CFS Self Directed Support Newsletter

Greetings CFS SDS Families!

Happy Summer!

We are officially halfway through 2025!

Warm greetings to all CFS SDS' Fathers. We hope you had a wonderful Father's Day!

Please review our CFS SDS Individual & Family Newsletter for important news and updates.

Highlights!

Welcome Baby Girl! Quality Assurance Specialist of SD, Andrea Smith and Family welcome their new bundle of joy. Mom & Baby are doing well! Congratulations!

Congratulations Jesse!

Jesse Self-Directs his services. He began using his budget to attend boxing classes and through these classes and Jesse wanting to live a healthier life, he has lost over 50 lbs. Congratulations to Jesse, his instructor(s), family and circle on such big accomplishment!

Bowl with CFS for Advocacy!

Join CFS at our “Pin it Forward” Bowling Fundraiser on September 8th at Lucky Strike in Times Square! The whole family is invited for 2 hours of bowling and food to celebrate the work of CFS and raise funds for our innovative and advocacy program. Our advocacy work is not government funded but is crucial to providing skill-building projects and activities, individual advocacy, and new community connections that promote integration and independence. Please purchase a ticket for you and your family, sponsor a lane, or contribute to support innovation and inclusion for all we support!

Learn more and get tickets >>

Join us for CFS Community Day!

**Due to the weather forecast, we are postponing the CFS New York Community Day. The rescheduled date is July 12th. We hope you can make it! You can sign up below.

New York Community Day

July 12, 11am – 4pm

McCarren Park, Brooklyn

CFS Community Day Details.

The CFS Loop

Check out the March edition of The CFS Loop for all things CFS! CFS The Loop

Share Your Story

We want to share with the world a variety of stories that showcases the wonderful individuals we support along with their employees and families. You can click the link below to share your ideas with the communications team so we can work with you to tell your story.

See how to share your story>>>

Workforce Team Updates

Onboarding

Please take note of possible delays in onboarding processes as the SD team transitions onboarding responsibilities. We are working diligently in order to minimize delays. In this time of transition continue to utilize the workforce email for staffing inquiries _DL-SDSWorkforce@cfsny.org and Coordinator of Workforce Noemi Galvez at nglavez@cfsny.org.

Maximizing Budget Lines

Self-Direction budgets can include Self-Hired staffing. If they do include Self-Hired staffing (community habilitation, respite or SEMP), we do request that you work with your Broker and Team to utilize these services.

If you do not wish to utilize the service, please work with your Support Broker to amend the budget to remove Self-Hired Community Habilitation and/or Self-Hired Respite and SEMP. Please note that if your needs change, the budget can be amended to include the service in the future. The budget should be an accurate representation of your current needs/interests and is able to be amended as your needs/interests change.

As your FI, we have a variety of trainings that can help to address any barriers you are experiencing to identify, hire, and manage self-hired staff.

Topics welcome! Please email jsolis@cfsny.org

Sustainability Project

Dr. Laurie Yankowitz hosts a series of video conference sessions geared toward Self-Direction Connection and guided instruction to support relatives and friends of self-directing individuals interested in stepping up when parents are ill or have passed on. This project is designed to ease supporters into more active roles that allows parents to see that others can gradually take the reins.

Funding via IDGS Coaching/ education for parent(s), spouse and advocates involved in the person’s self-directed services is possible.

Click Here if Interested in Learning More>>

Policies/Procedures (Reminders)

Our policy and procedure manual has been completed and published. We have shared via various platforms with families and brokers (webpage, lifeplan meetings, broker meeting).

Click for a copy of the policy and procedure manual >>

Individual/Families Friendly Reminders to:

Review self-hired employee rosters daily

Please utilize the capability of "raise issue" in your employee's rosters if there is an issue so as to not process incorrect sessions. Please contact Workforce for more information on navigating this function.

Please monitor that self-hired employees are working their assigned hours and not going into overtime (40 plus hours in one work week Saturday-Friday) as overtime is unsustainable.

Review self-hired staff activity fees and mileage requests daily, check for accuracy

Review support broker invoices

Review all areas of FI reviews when distributed and follow up with the respective circle of support members needed for FI requested documentation. FI and QA team can enforce the SDS Compliance Protocol.

Ensure that if applicable, monthly summary notes are completed by the 10th of the following month. Monthly summary notes must be completed for the self-hired community habilitation service regardless if the service did not occur or if there is no staff.

If you receive a request to complete the staff's evaluation, please click on the evero link in that email request to complete.

Please attach all justification forms to applicable invoice requests (this includes out of state transportation requests).

eVero

Please click here for:

eVero software release notifications >>

eVero software webinar/trainings >>

eVero Ed Videos >>

eVero App >>

eVero Budget Summary Actions >>

They give users the ability to view, export, and download associated budget details with one simple click. Maximize efficiency and spend less time in the system completing budget reviews with these instant Budget Summary Actions.

Resources & Upcoming Events

CFS SDS Webpage (click here)

Click the above link to view and access all SD related information and resources via our CFS SDS webpage.

The Self-Direction Center (nonprofit organization)

A new nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening self-direction through collaboration, community and collective action nationwide. They ask families to explore their page and sign up as they build this out.

https://www.selfdirectioncenter.org/

Mindful Meditation Mondays!

Join us on select Mondays for 30-minute virtual meditation sessions led by Dr. Cindy Bautista-Thomas, a licensed clinical social worker, educator, and mindfulness facilitator. Dr. Bautista-Thomas is passionate about inspiring, encouraging, and uplifting others, bringing a wealth of experience to our sessions.

These sessions are designed to support and empower our CFS community around mental wellness!

Click here to Join>>>

Home-Enabling Supports (HES)

CFS is a newly HES Provider!

HES provides funding for devices and supports/services for people who do not live in certified settings to address an identified goal in their Life Plan and decrease or minimize the need for other Medicaid services. HES promote inclusion in the community and/or increase the person’s safety and independence in the home. HES empowers a person to live in the most integrated setting possible with less reliance on or the deferral of paid staff for supervision and/or assistance. These supports promote access to the opportunities and benefits available to everyone else in the community.

For more information email our Innovative Planning and Advocacy Department at InnovativeTeam@cfsny.org

CFS Events Calendar

Remember to check the CFS event calendar on our website for all the ways you can get involved. You can also recommend new programs or events you would like to see.

In addition, we'll also be recognizing several other awareness and holidays, which will be highlighted during our in-person and virtual workshops. We hope you can join us at a workshop that interests you!

Soter (recruitment software)

This resource was shared by other families. Note we do not endorse nor have an affiliation however feel free at your discretion to check out their recruitment strategies and systems for DSPs.

"At Soter, we are redefining recruitment in healthcare and caregiving. By leveraging data and automation, we empower organizations to save time and focus on what matters most—providing exceptional care. Our mission is clear: to reduce the national Direct Support Professional vacancy rate to under 10% by the end of 2025, ensuring communities receive the support they deserve."

https://soter.ai/hire/

OPWDD OMBUDS PROGRAM

The new Ombuds program, which operates independently of the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), was developed to provide education and help people better understand their rights, to provide advocacy and support for people navigating the OPWDD service delivery system, and to assist people with developmental disabilities and their families to resolve concerns related to service access and quality. As per OPWDD, the Ombuds Program does not replace current ways of accessing services.

Ombuds Contact Information

1-800-762-9290

iddony.org

Click Here to Learn More