The acquisition cap
$5,000 per person per calendar year, covering devices, Remote Supports, and HACS combined. The cap resets every January 1 and unused dollars do not roll over.
How recurring costs are counted
HES pays acquisition costs up front and typically will not commit to multi-year recurring contracts. In practice, a recurring service — a monthly lease, subscription, or monitoring fee — is fundable when its full first-year cost fits inside the $5,000 calendar-year envelope and can be prepaid at authorization. First-year cost means any one-time charges plus twelve months of the recurring charge.
What fits under the cap — examples
Worked first-year costs, drawn from the vendor pricing data in the directory:
- Monitored smartwatch, purchased: roughly $1,040–$1,590 one-time (equipment, setup, delivery) plus $84/month service ≈ $2,050–$2,600 first-year.
- Sensor system with 24/7 remote support, leased: $400/month × 12 months prepaid = $4,800.
- Cellular medication dispenser, subscription: $60/month × 12 = $720.
Actual quotes vary — the HES Provider prices the plan during its assessment.
What HES will not pay for
ADM 2024-02 excludes:
- Cell phone service and bills
- Internet service
- Unmodified consumer appliances
- One-way cameras (recording without two-way audio)
- Therapy animals
- Entertainment devices
- Outright purchase of phones, laptops, tablets, or non-specialized watches (must be leased / managed service)
Administrative fees sit outside the cap
The HES Provider's own fees for delivering the service are billed separately from the $5K acquisition envelope. Per ADM 2024-02, the published rates are:
- Assessment — $189, one-time at enrollment.
- Setup — $315, one-time after the HES Plan is approved.
- Troubleshooting and subscription management — two separate fees of $63 per month each. Only one of the two may be billed in any given month, and both are capped (ADM 2024-02 sets the limits).
These offset against the broader annual Assistive Technology funding threshold set by ADM 2021-04 — not against the $5K HES cap itself.
Self-direction and HES
For people in Self-Direction, HES acquisition costs must come from the person's PRA . HES does not add new money to a self-directed budget; instead it routes the request through a HES Provider while drawing on the PRA. This is one of the most-confused points in the program — see the self-direction brokers guide for a more detailed walk-through.
Next: how the process works — from conversation to authorization.