Community Options Program Entry System (COPES)¶
Community Options Program Entry System (COPES) provides home and community-based services in Washington to eligible individuals 65 years or older, or with blindness or disability, meeting SSI program disability criteria and nursing facility level of care needs. Eligible applicants receive services in their home or a department-contracted residential facility, keeping a personal needs allowance up to 300% of the federal benefit rate.
Eligibility¶
- Care recipient must have a qualifying disability
- Care recipient age: at least 65
Questions to ask the program¶
These are questions to ask the program, not a verdict on your eligibility. Confirm the current rules directly with the program.
- Does the person receiving care live in Washington? — Residency is usually the first thing a program checks.
- Is the person receiving care in the covered age range (65 or older)?
- What counts as a qualifying disability or level of care need, and what documentation shows it?
- 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.
- What documents do you need from us to start an application?
- Is there a waitlist right now, and how long is it?
What this record does not yet say¶
- a direct application link
How to apply¶
- Complete and submit HCA form 18-005 (or apply online at Washington Connection / Washington Healthplanfinder, or in person at a local HCS office), or call your local HCS office to have an application mailed; a separate in-person functional (CARE) assessment is also required