Pennsylvania
Community HealthChoices Service Coordination in Pennsylvania
Community HealthChoices service coordination is the ongoing support that helps a CHC participant plan, connect to providers, and adjust services as their needs change. This page explains how Community HealthChoices works, what a service coordinator does, and how Alenta may support eligible participants in Pennsylvania.
What Community HealthChoices is
Community HealthChoices is Pennsylvania's managed-care long-term services and supports (LTSS) program, administered by the Department of Human Services' Office of Long-Term Living. It replaced several older fee-for-service waiver arrangements and now delivers most physical health, behavioral health, and long-term services and supports for eligible adults through contracted managed-care organizations (MCOs).
Who CHC generally serves
CHC generally serves adults age 21 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care, and adults who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligible), regardless of whether they need long-term services. Actual eligibility is determined by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and the Independent Enrollment Broker, never by Alenta. For a broader look at how CHC fits among Pennsylvania's waiver options, see our PA waiver program guide.
LTSS and MCO structure
Under CHC, a participant enrolls in one of Pennsylvania's contracted CHC managed-care organizations. That MCO is responsible for authorizing and paying for covered services, including physical health care, behavioral health referrals, and long-term services and supports such as personal assistance, home modifications, and service coordination. The MCO — not Alenta — makes coverage and authorization decisions.
The role of the service coordinator
A CHC service coordinator is the participant's main point of contact for organizing long-term services and supports. The coordinator conducts assessments, helps build a person-centered service plan, connects the participant with approved providers, monitors how services are working, and helps resolve problems as they come up — all within the framework set by the participant's MCO.
Person-centered planning
Person-centered planning means the participant's own goals, preferences, and daily routine drive the service plan — not a one-size-fits-all template. A good service coordinator asks what a good day looks like for the participant, what supports would make that possible, and builds the plan around those answers, revisiting it as circumstances change.
Screenings and needs assessments
Before and during CHC enrollment, participants typically go through a functional eligibility screening (often called the Level of Care Determination) and periodic needs reassessments. These evaluate mobility, activities of daily living, cognitive status, and safety at home, and they inform how much support the service plan authorizes.
Coordination across health and community domains
Because CHC combines several types of coverage, a service coordinator often helps a participant navigate across domains: coordinating with Medicare providers for medical care, arranging LTSS like personal care and home-delivered meals, connecting to behavioral health resources, addressing housing or safety concerns, and linking participants to community supports such as transportation or benefits counseling.
Choosing or changing a service coordinator
Participants generally have some ability to select or request a change of service coordination entity from within their CHC-MCO's approved network, though the exact process depends on the MCO. If you are unhappy with your current coordination or want to ask about switching to Alenta where we are an approved provider, contact your MCO or reach out to Alenta directly.
What Alenta does
Where approved as a CHC service coordination provider, Alenta works within a participant's chosen MCO network to deliver the assessment, planning, provider connection, and monitoring functions described above. Alenta is not a Community HealthChoices MCO and does not replace the MCO's authorization and payment role — Alenta coordinates services on the participant's behalf within that structure.
Exact county and service availability
Alenta's formal Community HealthChoices service-coordination area currently includes 14 Pennsylvania counties: Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, and York. Availability also depends on the participant's chosen MCO, program authorization, and participant choice. See Pennsylvania waiver service coordination for our broader waiver work, or the PA Independent Enrollment Broker guide for how CHC enrollment generally begins.
Referral process
If you are already enrolled in Community HealthChoices and want to ask about Alenta as your service coordination provider, or you are a professional referring a participant, the fastest path is to submit a waiver referral. We'll confirm whether Alenta serves your county and MCO and walk through next steps.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Community HealthChoices?
- Community HealthChoices (CHC) is Pennsylvania's mandatory managed-care program for most adults who need long-term services and supports, combining physical health, behavioral health, and home and community-based services under Medicaid managed-care organizations (MCOs).
- Is Alenta a Community HealthChoices managed-care organization?
- No. Alenta is not a Community HealthChoices MCO, is not the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, and does not determine eligibility. Where approved, Alenta may serve as a participant's service coordination entity working alongside their chosen CHC-MCO.
- Can I choose or change my CHC service coordinator?
- Participants generally have some ability to choose or request a change of service coordination entity within their CHC-MCO's network, subject to that MCO's process and availability. Contact your MCO or Alenta to ask about options.
- Which counties does Alenta serve for CHC service coordination?
- Alenta's formal CHC service-coordination area currently includes 14 Pennsylvania counties: Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, and York.
Official sources and further reading
Ready to hand this to someone who does it for a living?
One free, no-obligation 20-minute phone consultation with a care manager — not a salesperson. We return every call within one business day.