What is Consumer Direction?
Some of the services in Employment and Community First CHOICES can be provided through Consumer Direction. Consumer Direction is a way of getting some of the kinds of supports the person needs. Consumer Direction gives the person more choice and control over WHO gives their support and HOW their support is given.
In Consumer Direction, the person with I/DD actually employs the people who give some of their support services—they work for the person receiving services (instead of a provider). This means that the person receiving services must do the things an employer would do – like hire, train, schedule, supervise, and even fire workers. They also have to be able to manage the services they need within their approved budget for each service. If they can’t do some or all of these things, they can choose a family member, friend, or someone close to them to help them OR do these things for them.
Services that can be provided through consumer direction in Employment and Community First CHOICES are:
To get these services in Consumer Direction, they must be covered in the benefit group the person is in and in their support plan. The kind and amount of services each person receives depends on what they need to support them and help them reach their goals.