NEW FUTURES WAIVER: REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION - OCTOBER 2009

The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities has released two Requests for Information (RFI) to assist with the design of the New Futures Waiver for the purpose of seeking information about organizations that perform the functions of Independent Support Brokerage and organizations that perform the functions of a Functional Behavioral Assessment Unit. Please click on the RFIs below for additional details. 

• Request For Information – Independent Support Broker Services
• Request For Information – Functional Behavioral Assessment Unit Services

NEW FUTURES WAIVER: AN OVERVIEW - JANUARY 2009

INTRODUCTION

The New Futures waiver is intended to assist children with intensive behavioral needs by increasing the likelihood of positive outcomes for them. The waiver targets those individuals who exhibit behaviors which can make it extremely difficult to complete ordinary activities, such as getting ready for school, sitting down to a family meal, or even enjoying a recreational outing. Patterns of challenging behaviors might include, but is not limited to, intense tantrums, excessive activity levels, withdrawal, self-stimulatory or stereotypic movements (like rocking or hand-flapping), as well as more serious behaviors such as aggression toward others, destruction of materials, and injury to self. The waiver will offer participant-direction of services and supports, and will embrace an individualized and coordinated planning approach. The New Futures waiver creates possibilities for accessing interventions and supports that have a positive impact on the family’s quality of life in the home, educational environment, and community. 

WHO IS IT FOR?

• Children with developmental disabilities under age 14 who need significant behaviorally focused interventions, which could include individuals having a diagnosis that falls within the Autism Spectrum, and/or individuals with a dual diagnDODD of DODD and Mental Health/Severe Emotional Disturbance
• Must meet the level of care provided in an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded (ICFMR Level of Care) and functional criteria, which will be determined through assessment

HOW DO YOU ACCESS THE WAIVER?

• An annual lottery will be held to select potential waiver enrollees
  • 100 available waivers in the first year
  • Availability in future years will be based on disenrollments from the previous year
• A checklist, completed by parents, will be used for entry into the lottery and will provide more individualized information regarding the eligibility criteria. There will also be a paper submission option.

 

WHAT CAN YOU GET?

The waiver will provide for services and supports capped at $20,000 annually. Families can purchase:

• Participant-Directed Services and Supports – services where the family/individual can hire and direct with some or all of the $20,000:

   

  • Participant-Directed Goods and Services - Goods are required to meet the identified needs and outcomes in the individual's person-centered plan; assure the health and welfare of the individual; are the least costly alternative that reasonably meets the individual's assessed needs; and are for the direct benefit of the individual in achieving at least one of the following consumer outcomes:
    1. Maintain the ability of the individual to remain in the community
    2. Enhance community inclusion and family involvement
    3. Develop or maintain personal, social, or physical skills
    4. Decrease dependency on formal support services
    5. Increase independence of the individual
  • Community Inclusion - Supports that promote the participant's participation in his/her community. The service includes opportunities and experiences that focus on socialization and/or recreational activities, as well as personal growth in his/her home and/or community. This service, alone or in combination with other waiver and non-waiver services, is necessary to provide a feasible alternative to institutional placement.
  • Informal Respite - Services provided by a limited provider to individuals unable to care for themselves, furnished on a short-term basis because of the absence or need for relief of those persons normally providing the care. Informal respite may be provided in the individual's home or place of residence, home of a friend or family member, or sites of community activities.
• Intensive Services – services that the family and individual can choose to buy with the $20,000 to obtain from their provider of choice:
  
  • Psychosocial Services: Medical or remedial services recommended by a physician or other licensed practitioner of the healing arts under State law, for the maximum reduction of physical or mental disability and the restoration of maximum functional level. Specific services include:
    1. Facilitation in development of daily living skills;
    2. Social skills training;
    3. Development of appropriate personal support networks, therapeutic recreational services (which are focused on therapeutic intervention rather than diversion);
    4. Technical assistance and counseling services; and
    5. Positive behavior intervention strategies.
• Institutional Respite - Services provided to individuals unable to care for themselves, furnished on a short-term basis because of the absence of need for relief for those persons normally providing the care in facilities certified as intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded (ICFMR) or other facilities licensed by DODD under section 5123.19 of the Revised Code. The cost for respite services does not include room and board.

With this waiver, families will also receive:

• Support Broker Services - services which provide the family with someone that can assist in: securing any necessary assessments; developing and implementing the Individual Service Plan and budget; and coordinating with any other service and care plans, such as the Individual Family Support Plan or Individual Education Program. (Support Broker services are not funded from the $20,000 directed by the family.)
  
• Financial Management Services (FMS) – services which manage payments to providers for services, and reports of service utilization to the ODDODD, the Support Broker, and to the individual/family. (FMS services are not funded from the $20,000 directed by the family.)

ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Timing/Process

• Concept Paper submission in February 2009