When a person applies for Medicaid long-term care services in Oregon, we look at how much help they need to perform Activities of Daily Living. Because funding is limited, we use this information (called a service priority level) to decide who is eligible for services. People must also meet income guidelines to qualify for services.
Definitions
Activities of Daily Living (ADL)
Activities of Daily Living are the basic personal activities all of us need to do that are essential for health and safety. These activities are defined in OAR 411-015-0006 and include:
- Bathing
- Personal hygiene
- Cognition
- Behavior
- Dressing
- Grooming
- Eating
- Elimination (toileting including bowel and bladder)
- Mobility
- Transfers
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL)
IADLs or “self-management" tasks are more complex activities needed to take care of yourself and your home. These activities are defined in OAR 411-015-0007 and include:
- Housekeeping
- Laundry
- Meal preparation
- Medication management
- Shopping
- Transportation
Service priority levels
Service priority levels are categories that are used to identify how much and what kind of help people need to perform Activities of Daily Living. Oregon has service priority levels from 1 to 18. People with more needs have a higher service priority level. For example, a person at level 1 has much higher needs than a person at level 18.
You can find details about Oregon's service priority levels in the Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR).