·State program
HOPE Waiver
Home and community-based services for people who need nursing facility level of care, so they can live at home or in the most independent setting; includes in-home services, respite and caregiver services, nutrition and meals, adult day services, community living home, and assisted living. Structured Family Caregiving is available for people living in their homes.
Questions that decide eligibility
GiveCare prepares the questions; the program makes the decision. Bring these to the call or the application:
- 01
Does the person receiving care live in South Dakota?
Residency is usually the first thing a program checks.
- 02
Does your relationship to the person — other relative — count for this program?
- 03
What counts as a qualifying disability or level of care need, and what documentation shows it?
- 04
Does the VA disability rating meet the program’s minimum (our record lists null%)?
- 05
Which citizenship or immigration statuses does the program accept, and which documents show it?
- 06
Do you need to live with the person receiving care, and how is that verified?
- 07
Do the work hours meet the minimum (our record lists null hours)?
- 08
Is there a caregiver-specific department, coordinator, or support line? Ask for it by name.
Many agencies have one that isn’t advertised on the website.
- 09
What documents do you need from us to start an application?
- 10
Is there a waitlist right now, and how long is it?
Who qualifies, in the source’s words
Where our record has a direct quote from the official source, here it is — otherwise, this is our best reading of the rule.
Disability of the person receiving care
“Meet a nursing facility level of care - Participate in an assessment of needs - Not be a resident of a hospital, nursing facility, or an Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) - Have an assessed need for one or more waiver services at least one time per month”
dhs.sd.gov →Minimum VA disability rating
Minimum VA disability rating: null%.
Citizenship or immigration status
“meet certain citizenship requirements of the United States”
dss.sd.gov →Living with the person receiving care
“reside with a primary/principal caregiver in the participant's own home or in the home of the primary caregiver”
dss.sd.gov →Work hours
Minimum work hours: null.
Relationship to the person receiving care
“Individuals may be eligible for Structured Family Caregiving, which is a shared living arrangement that offers participants an opportunity to reside with a primary/principal caregiver”
dss.sd.gov →State residency
“A person must be a resident of South Dakota and meet certain citizenship requirements of the United States.”
dss.sd.gov →
How to apply
- 01
Contact Dakota at Home to learn more (833-663-9673 or DakotaAtHome@state.sd.us). Financial eligibility is decided by DSS Economic Assistance; individuals already on Medicaid submit form EA265 (Request for Long-Term Care or Home Community Based Services Waiver Assistance); otherwise complete a full Medicaid application. A needs assessment is required.