DODD Waiver Simplification and Improvement
The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) is committed to improving the lives of Ohioans with developmental disabilities and their families through the simplification and improvement of the Level One and Self-Empowered Life Funding (SELF) waivers. By focusing on the efficiencies of both waivers while exploring other innovative service methods, DODD intends to improve waiver services while advancing self-direction and community integration. The goal is to provide increased flexibility, autonomy, and choice for Ohioans with developmental disabilities and their families through the services in each waiver. The services available in the waivers should meet each person and family’s individualized needs and preferences while sustaining an efficient, equitable, and effective support system.
The goal of simplifying and improving the Level 1 and SELF waivers will be to maintain the best of both waivers combined with creative ideas around supports and create services that provide more flexibility. This will provide individualized support for people to select the desired services based on their unique needs and goals within an established annual budget.
Starting in February 2021, DODD is convening a subcommittee under the auspices of the Waiver Workgroup, consisting of advocates, stakeholders, and county boards to participate in the design, development, and implementation of any changes to the Level 1 or SELF waiver services. The subcommittee members will be responsible for sharing the work and progress of the group with the stakeholders they represent to ensure sufficient opportunity for frequent feedback from a wide range of perspectives. Additionally, virtual town hall meetings will be held early in the process to allow for input from all interested people.
DODD looks forward to working with its stakeholders and is excited for the potential to move Ohio’s system another step forward by meeting the needs of Ohioans with developmental disabilities and their families in simpler, more flexible ways while maintaining quality, cost-effectiveness, and compliance.
Consultative Services – Participant Direction
Through a competitive request for proposal process, DODD is excited to announce Applied Self-Direction (ASD) has been selected to provide consultative services in conjunction with DODD’s efforts to simplify and improve participant-direction in the Level 1 and SELF waivers. ASD will provide 100 hours of consultative services related to participant direction and will be available to assist DODD staff and the subcommittee working on this initiative.
ASD has extensive experience in participant-direction of home and community-based waiver services, as well as experience in utilizing the principles associated with the person-centered planning process. Since 2014, ASD has provided consulting and technical assistance services to over 50 state agencies and Medicaid managed care organizations to enhance their participant-directed service offerings. The ASD team combines decades of experience from unique vantage points, including serving in leadership capacities as state administrators of participant direction programs, directors of state and federal agencies for people with developmental disabilities, and decades of experience in the consulting and Medicaid provider sectors.
ASD will help inform DODD and the subcommittee in the following ways:
- Reviewing DODD’s existing participant-directed services and financial management services contract.
- Attending workgroup meetings, providing information, and facilitating discussions to help achieve consensus.
- Providing information about budget authority and employer authority with a focus on the benefits and barriers associated with co-employment, common law employment, and an agency with choice arrangement.
- Providing information and strategies to incorporate the principles of participant direction into the person-centered planning process.
- Assisting DODD staff with the development of a draft framework for the improved and simplified role of the financial management service.
Waiver Improvements: What You Told Us
As DODD is working to simplify and improve Level 1 and Self-Empowered Life Funding (SELF) waivers. The perspectives and ideas of people with disabilities and their families are crucial to providing insight into what is working well, what needs improving, and what future services should be available in Level 1 and SELF waivers.
The feedback results include survey data from February 12, 2021, through April 16, 2021. This data also incorporates four town halls held during the week of April 5, 2021. More than 800 people with disabilities, family members, and stakeholders within the developmental disability system gave feedback through one of these methods.
DODD thanks everyone who took the time to provide their thoughts on this important work through the survey as well as the advocacy and family organizations who hosted town hall opportunities for people with disabilities and their families to provide feedback about the improvement and simplification of the Level 1 and SELF waivers.
Date: Monday, April 5, 2021
Hosts: The Arc of Ohio and People First of Ohio
Date: Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Host: Interagency Work Group on Autism, OCALI and Autism Society of Ohio
Date: Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Host: The University of Cincinnati Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCCEDD)
Date: Friday, April 9, 2021
Host: Ohio Self-Determination Association (OSDA)
Read more about the results of these feedback opportunities in the summary document Waiver Improvements: What You Told Us.
Waiver Simplification and Improvement Subcommittee
External organizations and all individual members are listed below.
Organization |
Description |
Advocates for outcomes that promote dignity, respect, and enhanced quality of life for individual persons with developmental disabilities. |
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A grassroots organization which advocates for human rights, personal dignity and community participation of individuals with developmental disabilities through legislative and social action, information and education, local chapter supports and family involvement. |
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Provides advocacy, communications, professional development, and technical assistance to all 88 of Ohio's county boards of developmental disabilities. |
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Represents more than 1000 assisted living communities, home care and hospice service providers, providers of care and services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD), and skilled nursing care facilities. |
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Supports and provides advocacy for community-based service providers to ensure the availability of programs, services and funding adequate to support and assist individuals with developmental disabilities as they strive to achieve a life of increasing independence, productivity and integration. |
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Empowers people with disabilities by expanding awareness of self-determination principles, provide valuable training resources, and promote advocacy efforts. |
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Represents organizations who want to work together to advance waiver services for those with developmental disabilities. |
Name |
Organization |
Steve Beha |
Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities |
Christine Brown |
OSU Nisonger Center - Advocate |
Dana Charlton |
Ohio Self Determination Association |
Lisa Comes |
Ohio Association of County Boards |
Karin Crabbe |
Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities |
Nyoka Craddolph |
Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities |
Stacie DelliQuadri |
Trumbull County Board of Developmental Disabilities |
Jacqueline George |
Ohio Department of Medicaid |
Angie Gerding |
Advocacy and Protective Services, Inc. |
Abby Hammond |
Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities |
Tamara Hartley |
Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities |
Rachel Hayes |
Ohio Provider Resource Association |
Tonya Hitchens |
Guernsey County Board of Developmental Disabilities |
Susan Hussein |
Ohio Department of Medicaid |
Debbie Jenkins |
Ohio Health Care Association |
Polly Malthaner |
Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities |
Monica May |
Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities |
Jessica McGonigle |
Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities |
Lyndsay Nash |
Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities |
Nicole Northrup |
Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities |
Becky Phillips |
Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities |
Ruth Smith |
Trumbull County Board of Developmental Disabilities |
Lori Stanfa |
Ohio Association of County Boards |
Gary Tonks |
The Arc of Ohio |
Annette Wood |
Ohio Waiver Network |
Kim Wynn |
Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities |
Allison Zuhosky |
Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities |
Subcommittee Meetings and Notes
02/22/2021 (Video )
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03/08/2021 (Video ) |
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03/22/2021 |
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04/05/2021 (Video ) |
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04/19/2021 (Video ) |
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05/03/2021 (Video) |
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05/17/2021 (Video) |
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06/07/2021 (Video)
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06/14/2021 (Video) |
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06/21/2021 |
The June 21, 2021 meeting was cancelled |
06/28/2021 (Video) |