Self-Direction Services

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Self-Direction

Children and Adults who are eligible for OPWDD services and enrolled in the Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Waiver may choose to self-direct their services.

Self-Direction assists people with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their families to choose and manage their own budgets and services. Self-Direction not only offers people supported greater choice and control over the supports they receive, but it also expands their options beyond traditional programs to include services such as community classes or training, gym memberships, camps, and reimbursements for software, internet, or cell phones.

Individuals in Self-Direction may choose if they want an agency to help them self-direct or if they would prefer to manage their own budget and staff with help from a Fiscal Intermediary and Support Broker.

Fiscal Intermediary

The Fiscal Intermediary operates as the “Co-Manager” with the individual and their circle of support acting as the “Employer of Record.”  The family is the “Managing Employer” and the “On-Site Supervisor.”  The Fiscal Intermediary provides a multitude of supports, including providing a complaint hiring process with requisite background checks, required training to staff, payroll and benefits (when applicable) and reimbursements based upon the individualized plan/budget. The Fiscal Intermediary is also responsible to collect and review all required paperwork and documentation to ensure compliance with Medicaid/OPWDD payments.

OPWDD Eligibility

To be eligible for services, one must have a life-long disability which occurred before the age of 22 and of which includes diagnoses such as Intellectual Disabilities and other Neurological impairments.