Massachusetts Brain Injury, MassHealth Waiver, and Appeal Help: Official Starting Points
Use this page if you live in Massachusetts and need a clear place to start after a brain injury, when seeking community services, or when a MassHealth decision affects your care.
ABI Resources provides care services in Connecticut. This Massachusetts page is public educational information and does not mean ABI Resources provides services in Massachusetts. Eligibility and appeal decisions are made by the responsible government program.
Start here
Keep every notice. Save the envelope, decision letter, service plan, emails, and names of people you spoke with.
Find the deadline on the notice. Do not wait. Different decisions can have different deadlines.
Ask what kind of decision this is. Say: “Is this an eligibility decision, a service denial, a reduction, or a termination?”
Ask for help communicating. Request an interpreter, accessible format, reasonable accommodation, telephone hearing, or permission for a trusted person to help.
Submit the request and keep proof. Save a confirmation number, fax result, email, certified-mail receipt, or screenshot.
Official Massachusetts brain injury help
The Massachusetts Statewide Head Injury Program (SHIP) offers brain-injury-related services and consultation. Its official page explains eligibility, services, how to apply, and contact options.
SHIP is for Massachusetts residents with traumatic brain injury who have difficulty with daily tasks and may benefit from services. Contact the program directly for an eligibility decision.
MassHealth home and community-based services
Massachusetts describes several home and community-based waiver pathways for people who need a high level of care, including brain injury programs and the Moving Forward Program.
Do not assume that one program fits every person. Ask the state to identify the correct program, the clinical and financial rules, the application method, and whether there is a wait list.
If MassHealth denies, reduces, or stops help
MassHealth says an applicant or member may appeal a decision, including a denial or change to prior authorization. The official instructions explain the Fair Hearing Request form and ways to file. The page currently states that the Board of Hearings must receive the signed request within 60 calendar days of the notice date.
Read your own notice because the deadline and continuation-of-benefits rules can depend on the decision. If services are about to change, ask immediately whether filing by an earlier date can keep services in place during review.
What to write down before calling
Your full name and MassHealth identification number.
The date and exact words on the notice.
The service requested, current amount, and proposed change.
Why the service is needed for health, safety, communication, or community living.
Names, dates, reference numbers, and what each person said.
The accommodation you need to understand or participate.
Ask for an accommodation
You may ask for communication help because of disability. Be specific: extra processing time, written instructions, plain language, a support person, an interpreter, large print, electronic documents, or a telephone or remote hearing.
More help from ABI Resources
Reviewed September 19, 2026. Verify current instructions on the linked government pages before acting. This page is general information, not legal or medical advice. Call 911 for an emergency or 988 for suicide or crisis support.
