OFFICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES (OPWDD)

Presented by:

The Partners for Transition Program at UCP of Long Island

INTRODUCTION

• The purpose of OPWDD is to provide an office for the management of services for people with Developmental Disabilities
• In proving that you are eligible for services, it can be very easy to get overwhelmed or feel defeated
• There are resources to help you navigate this process such as CCO’s (Care Coordination Organizations such as Advanced Care Alliance, Tri-County Care Management, and Care Design), the Partners Program, and presentations like this one and one’s offered by OPWDD themselves (https://opwdd.ny.gov/get-started/information-sessions)
• With the help of resources around you and continuing through the OPWDD process, you will find that the services and benefits can provide tremendous financial, emotional, and personal relief to the individual and their family
• In this presentation we will cover the entire process to get a better understanding of the process and how to be prepared

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WHAT TO CONSIDER

• There is a mixture of knowledge and physical documentation that you want to be prepared with before starting the process:
1. What documents you should have ready to prove eligibility
2. What resources you would like to use to help you in this process
3. What is Medicaid and Home and Community Based Services?
4. What is the Front Door?

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1. DOCUMENTS TO PREPARE

• Depending on the disability different documentation may be needed, but it is best to get the full report that demonstrates how a clinical professional diagnosed your student with a disability.
• As shown to the right, some universal documents to have prepared would be a recent:
• IQ test
• Adaptive Behavior Assessment
• copy of your IEP or 504 Plan
• And a Psycho-Social/Social History Report (that can be done by a licensed clinician)

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Questions?

2. RESOURCES TO UTILIZE

• OPWDD has a rule that they cannot accept documents for eligibility directly from the student or their family, you must use a Care Coordination Organization or Service Access Agency
• When starting this process you should get into contact with a Care Coordination Organization who can help you schedule and manage the application process, as well as managing services when receiving OPWDD:
• Advanced Care Alliance: 1-833-692-2269
• Care Design: (518) 320-8400
• Tri-County Care: 844-504-8400
• Also work with a Service Access Agency to have an additional professional who is trying to move-along this process for you and to avoid chances of losing momentum:
• Partners Program: Jessica Schanars (631-232-0011 ext. 630) and William Miller-Boccasini (631-232-0011 ext. 520)
• It is also helpful for your knowledge to attend a Front Door Orientation presentation that is hosted by OPWDD:
• https://opwdd.ny.gov/get-started/information-sessions

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Questions?

3. WHAT IS MEDICAID AND HOME AND COMMUNITY BASED SERVICES?�

• Medicaid may be familiar to you as a health insurance program, but it is also a useful resource to help fund some of the services that are offered by OPWDD.
• Home and Community Based Services is another program that can help fund certain services that OPWDD offers.
• Both of these programs review your students’ disability to determine eligibility.
• Applying to these programs along with applying to OPWDD helps create a more seamless process when you start receiving services as well as demonstrating your need for OPWDD services prior to applying.

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Questions?

4. WHAT IS THE FRONT DOOR?

• The Front Door is just the name for OPWDD’s intake process
• It’s the part that starts the application process and links you with Care Coordination Organizations, Service Access Agencies, and OPWDD staff
• The following slides will show the application process after the “front door”:

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Questions?

AFTER APPLYING

• After you have applied with the help of a CCO or a Service Access Agency then your application will go through a “Three-Step Eligibility Review”
• This is just an internal process that OPWDD takes care
• The main thing for an applicant to know about this process is that there is an opportunity for you to appeal their decision and request an additional review
• This is called a 2^nd- and 3^rd-Step Review

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BENEFITS OF OPWDD

• Sometimes you may be guided to OPWDD services but may not exactly know why you are applying and how it can help you
• Knowing why you are applying to OPWDD with a specific service or services that may fit your student currently or in the future can be helpful to maintain motivation as you go through the long process of applying to OPWDD
• As well as helping with the application process, the CCO will be managing the care and services throughout the client's life, however the control is still with the clients’ and loved ones

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BENEFITS OF OPWDD (CONT.)

• Services that could be received can differ based on the level of care that the client requires and meeting them at that level
• Some services that are available:
• Employment Assistance
• Day Services
• Housing
• Self-Direction
• Family Support Services
• Adaptive Technology/Behavioral Services

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EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE

• OPWDD offers multiple different types of Employment Assistance depending on the needs of the client, such as:
• Prevocational Services: this is a time limited service that helps a client who would have additional difficulties adjusting to work and learn working skills to receive more concentrated help in a work setting.
• Employment Training Program: this service provides an internship opportunity with intensive job coaching to provide a work experience for a client.
• Supported Employment: this is a service that provides extended job coaching a support services to clients that are competitively employed in the community.

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DAY SERVICES

• Day services are another type of service that may go in place of, or along with, employment services and provide enrichment to the client throughout the day
• Services include:
• Day Habilitation: this can be a setting at a physical site or in the community where the client learns and maintains basic living, safety, and socialization skills.
• Community Habilitation: the goal of this service is to help people live independently, at home and in the community.
• Respite: this service provides recreational services for client.

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HOUSING

• There are also services and supports to help clients live in whatever setting will be best suited for them
• Some of these options include:
• Family Care: is a service where private homes are certified by OPWDD to provide a caring environment for clients to reside in.
• IRA’s: this service provides room, board, and individualized services and supports in a group home setting with other clients with developmental disabilities to live and gain skills.
• Independent Living: this helps adults with developmental disabilities live in their community by providing funds to help support independent living.

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SELF-DIRECTION

• Self-Direction refers to funds and a budget that is provided to you in order to pay for services that aren’t restricted to the other services listed in these slides.
• An example of this may be choosing a specific recreational activity for the student like choosing a specific karate studio or choosing a specific worker for the Community Habilitation services instead of going with an OPWDD approved agency, and paying with these through the Self-Direction budget.

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FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES

• This service is usually the first service through OPWDD a student will qualify for and provides many different types of services to provide more immediate relief
• Services include:
• Respite
• Support groups
• Reimbursement to out-of-pocket expenses
• Sibling services
• After school programs
• And more!

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ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY/BEHAVIORAL SERVICES

• Funding and assistance with environmental modifications (such as ramps, etc.) and assistive technology (such as AAC devices) may be possible
• As well as clinical and intensive help with behavioral issues and crises, and this can be very helpful to improve behavioral health to allow the client to be eligible for residential and other services.
• By improving behavioral health and adaptive functioning, many more services and independent activities can be opened to the client!

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