Dear Friends and Colleagues:
Several months ago we announced that OPWDD was working with stakeholders, including parents, self-advocates, providers, and employees, to examine ways to streamline various OPWDD programs that provide assistance to individuals and their families who would like a more active role, or self-direction, in planning and managing their own supports.
Today, I am pleased to announce a new initiative called Individual and Community Supports (ICS).
ICS is intended to assist us in preparing for the People First Waiver in that it starts with a truly person-centered approach to working with individuals to determine their unique wants and needs. The ICS initiative is also designed to support an array of individualized service options that will offer more flexibility and choice. Eventually, we hope that ICS will be the fundamental process by which people access supports and services through OPWDD, and will define OPWDD’s approach to service delivery based on:
- · Person-centered practices
- · More informed choice of supports and services
- · Combined use of paid and community supports
- · Statewide consistency and availability of individualized and self-directed service options
ICS will bring together all OPWDD service options in a way that will allow people to have as much authority over their supports and services as they and/or their families choose. The ICS process will support informed choices in the areas of housing and meaningful community activities, including employment opportunities that promote full community participation. This will also result in a consistent and fair process for access to and availability of all OPWDD supports across the state.
Those who are receiving individualized services under any of the current self-direction programs (i.e. Consolidated Supports and Services, portal, Individualized Supports and Services, and the Learning Institute) will gradually be transitioned to ICS and the new budget template. Please note that this will not interrupt or change supports and services for people in these programs.
By September 1, 2012, OPWDD will have completed the first in a series of information sessions on ICS for OPWDD staff, provider agencies, individuals and families to establish a process where individual and family needs can be identified and addressed in a timely way. It is our intention that the components developed under ICS will create the framework for our processes within a system of managed care.
Dates and locations for the ICS informational sessions to allow for more detailed discussion will be provided soon. Although many of these informational sessions will be through video-conferences hosted by various OPWDD regional offices, we continue to seek effective ways to reach more people and welcome any suggestions you may have to accomplish this.
I am excited to bring this initiative to you, and thank the many self-advocates, family members, employees and providers who helped us begin to make these services easier to use and more widely available. I believe it is represents one more way in which OPWDD will continue to help people with developmental disabilities live richer lives.
Sincerely,
Commissioner Burke
P.S. Communication is critical to our collective success, and OPWDD’s Facebook page is a great place for individuals, family members, employees, advocates, and other stakeholders to exchange thoughts and ideas. Please feel free to join the conversation.