Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Waiver
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The YES Waiver was developed by the Health and Human Services Commission and Department of State Health Services in order to provide comprehensive home and community-based mental health services to emotionally disturbed children and teens from the age of 3, to a month before their 19th birthday. YES uses a process called "the Wraparound" to create a team comprising the child, their support group or family, and YES experts to create a health plan specific to each patient. The YES program and its services support their ultimate goal of reducing the number of institutionalized children and providing an amount and quality of care that will enable them to stay with their families and communities. YES services include:
- Respite: To temporarily relieve family members or caretakers from taking care of the child.
- Community Living Supports: using proven strategies and methods to help the family adapt to special challenges related to the child’s mental health.
- Specialized Therapies: therapies that can include art, animal-assisted therapy, recreational, and nutritional counseling.
- Family Supports: helping the family members with the process.
- Employee Assistance and Supported Employment: to help youth find and succeed in employment.
- Adaptive Aids and Supports: to help the child adapt and function in multiple environments such as their home, school, and community.
- Minor Home Modifications: to protect the youth and family.
- Non-Medical Transportation: to help patients and families get to a YES waiver service where there are no other options for transportation.
- Paraprofessional Services: to assist the child in building skills to deal with stressful situations through coaching and monitoring.
- Supportive Family-Based Alternatives: To educate the family on healthy interactions
- Transition Services: To help with the financial difficulty associated with a child or teen moving into their own home.
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