New York State Department of Health
1915(c) Children’s Waiver Home and Community-Based Services · About this organization
What you get
Assessed home and community services, including respite, family advocacy, comfort care, and help with everyday skills.
How to start
Fill in Medicaid, clinical, disability, functional, and level-of-care evaluation steps.
Good to know
- Medicaid, disability, functional, and institutional-risk findings are required.
- Cancer is an included medically fragile diagnosis, but diagnosis alone does not meet waiver eligibility.
The details, as published
New York’s Children’s Waiver can authorize home- and community-based services for a Medicaid-enrolled or Medicaid-eligible child under 21 who meets the published functional and institutional-risk standards; the medically fragile pathway explicitly includes cancer. Available plan-of-care services can include respite, caregiver and family advocacy, palliative-care services, habilitation, and other assessed supports. A family without Medicaid contacts C-YES for evaluation, while a child already enrolled in Medicaid starts through a Health Home; a B-ALL diagnosis by itself does not establish the required disability and level-of-care findings.
What help you may get
Camps And Retreats
1915(c) Children’s Waiver Home and Community-Based Services — camps and retreats
New York’s Children’s Waiver can authorize home- and community-based services for a Medicaid-enrolled or Medicaid-eligible child under 21 who meets the published functional and institutional-risk standards; the medically fragile pathway explicitly includes cancer. Available plan-of-care services can include respite, caregiver and family advocacy, palliative-care services, habilitation, and other assessed supports. A family without Medicaid contacts C-YES for evaluation, while a child already enrolled in Medicaid starts through a Health Home; a B-ALL diagnosis by itself does not establish the required disability and level-of-care findings.
Noncash help
Can cover
- Caregiver and family advocacy and support
- Community or day habilitation
- Other authorized home- and community-based services in the plan of care
- Palliative-care services
- Respite
- Services are authorized through an assessed plan of care, not paid as a cash grant.
- Service frequency is determined by assessment and the approved plan of care.
Lodging Near Treatment
1915(c) Children’s Waiver Home and Community-Based Services — lodging near treatment
New York’s Children’s Waiver can authorize home- and community-based services for a Medicaid-enrolled or Medicaid-eligible child under 21 who meets the published functional and institutional-risk standards; the medically fragile pathway explicitly includes cancer. Available plan-of-care services can include respite, caregiver and family advocacy, palliative-care services, habilitation, and other assessed supports. A family without Medicaid contacts C-YES for evaluation, while a child already enrolled in Medicaid starts through a Health Home; a B-ALL diagnosis by itself does not establish the required disability and level-of-care findings.
Noncash help
Can cover
- Caregiver and family advocacy and support
- Community or day habilitation
- Other authorized home- and community-based services in the plan of care
- Palliative-care services
- Respite
- Services are authorized through an assessed plan of care, not paid as a cash grant.
- Service frequency is determined by assessment and the approved plan of care.
Navigation Guides And Advocacy
1915(c) Children’s Waiver Home and Community-Based Services — navigation guides and advocacy
New York’s Children’s Waiver can authorize home- and community-based services for a Medicaid-enrolled or Medicaid-eligible child under 21 who meets the published functional and institutional-risk standards; the medically fragile pathway explicitly includes cancer. Available plan-of-care services can include respite, caregiver and family advocacy, palliative-care services, habilitation, and other assessed supports. A family without Medicaid contacts C-YES for evaluation, while a child already enrolled in Medicaid starts through a Health Home; a B-ALL diagnosis by itself does not establish the required disability and level-of-care findings.
Noncash help
Can cover
- Caregiver and family advocacy and support
- Community or day habilitation
- Other authorized home- and community-based services in the plan of care
- Palliative-care services
- Respite
- Services are authorized through an assessed plan of care, not paid as a cash grant.
- Service frequency is determined by assessment and the approved plan of care.
Check the main eligibility rules
Diagnosis
B-ALL is in scope. The published program serves children with cancer or a broader medical category that includes pediatric B-ALL.
Age
Age 0 to age 20, measured at application.
- The Children’s Waiver serves children and youth under age 21.
Treatment status
No specific treatment status is published.
- A provider must verify the patient or diagnosis.
- Clinical and functional documentation is required for the medically fragile and level-of-care review.
- The child must be Medicaid-enrolled or establish Medicaid eligibility through the waiver process.
- No numerical income rule is published in the reviewed material.
- Medicaid financial eligibility applies; C-YES evaluates children who do not already have Medicaid.
Where you live and where your child is treated
Where your family lives
You must live in: NY.
- The child must be a New York Medicaid member or meet New York Medicaid eligibility and waiver requirements.
Where your child is treated
No treatment-location restriction is published.
How to get started
Does a social worker or care team need to start it? No. A required care-team start is not published; the family can use the available route below.
Who can start: Caregiver, Healthcare Team, Parent Or Guardian
- Complete Medicaid, clinical, disability, functional, and level-of-care evaluation steps.
- If enrolled, work with care management to build an HCBS plan of care and select providers.
- If the child is not enrolled in Medicaid, contact C-YES for referral and evaluation; if enrolled, contact a Health Home.
Ways to apply or ask
- Online Portal · Open form or page
Documents to prepare
- Accepted physical-disability documentation or forms
- Clinical documentation of the medical condition and functional limitations
- Information needed for Medicaid financial eligibility
- Level-of-care and risk-of-institutionalization documentation
Availability and timing
| Program | Active |
|---|---|
| Applications | Not Published |
| Funding or space | Not Published |
| Application window | Rolling |
| Last checked | Aug 24, 2026 |
- The waiver and C-YES referral system are active; county slot and service capacity are not posted.
- C-YES and Health Home referrals are ongoing; slot capacity should be confirmed.
Limitations and things to confirm
- Cancer is an included medically fragile diagnosis, but diagnosis alone does not meet waiver eligibility.
- Medicaid, disability, functional, and institutional-risk findings are required.
- Services and frequency depend on assessment, plan authorization, and provider capacity.
- How long will evaluation and enrollment take?
- Is a waiver slot available in the child’s county?
- Which disability-documentation route and level-of-care pathway will the evaluator use?
- Which HCBS will the plan of care authorize and at what frequency?
Official sources
Program details were last verified Aug 24, 2026. Availability can change, so check the official program before applying.
- Children’s Waiver HCBS Eligibility and Enrollment Policy · checked Aug 27, 2026
- Children’s Waiver HCBS Eligibility and Enrollment Policy · checked Aug 23, 2026
- Children and Youth Evaluation Service (C-YES) · checked Aug 27, 2026
- Children and Youth Evaluation Service (C-YES) · checked Aug 23, 2026
- Children’s Waiver Medically Fragile Definition and Criteria · checked Aug 24, 2026
- Children’s Waiver Medically Fragile Definition and Criteria · checked Aug 23, 2026