Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS)

What is the CLASS Program?
Included in the health reform law, the CLASS Program is a national, voluntary insurance program that was created to give most working adults a new option to pay for long-term disability services and supports. Under the program, enrollees with functional limitations would contribute to the program for five years and would then be eligible to receive a cash benefit to help pay for things like home modifications, assistive technologies, home care aides, and personal assistance. Unlike Medicaid, CLASS would not require individuals to be impoverished in order to qualify for the program.

Recent Action:
Under the health reform law, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was given broad authority to restructure key provisions of CLASS to ensure the program's long-term financial viability. However, as HHS began the process of implementing CLASS, it became clear that convincing young, healthy individuals to enroll in the program would be a challenge. Without enough healthy individuals enrolled in the plan, the cost of premiums would rise, forcing even more individuals out of the program. After 19 months of work, HHS was unable to develop a financially sustainable model for CLASS and, on October 14, 2011, announced that the agency would cease work implementing the program.

On February 1, 2012, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal the CLASS Program by a vote of 267-159. Action on the bill in the U.S. Senate is uncertain.

What's Next?
While the future of the CLASS program remains uncertain, The Reeve Foundation remains committed to ensuring that individuals living with disabilities have access to the long-term services and supports that they need to remain independent. Over the coming months, the Reeve Foundation will continue to work closely with members of Congress and other stakeholders to identify effective ways to help Americans prepare for - and finance - individual long-term care needs.