Southern Indiana caregivers, clients sound alarm on PathWays for Aging program

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WAVE) – Staff at LifeSpan Resources, a southern Indiana agency designed to help people live independently, say they feel stuck after a state program went into effect that took away hundreds of their clients.

On top of that, former clients say the program that state officials say is supposed to help them is doing the opposite.

Before last year, 15 Area Agencies on Aging, or AAAs, throughout the state of Indiana were providing those over 60 who receive Medicaid waivers with services like transportation, in-home care and meal delivery.

But, a new program called PathWays for Aging, established by the state’s Family and Social Services Administration under former Governor Eric Holcomb, has redirected those services away from AAAs. The responsibilities now fall to three health insurance companies: Anthem, Humana and United Healthcare.

Both clients and staff at Triple As say the program has just complicated things for everyone.

“I’m like a shirt hanging in the wind,” said Sandra Vermilyer, a New Albany resident who had been a client with LifeSpan Resources.

LifeSpan takes care of Meals on Wheels for Southern Indiana, as well as provides non emergency medical transportation and in-home care.

But, Vermilyer is now one of about 2,000 former clients who have been redirected to the PathWays for Aging Program, and forced to pick an insurance company to take care of things LifeSpan used to.

She chose United Healthcare.

“I haven’t run into one person out of five care coordinators that give a damn about me or what I need,” said Vermilyer. “I have to call them… I called my last one 11 times, and two weeks later she called me and that’s what I put up with every day.”

Those working at LifeSpan told WAVE Vermilyer is not the only one having issues with the transition to PathWays for Aging, and they get calls from former clients every day.

“They’re telling us that they’re calling, not getting any responses, they don’t know who to call,” said Lucy Koesters, LifeSpan’s Chief Business Development Officer. “They call and talk to people at the health insurance companies and those care coordinators and service coordinators, they don’t have…they don’t have the knowledge of the resources.”

Now, LifeSpan staff are trying to sound the alarm about the harm Pathways to Aging has done, and they’re not alone.

State representative Ed Clere sent WAVE this statement:

“From the day it launched, PathWays has been a story of broken promises and mismanagement. Its poor design and rushed rollout have done major damage to Indiana’s area agencies on aging, including LifeSpan Resources, while failing to meet the needs of seniors. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of seniors and people with disabilities are on waiting lists for PathWays or other Medicaid waiver programs intended to allow people to stay in their home and avoid having to go into a nursing home. I will continue to sound the alarm about PathWays and look for solutions to reduce all of the waiting lists. Vulnerable Hoosiers deserve better.”

WAVE reached out to Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration, which oversees the program, and have not yet heard back.

Now, both clients and caregivers are just hoping for change.

“I’m sick of it, and I know there’s a lot of other people, just right here, who have United Healthcare. They’re sick of it too,” said Vermilyer.

Right now, PathWays for Aging only impacts Medicaid waiver recipients over the age of 60, but there have been discussions about lowering that age.

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