vaccine Requirement for Home Care Workers communicates updates to the HCAW vaccine requirement previously issued through Home Health Agency Bulletin 69 to also include a COVID-19 booster vaccination requirement. All requirements in Home Health Agency Bulletin 69 remain in effect. PDF | Word

Home Health Agency Bulletins

  • Home Health Agency Bulletin 89: Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance for Home Health Agency Providers rescinds the COVID-19 vaccination requirements of Home Health Agency Bulletins 69, 72, and 75 effective September 12, 2023. PDF | Word

  • Home Health Agency Bulletin 87: COVID-19 Flexibilities after the End of the Public Health Emergency - Amended supersedes and replaces Home Health Agency Bulletin 83 with updated guidance for home health agencies after the end of the federal public health emergency. PDF | Word

  • Home Health Agency Bulletin 84: Conclusion of the Temporary Expansion of Home Health Aide Services COVID-19 Flexibility describes how members can continue PCA services, as authorized, or transition PCA services to home health services following the end of this flexibility. PDFWord

  • Home Health Agency Bulletin 83: COVID-19 Flexibilities after the End of the Public Health Emergency communicates home health provider requirements that were suspended during the Federal Public Health Emergency (FPHE) and that will be enforced after the FPHE ends. This bulletin also communicates changes in requirements implemented during the FPHE that will continue past the end of the FPHE. PDF | Word

  • Home Health Agency Bulletin 75: Deadline for Vaccine Requirement for Home Care Workers Extended to March 21, 2022 announces that the deadline for compliance with the vaccination requirements outlined in Home Health Agency Bulletin 69 is being extended to March 21, 2022, for individuals providing in-home, direct care who are employed by a home health agency that is contracted or subcontracted with the Commonwealth. PDF | Word

  • Home Health Agency Bulletin 74: Revised MassHealth Telehealth Policy for Home Health Services and Telehealth Documentation Requirement describes a telehealth flexibility for MassHealth home health services that will be in effect until the end of the FPHE and describes a recordkeeping and documentation requirement regarding telehealth services. This bulletin supersedes Home Health Agency bulletins 60, 63, and 68. PDF | Word

  • Home Health Agency Bulletin 72: Vaccine Requirement for Home Care Workers communicates updates to the HCAW vaccine requirement previously issued through Home Health Agency Bulletin 69 to also include a COVID-19 booster vaccination requirement. All requirements in Home Health Agency Provider Bulletin 69 remain in effect. PDF | Word
  • Home Health Agency Bulletin 69: Expanded Vaccine Requirement to Include Home Care Workers describes the extended vaccine requirement, that includes Home Care Workers, including exemptions and the implementation of this requirement. PDF | Word
  • Home Health Agency Bulletin 66: MassHealth Comprehensive Needs Assessment Conducted Through Telehealth for Community Case Management Members extends the period in which CCM Clinical Managers may conduct a Comprehensive Needs Assessment through telehealth (including telephone and/or live video) instead of in person through the end of the federally declared Public Health Emergency. PDF | Word
  • Home Health Agency Bulletin 65: Updates to Certain COVID-19 Flexibilities for Home Health Aide Services extends flexibilities listed in Home Health Agency Bulletin 57 to the end of the federally declared Public Health Emergency. PDF | Word
  • Home Health Agency Bulletin 64: COVID-19 Related Administrative Flexibilities for Home Health Providers-Extension extends COVID-19 flexibilities for home health agency providers. Some of the flexibilities described in the bulletin will extend until the end of the federal public health emergency, while others do not have an end date. ​​​PDF | Word
  • Home Health Agency Bulletin 61: COVID-19 Related Administrative Flexibilities for Home Health Providers provides updates to MassHealth’s COVID-19 related flexibilities for providers of MassHealth covered home health services, with the goal of helping to ensure members that retain access to appropriate home health services, promote social distancing, and mitigate the spread of COVID-19. PDF | Word

Personal Care Attendant Bulletins

  • Personal Care Attendant Program Bulletin 15: COVID-19 Flexibilities after the End of the Public Health Emergency communicates provider requirements that were suspended during the Federal Public Health Emergency (FPHE) and that will be enforced after the FPHE ends. This bulletin also communicates changes in requirements implemented during the FPHE that will continue past the end of the FPHE. PDF | Word
  • Personal Care Attendant Bulletin 10: COVID-19-related Administrative Flexibilities for the Personal Care Attendant Program describes COVID-19 related flexibilities for MassHealth Personal Care Management agencies and Fiscal Intermediaries serving the MassHealth Personal Care Attendant (PCA) program. Flexibilities in this bulletin have an effective period that ends either on a.) January 1, 2022; or b.) the final date of the Federal Public Health Emergency due to COVID-19. PDF | Word
  • Personal Care Agency Bulletin 9: Extended MassHealth Telehealth Policy for Personal Care Management (PCM) Functions, Personal Care Attendant (PCA) Program, and New Telehealth Documentation Requirement explains MassHealth’s policy for the use of telehealth by Personal Care Management (PCM) agencies that perform administrative functions on behalf of MassHealth for the Personal Care Attendant (PCA) program. The guidance in this bulletin will remain in effect until the final date of the FPHE due to COVID-19. PDF | Word
Last updated: July 11, 2023

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