(apd logo) Agency for Persons with Disabilities State of Florida (CDC+ logo) Consumer-Directed Care Plus It adds up to Success Evan Wainwright - Havana FL (photo) An introduction to Florida’s Consumer-Directed Care Plus program - - - What is CDC+? Florida’s Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) offers an option for receiving services within Florida’s Medicaid waivers for people with developmental disabilities. It is called Consumer-Directed Care Plus (CDC+) and it is based on the principles of self-determination and person-centered planning. CDC+ provides the opportunity to improve your quality of life by giving you the power to make choices about the kinds of supports and services you need. A trained CDC+ Consultant helps you plan your own supports. You can decide to appoint a representative to assist in managing your budget plan and making decisions regarding your care, or you can choose to manage the program yourself. APD provides additional support to help you manage your budget and ensure that you get the most out of the program. How it works CDC+ participants exchange the total budget of their current approved Medicaid waiver cost plan for a smaller budget that has greater flexibility. The budget is reduced because a discount is taken out to make the program cost-neutral. Also, APD charges a small fee to handle your payroll responsibilities such as accounting, check writing, and tax withholding. You can use the monthly budget to pay for services and supports you choose, including: • Purchasing services from a provider at a rate you negotiate • Hiring an individual to work for you • Purchasing consumable medical supplies from a vendor or store of your choice • Modifying your home to increase independence, such as adding a chair lift or ramp • Purchasing accessible equipment, appliances, or other assistive technology Benefits There are many benefits associated with participating in CDC+. Some of them are: • Increased satisfaction from supports and services that help you achieve your goals • The ability to choose your providers • More self-determination and independence • More options in areas where Medicaid-enrolled providers are scarce • The ability to save for special purchases CDC+ participants decide how to use the services they are approved for—like personal care, respite, or transportation services—and whom they want to provide the services. You hire the employees and tell them how you want the job done. You are in charge! If you do not like the way the service is provided, or if the provider is unreliable, you can dismiss the employee and hire someone else. CDC+ provides the dignity that comes with making your own decisions. Families matter! Family caregivers provide millions of hours of care every year, sometimes for no compensation and frequently at great cost to their own emotional health. Exhaustion and burnout often result from juggling work, family responsibilities, and caregiving. In addition, many caregivers have to reduce their work hours or even give up their jobs to take care of their loved ones. This program allows the participant to make decisions regarding the kinds of services purchased and who provides them. By allowing the individual to choose the services most important to them, CDC+ helps relieve the stress of caring for a family member with a developmental disability. Program integrity APD conducts Quality Assurance reviews to determine ways to continuously improve the CDC+ program. This process includes input from a Quality Assurance Committee; annual satisfaction surveys; a toll-free helpline; consultant monitoring; and a program selfassessment tool to determine whether CDC+ meets performance standards. Does CDC+ work? Based upon participant feedback on the program’s success, the answer is an overwhelming “Yes!” Allowing people to run their own lives, as opposed to being dependent upon someone else, has proven to be extremely effective for both the individual and the state. Eligibility To be eligible for CDC+, you must already receive services from APD through one of the four Medicaid waiver tiers. Enrollment in this popular program is limited to no more than 2,500 new enrollees for the fiscal year of July 1, 2009, to June 30, 2010. If you are interested in CDC+, visit www.apdcares.org. More freedom could be in your future! - - - Kacy Willoughby - Panama City, FL (photo) Kacy Willoughby has cerebral palsy, and a stroke at birth left her with limited motor skills on her right side and difficulty communicating. Her single dad, Bobby, saved $6,900 for a Tango communications device by reducing her respite care under CDC+ and providing more hours of care himself—for four years. The device paid for itself on the first day she learned how to use it. Bobby says, “She punched in ‘Daddy I love you!’ and it brought tears to my eyes.” Nick Morrison - Gainesville, FL (photo) Nick Morrison has Down syndrome and a hearing impairment. He has been on the CDC+ program since its inception and is now a student at the University of Florida. Beneath Nick in the photo is his roommate Joseph Paulson, one of the UF students that his mother, Melinda, hired to assist with Nick’s community activities. “We pay this roommate less than half of what it would cost through the Medicaid Waiver to provide live-in services,” says Melinda, who is Nick’s CDC+ Representative. Bill Spencer - Zephyrhills, FL (photo) Bill Spencer has cerebral palsy. Through CDC+, he hired his wife, Deborah, to provide personal services such as bathing, dressing, and the many other activities of daily living, without the burden of also working outside the home. “Having Deborah provide these services for me instead of strangers gives me more control and satisfaction over my own life,” Bill says. “My wife has a vested interest in my life and I get loving care and can have quality of life without strangers interfering.” Bryan Garlin - Spring Hill, FL (photo) Bryan Garlin has autism and lives with his mother, Margie. It had been hard to find certified Medicaid providers in their area. That problem was solved when Bryan became one of the first CDC+ participants. “Being able to hire and train your own providers is a huge advantage,” says Margie, who is Bryan’s CDC+ Representative. “The services are tailored to the individual’s needs and that makes all the difference.” Consumer-Directed Care Plus Agency for Persons with Disabilities 4030 Esplanade Way, Suite 380 Tallahassee, FL 32399-0950 Agency for Persons with Disabilities 1-866-APD-CARES (1-866-273-2273) apdcares.org MAY 2009