They extended OPWDD's Self-Direction survey by five days. And January 10th is now the last day!
One fear that has come up in discussions among advocates:
Complaints about Fiscal Intermediaries could be used as an excuse by NYS to attack. So, if you have an FI that does good things for you please make sure to put comments about that in the open text reply at the end of the survey.
As you decide how to fill out your survey, two helpful resources:
The Global Standards for Self Direction, a one-page list created by an ad hoc international group of parents, self-advocates, and professionals. It is a great list, and you might want to copy & paste the entire list into one of the open-ended text boxes of the OPWDD survey.
The IRIS report from Wisconsin, quotes from which we have slightly adjusted here to apply to Self Direction in New York State.
Self Direction tasks are too burdensome and the constantly increasing administrative responsibilities placed on SD participants overtakes their lives and limits their ability to live full community lives. There is too much Red Tape.
The transaction costs of IDGS are extremely high; participants and families are forced to complete tasks listed as expectations of Support Brokers and Fiscal Intermediaries, in addition to the time spent providing other direct supports due to workforce crisis and system capacity limitations.
OPWDD seems overly focused on the possibility of fraud within SD, especially on the part of families. There is no evidence of fraud being greater in the SD program than any other Medicaid program.
Thank you for sharing your voice and advocating on behalf of Self Direction!