Office for People with Developmental Disabilities
What is OPWDD?
OPWDD stands for the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. It is a New York State agency responsible for coordinating services to 126,000+ individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. OPWDD certifies and oversees approximately 800 voluntary agency providers and also plays a provider role for a small percentage of people served.
What are developmental disabilities?
Developmental disabilities include mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, and other neurologically based impairments. In addition: the disability must have occurred prior to the person’s 22nd birthday; the disability must cause significant deficits in the individual’s adaptive functioning; the disability must be expected to continue indefinitely.
What do I need to know about receiving OPWDD services?
In order to be eligible for OPWDD services, the individual must have a diagnosed developmental disability and must provide documentation establishing the disability diagnosis.
Many services are available from OPWDD and agencies in the OPWDD system.
Most OPWDD services are provided through the Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Waiver, which requires Medicaid eligibility.
OPWDD requires individuals to enroll in the right type of Medicaid coverage for the services they need.
Often, individuals need to enroll in both Medicaid and the HCBS Waiver.
Provider agency staff and/or OPWDD resources are available to help individuals and families work through these eligibility processes.
What documentation do I need to determine if an individual has a developmental disability?
OPWDD requires everyone applying for services to provide:
(see Eligibility for OPWDD Services ‘Required Documents for Eligibility Determination Requests’)
- A recent comprehensive psychological evaluation including an IQ score and an adaptive behavior assessment.
- A psychosocial evaluation documenting the individual’s developmental history is also required for some services.
- Medical documentation of the individual’s diagnosis may also be required.
- If the individual is over the age of 22, they may need to provide proof that the disability manifested itself prior to the age of 22. This is often referred to as “age of onset documentation.”
Note: Additional documentation regarding the person’s disability may be required
TYPES OF SERVICES OFFERED
Medicaid Service Coordination – Service coordination assists persons with developmental disabilities and their families in gaining access to services and supports appropriate to their needs. OPWDD delivers almost all service coordination through its Medicaid Service Coordination program (MSC). MSC is provided by qualified service coordinators and uses a person-centered planning process in developing, implementing, and maintaining an Individualized Service Plan. Plan of Care Support Services (PCSS) is an alternative form of service coordination. PCSS providers assist individuals to review and update their Individualized Service Plan. PCSS is delivered by a qualified Medicaid Service Coordinator.
Residential Services – Residential programs are licensed by OPWDD to provide varying levels of housing and related services, and are operated by OPWDD or nonprofit agencies. Residential services include, but are not limited to: adaptive skill development; assistance with activities of daily living; community inclusion and relationship building; training and support for independence in travel; adult educational supports; and development of social, leisure, self-advocacy, informed choice and appropriate behavioral skills.
Family Support Services – encompasses a wide array of services that are available to individuals residing with their families.
Community Habilitation– A service designed to promote independence and community integration by offering skills training and other habilitative supports which take place in non-certified, every day community settings.
Day Habilitation– A service that provides assistance to acquire, retain, or improve the skills needed to perform daily activities away from the home. These activities might include purchasing goods and services, communicating with fellow employees, traveling, community meetings or gatherings, or running errands.
Supported Employment–(also referred to as SEMP)Supportive employment provides the supports individuals need to obtain and maintain paid competitive jobs in the community. Individuals with developmental disabilities will typically transition to SEMP after they have received supported employment services funded by the NYS Adult Career and Continuing Education Services- Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR, formerly known as VESID) and require limited job coaching to successfully maintain their employment. Individuals also come to supported employment from programs that offer intensive training such as Enhanced Supported Employment (ESEMP) and the Employment Training Program (ETP). Briefly, ESEMP is a 5 year pilot project which expires in April 2014 and is designed to for individuals who need high levels of support to be successful in regular jobs in the community. The Employment Training Program (ETP) offers individuals an opportunity to work in an internship that will lead to permanent employment in a community business. ETP services also include job readiness training and increased job development and job coaching as well as assistance with other employability skills. Individualized services (CSS plan) can also be tailored to provide the employment supports individuals need to be successful in competitive jobs in the community.
Prevocational Services– A service that prepares individuals for paid or unpaid employment. Services include teaching such concepts as attending, task completion, problem solving and safety. Activities included in this category are not primarily directed at teaching specific job skills, but are directed atunderlying habilitative goals, such as increased attention span and improved motor skills.
Respite – A service that provides short term “substitute services” on behalf of a primary caregiver who is either a family member, a legal guardian, an advocate, or a Family Care Provider or live-in/house parent staff. It is a means of providing services when the person normally providing care is absent or in need of relief. Respite can be provided in the home or out of the home, during the day, evenings or overnight.
Adaptive Devices – Devices, aids, controls, appliances, or supplies of either a communication or adaptive type, which are necessary to enable the person to increase his or her ability to live at home with independence and safety. Some examples are personal emergency response systems, communicators, speech\amplifiers, standing boards/frames, and motorized wheelchairs.
Environmental Modifications– Changes or additions to the home environment necessary to ensure the health, welfare, and safety of the individual with developmental disabilities; or to enable the individual to function with greater independence in the home. Some examples are ramps, lifts, hand-railings, roll-in showers, water faucet controls, and cabinetry.
Family Education and Training– This service may be provided to the families of consumers enrolled in the HCBS Waiver who are under 18 years of age. The purpose of family education and training is to enhance the decision making capacity of the family unit, provide orientation regarding the nature and impact of developmental disabilities upon the consumer and his or her family, and inform them about service alternatives.
Intensive Behavioral Services - Intensive Behavioral Services are designed for people who live in noncertified settings or Family Care Homes and who present substantial challenging behaviors that put someone at imminent risk of placement into a more restrictive living environment. Components of this service include a functional behavior assessment, behavior management plan, implementation and monitoring of behavioral interventions and training in the behavior management plan.
Individual & Community Supports –
- Self-direct and manage all your services
- Purchase all OPWDD agency-managed services
- Combination of self-directed and agency-managed services
Individual Supports & Services (ISS) – is a housing and utility subsidy that is based on the individual’s income/benefits and Home & Community Renewal (HCR) standards. Funding is only available to individuals living independently.