DRSC Medicaid Guide
Guide to Medicaid and Medicaid Waivers in South Carolina
Introduction
Understanding how Medicaid works can be confusing and overwhelming, especially if you’re not familiar with the system. That’s why we created this manual. This guide is for people with disabilities in South Carolina. It is here to help you learn how to apply for Medicaid, understand your benefits, and get the services you need and qualify for. We believe everyone should be able to get the health care and support they deserve. We hope this guide gives you the information, tools, and confidence to take the next steps.
Important Note
At the time we created this guide, South Carolina had just made changes to some state departments. Three departments — the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, the Department of Mental Health, and the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services — have been combined into one new department. This new department is called the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
As part of this change:
- The Department of Disabilities and Special Needs is now called the Office of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (OIDD).
- The Department of Mental Health is now called the Office of Mental Health.
We have used the new names in this guide. However, some websites and materials may still use the old names. These changes may also affect some of the links and resources we list. We will do our best to keep everything up to date as the state continues to make these changes.
Web Guide Navigation
This new accessible webpage was built so you can move through this guide in multiple ways. You can click on the tabs at the top to start a new section. You can also choose to click through the table of contents located below to go to a specific section that interests you. Lastly, we do have a pdf version available if you prefer to have something to download.
Outline
- Part 1: Medicaid
- Part 2: Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Waivers
- Part 3: How to Advocate for Your Rights
- Part 4: Appendices: Glossary of Services, Acronyms, Sample Letters
- 4.2 Appendix 1: DHHS Waivers Glossary of Waiver Services
- 4.3 Appendix 2 List of Common Acronyms
- 4.4 Appendix 3: Letter to Managed Care Organization Requesting Reconsideration
- 4.5 Appendix 4: Sample Letter to Office of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (formerly known as DDSN) Requesting Reconsideration
- 4.6 Appendix 5 Letter to DHHS Requesting Medicaid Fair Hearing