The Journey to Community Living Through the Lens of the ‘Money Follows the Person’ Program Participants

The Money Follows the Person (MFP) program, established in 2008, is a Medicaid demonstration grant sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that provides states in the U.S. with the opportunity to rebalance long-term services and supports by transitioning individuals from institutional to community settings. Photovoice was added to an existing evaluation in Georgia to better understand participants’ perceptions of the impact of the program on their quality of life. 

From June 2015 to August 2016, five participants used photovoice to document their quality of life since transitioning from institutional settings to the community. The study sample included five participants, three females and two males, ranging in age from 38 to 64, and one individual had a developmental disability while the others had physical disabilities.

Themes from participants’ photographs and narratives identify programmatic successes, as well as the importance of continued support of long-term services and supports provided in home and community-based settings. Using photovoice, participants documented first-hand the drivers for transition, positive outcomes, and continuing challenges that reflect their perspectives on quality of life in the community.