• Self-Directed Community Supports and Services

  Many community organizations, in partnership with individuals, families, and funding sources, are redesigning their resources to embrace a self-directed community supports and services approach. For many individuals, this is one more significant and evolutionary step away from institutional settings. This customer-designed and delivered approach utilizes an individually controlled budget. The budget is developed according to guidelines from the funding source. Through the development and management of individualized community support options, individuals take an active role in the decisions that affect their lives.

  Due to budgetary constraints, at times the individual budget development process may need to separate wants from needs for treatment and support. Some important objectives include:

  • Identifying an individual’s needs.
  • Selecting supports and services within an approved context that best address those needs.
  • Determining the amount of supports or services necessary to adequately address each identified need.
  • Determining a cost or amount to reimburse providers.
  • Integrating supports and services within the set individual budget plan.
  • Establishing policies and procedures for filing claims and receiving reimbursement.
  • Establishing policies and procedures for dealing with government tax reports and filings for employers and employees.
  • Providing policies and procedures for risk management, notably in the areas of corporate compliance to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse of government funds.
  • Continuously improving the local service provider accredited in Self-Directed Community Supports and Services based on decision making and true participation of persons served in service and organizational design.

  Self-directed supports and services are based on the assumption that individuals receiving support have the authority to determine the role the provider will play in their lives and that personal preferences for supports should drive, or at least heavily influence, the planning process.

  There are two program categories in which an organization can seek accreditation in Self-Directed Community Supports and Services:

  • Flexible Supports Planning (FSP) allows an organization to manage the assessment, development, and planning of services to help persons served gain access to supports as needed.
  • Employer of Record for Support Services (EOR) work with persons served as the managing employer, ensures that governmental payroll requirements are met, and often acts as a human resource consultant.

• Flexible Supports Planning

  Many community organizations, in partnership with individuals, families, and funding sources, are redesigning their resources to embrace a self-directed community supports and services approach. For many individuals, this is one more significant and evolutionary step away from institutional settings. This customer-designed and delivered approach utilizes an individually controlled budget. The budget is developed according to guidelines from the funding source. Through the development and management of individualized community support options, individuals take an active role in the decisions that affect their lives. Flexible Supports Planning services provide information and assistance for persons served to plan and direct their individual budgets for supports and services.

  Due to budgetary constraints, at times the individual budget development process may need to separate wants from needs for treatment and support. Some important objectives include:

  • Identifying an individual’s needs.
  • Selecting supports and services within an approved context that best address those needs.
  • Determining the amount of supports or services necessary to adequately address each identified need.
  • Determining a cost or amount to reimburse providers.
  • Integrating supports and services within the set individual budget plan.
  • Providing policies and procedures for risk management, notably in the areas of corporate compliance to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse of government funds.
  • Continuously improving the local service provider accredited in Self-Directed Community Supports and Services based on decision making and true participation of persons served in service and organizational design.

  Self-directed supports and services are based on the assumption that individuals receiving support have the authority to determine the role the provider will play in their lives and that personal preferences for supports should drive, or at least heavily influence, the planning process.

  Some examples of the quality results desired by the different stakeholders include:

  • Persons lead the planning process and have support of their choosing to do so.
  • Persons decide which supports and services to direct.
  • Persons get help as desired to direct their supports and services.
  • Persons direct how their supports and services are provided, including their nature.
  • Persons have a budget over which they have control.
  • Persons have free choice among providers, within funding guidelines.
  • Persons get help as desired in finding community resources.
  • Persons make decisions to redirect funds among supports and services as desired.

  There are two program categories in which an organization can seek accreditation in Self-Directed Community Supports and Services: 

  • Flexible Supports Planning (Section 4.N. SDCSS:FSP) allows an organization to manage the assessment, development, and planning of services to help persons served gain access to supports as needed. 
  • Employer of Record for Support Services (Section 4.O. SDCSS:EOR) work with persons served as the managing employer, ensures that governmental payroll requirements are met, and often acts as a human resource consultant.

  When an organization is accredited in both Flexible Supports Planning and Employer of Record for Support Services, consideration is made for dealing with potential conflicts of interest.

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