Interested Parties Advisory Groups: Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement to Ensure Adequate HCBS Payment Rates and Help Strengthen the Direct Care Workforce

Executive Summary

NHeLP in partnership with The Community Living Policy Center (CLPC) developed the following policy brief titled, “Interested Parties Advisory Groups: Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement to Ensure Adequate HCBS Payment Rates and Help Strengthen the Direct Care Workforce.” The Interested Parties Advisory Group (IPAG) requirement, established under the Medicaid Access Rule, instructs states to establish a work group to advise on the adequacy of rates for direct care workers who provide home and community-based services (HCBS) for people with disabilities. States must establish and begin convening IPAGs by July 2026. This issue brief shares strategies to help states implement IPAGs in ways that advance the Access Rule’s core objective: ensuring meaningful access to HCBS.