DHHS Service Coordination for Nebraska's AD Waiver: What Changed in 2026

A Major Structural Change Most Families Missed

If your parent is on the Nebraska Aged and Disabled (AD) Waiver or you're applying for the first time, a significant shift happened in April 2026 that directly affects how your parent's care is coordinated: the League of Human Dignity is no longer providing service coordination for the AD Waiver. All service coordination duties transferred to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

This change affects who your parent's case manager is, how quickly you get responses, and who to contact when something goes wrong.

What Service Coordination Actually Does

A service coordinator is the person who manages the operational side of the AD Waiver for your parent. Their responsibilities include:

• Conducting or arranging the interRAI assessment to confirm Nursing Facility Level of Care (NFLOC) eligibility
• Developing and maintaining your parent's person-centered service plan
• Authorizing waiver services — personal care, adult day health, respite, home modifications
• Monitoring service delivery to ensure providers are showing up and delivering what's authorized
• Facilitating annual reassessments to maintain waiver eligibility

Before April 2026, the League of Human Dignity handled this function for many waiver participants. They're still involved in initial NFLOC assessments and Independent Living services, but the ongoing service coordination for AD Waiver participants now sits with DHHS staff.

What This Means for Your Parent

New case manager. If your parent had a service coordinator through the League of Human Dignity, they've been reassigned to a DHHS service coordinator. You should have received written notification with your new coordinator's name and contact information. If you haven't, call DHHS at 1-844-843-6364 (Nebraska Aging and Disability Resource Center) to get your assignment.

Administrative backlog. The transition created processing delays. New waiver applications and service plan modifications may take longer than the usual 45-to-90-day window. If your parent is being discharged from a hospital and needs waiver services urgently, escalate through the DHHS Aging and Disability Services division rather than waiting in the general queue.

No change to eligibility or benefits. The service coordination transfer is an administrative restructuring, not a policy change. Your parent's waiver services, eligibility criteria, and financial limits ($4,000 asset limit, $392 MNIL) are unchanged. The same interRAI assessment determines clinical eligibility under the same 471 NAC 44 criteria.

Who to Contact Now

For AD Waiver service coordination questions:

• DHHS Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC): 1-844-843-6364
• Local Area Agency on Aging: Still your first point of contact for initial assessments and ADRC services. They work alongside DHHS and can help navigate the new case management structure.
• League of Human Dignity: Still handles Independent Living services and may conduct initial NFLOC assessments, but no longer manages ongoing waiver service coordination. Main line: 402-441-7871.

For complaints about service coordination quality or responsiveness, the Nebraska Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (1-800-942-7830) can advocate on your parent's behalf.

If You're Applying During a Hospital Discharge

The timing pressure of a hospital discharge collides with this administrative transition in a specific way: your parent may need AD Waiver services authorized quickly to support a discharge to assisted living or home with in-home care, and the DHHS service coordination team is absorbing a statewide caseload that previously spread across multiple organizations.

Two things you can do to move faster:

1. File the Medicaid application early. Don't wait for the service coordinator assignment. Submit the application to DHHS as soon as your parent's countable assets are at or below the $4,000 limit. The application and the waiver assessment can run in parallel.
2. Request the interRAI assessment through your AAA. The Area Agency on Aging can initiate the NFLOC assessment independently. Getting the clinical eligibility documented early means the service coordinator has one fewer step when they pick up the case.

Navigating the Full Discharge Process

Our Nebraska Hospital Discharge Guide covers the complete waiver application pathway alongside the hospital discharge timeline — including the interRAI preparation checklist, the Medicaid spend-down worksheets, and the contact directory for every Nebraska AAA and DHHS office involved in the process.

See more Nebraska guides →