11 Feb NJ’s Changing Service Delivery System for Adults with Developmental Disabilities
The New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), the state agency responsible for providing and funding services for adults with developmental disabilities, is undergoing changes to its service delivery system. These changes are based on a fiscal shift away from a contracted services reimbursement model to a Fee for Service (FFS) model; and an ideological shift away from segregated, institutionally based care to a system that promotes integration through community-based service and support options. Implementation of these changes is expected to begin in 2014 and will be phased in over several months.
For those of you who are currently receiving services from Everas Community Services, Inc. there is no cause for concern. Your services will continue much in the same way you and your family member are accustomed to with little to no changes and without interruption. Everas will continue to keep you updated on any important information relative to the new service delivery system as DDD proceeds with implementation.
For families who are new to DDD and adult services for people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, we’ve compiled a list of 5 important things for you to know about the upcoming changes as per the current information shared by DDD:
1) The Supports Program will become the primary channel for accessing services
Once the changes are fully implemented, adults age 21 and older who are both DDD-eligible and Medicaid-eligible – with the exception of those individuals enrolled on the Medicaid Community Care Waiver (CCW) – will access employment/day services, and individual and family support services through DDD’s new initiative known as the Supports Program. Because the Supports Program is a Medicaid program, participants will be required to maintain Medicaid eligibility in order to continue receiving services. Residential services (housing) are not covered by the Supports Program but are covered under the CCW.
2) Support Coordination will be the key community resource for accessing services
Supports Program participants will not have a DDD case manager. Instead, participants and their families will utilize the services of DDD-approved Support Coordination Agencies (SCA) in the community. Participants are required to select or be assigned to an SCA, where they will then be assigned to the caseload of a professional Support Coordinator. The Support Coordinator will be responsible for:
• Coordinating the service planning process
• Assisting the individual/family in drafting the Individualized Service Plan
• Assisting the individual/family in locating and connecting with needed services
• Providing ongoing monthly monitoring
3) The Individualized Service Plan (ISP) will be the primary Support Coordination document
Supports Program participants will be assessed to determine their level of need for services. This assessment will drive the development of the Individualized Service Plan (ISP), which will document and outline the needed services and supports. (The ISP can be reviewed and modified as needed, if there is a change in a participants’ level of need or circumstances.)
4) DDD will approve and authorize funding and provide oversight
Supports Program participants will be assigned to a DDD Waiver Assurance Coordinator (WAC), who will be responsible for:
• Approving the individual’s ISP
• Authorizing the funding of services
• Providing ongoing oversight of services
5) Participants will receive an “up to” budget for services based on assessed level of need
Each Supports Program participant will have a budget based on assessed level of need that is made up of three components: (1) Employment/Day Services, (2) Individual/Family Supports, and (3) Administrative (consisting of Support Coordination, and the use of a Fiscal Intermediary if needed).
Everas Community Services, Inc. has been a provider of community services for people with developmental disabilities for more than 35 years. We will continue to provide innovative services that support independence and community inclusion for people with developmental disabilities through both the Supports Program and the Community Care Waiver. If you have questions about the services that we currently provide and how we may support you or your family member, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Please keep in mind, that the Support Program has not officially begun, however you may still access the services you need through the current service system in place. For more information about the Supports Program and the Community Care Waiver, you may visit the NJ Developmental Disabilities website at www.nj.gov/humanservices/ddd/home.
Additional resources:
http://nj.gov/humanservices/ddd/programs/dddnewvision.html
http://planningforadultlife.org