In August, our Western New York and Finger Lakes Fiscal Intermediary (FI) teams gathered at Balcony Point and Springdale Farm for an opportunity to learn, connect, and enjoy time together.

Self-Direction Updates & Reminders

We have included several important updates in this newsletter that may affect your Self-Direction services and supports. Please take time to review the information carefully. As always, our team is available to answer questions and provide guidance whenever needed.

2026 Targeted Inflationary Increase (TII), New Budget Template, and Temporary CAS/CANS Modifications

As of July 10, OPWDD released the following important updates, along with a new budget template that should be used moving forward.

2026 Targeted Inflationary Increase

OPWDD approved a 2.7% inflationary increase (TII) for:

• Personal Resource Accounts (PRA)
• Support Broker rates
• Fiscal Intermediary (FI) monthly fees

In addition, the 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent values have been updated and are now reflected in:

• Housing Subsidy calculations
• Live-In Caregiver (LIC) values

Support Broker Rate Increase

The maximum Support Broker rate is now $47.52 per hour.

Please note that these increases are not automatic. You must agree to the new rate, and it must be reflected in a signed Support Broker Agreement and an approved budget.

If you wish to make budget changes to reflect these changes, please contact your Support Broker.

Temporary CAS/CANS Requirement Flexibility Through December 31, 2026

OPWDD is temporarily easing CAS/CANS verification requirements for certain budget amendments.

CAS/CANS verification is NOT required for:

• FBAs and CNBAs submitted using the July 2026 budget template, as long as no new services are being added.

CAS/CANS verification IS still required for:

• Initial Budgets
• Start-Up Budgets

A “new service” means any service that is newly added to the “Services Requested” section of the budget template.

This flexibility is temporary and remains in effect through December 31, 2026. It is still important to keep your CAS/CANS assessment up to date. Your Care Coordinator can assist you with scheduling an assessment as needed.

Click here for more information on the CAS and CANS assessments.

School is Back in Session - Important Reminders



Medicaid Services During School Hours

OPWDD has an agreement with the New York State Department of Education regarding the use of Medicaid-funded services during school hours.

According to this agreement, Medicaid-funded services cannot be used during the school day, even if school is closed due to a snow day or if a child is home sick.

To help ensure compliance with this agreement, we ask that all families with school-aged children provide their child’s school schedule, including start and end times, to their FI.

Please note: Family Reimbursed Respite may be used to cover support needs for snow days, Regents or other testing-related school closures, or when a child is home from school due to illness.

We’re Here for You!

Thank you for being a valued part of our Self-Direction community.

If you have questions about any of the information in this newsletter, please reach out to your support team. We’re happy to help!

Don’t Forget!

• Visit our website for helpful staffing resources and tools.
• Follow our Facebook page for updates, reminders, tips, and opportunities for community connection.

We appreciate the opportunity to support you and your family.

Self-Hire Staff Service Documentation

Service documentation must be complete, accurate, and timely. Proper documentation in eVero helps ensure that self-hire staff meet EVV, OPWDD, and state and federal requirements for appropriate service provision.

Please review the resource below and share it with your self-hire employees to help them properly document services in eVero.

Accurate documentation is essential. Incomplete, inaccurate, or falsified records may result in liability under the False Claims Act. If an employee has difficulty documenting a service or using eVero, they should seek assistance rather than enter information that is inaccurate or cannot be verified.

Thank you for your continued attention to accurate and timely service documentation.

If something appears incorrect or concerning, report it right away to your FI or the Compliance Hotline at (585) 340-5797.

Need help reviewing staff submissions in eVero? Contact your FI for assistance. We are happy to help you understand how to view and monitor staff activity.

Recognize a Team Member!

At Heritage Christian Services, we love to recognize our employees for their great work. You have the opportunity to do the same! Fill out the form below and we’ll pass it on to the employee that you’re recognizing and their supervisor.

Self-Direction Spotlight

National Direct Support Professional (DSP) Recognition Week was observed September 13–19, 2026. In recognition of this week, we are honored to highlight Hope McGinnis, whose contributions as a DSP and advocate made a lasting impact. The following tribute was shared by Director of Customized Support Charissa Moll, in collaboration with Shelly and Hope’s daughter, Nikki.

On September 3, a former self-hire employee of ours, Hope McGinnis, passed away after battling cancer and other health complications.

I first had the honor of meeting Hope about 10 years ago. She was a CDPAP staff member for Shelly, someone I was supporting through person-centered planning. During our initial planning meetings, Hope and Shelly shared their story with me, a story that has stayed with me ever since.

Many years ago, Shelly posted an ad looking for a new home health aide. Hope responded, and while the two bonded immediately, Hope had recently lost her granddaughter and didn’t think she was ready to take on a new job. Shelly was persistent, though, and eventually convinced Hope to say yes.

Hope went on to work several times a week with Shelly, and their time together grew into something much bigger than a working relationship. They developed a friendship and became family to one another. Hope’s family became Shelly’s family, too, with Hope’s granddaughters often spending the night at Shelly’s house for sleepovers.

Shelly has long been a fierce disability rights advocate, traveling to Albany and Washington, D.C., many times to advocate for herself and others and to cause some good trouble along the way. Eventually, Hope began joining Shelly on these trips. Together, they advocated, protested, and were arrested countless times- 50 times by the time I met them 10 years ago! 

Hope loved sharing these stories when I came to visit. What always struck me most was the love and loyalty between Hope and Shelly. Their relationship was a beautiful example of what person-centered support can become when it is rooted in trust, friendship, respect, and genuine connection.

As Hope’s health began to decline, her daughter stepped in to provide Shelly with the support she needed to continue living independently. Her daughter is just as dedicated as Hope was and continues to work tirelessly to support Shelly and her goals.

As we approach DSP Recognition Week, I wanted to share Hope’s story to honor the work she did and the commitment, friendship, and love she brought to Shelly’s life. Hope was a direct support professional, and her impact went far beyond the hours she worked or the tasks she performed. She stood beside Shelly- not only in her home, but on buses and planes, in the halls of government, at protests, and even in holding cells.

I am grateful that I had the opportunity to know Hope and to hear her stories. Her love lives on in Shelly, in Shelly’s family and community, and in the continued fight for disability rights and independent living.

Rest in peace, Hope. 

Self-direction offers endless possibilities, and we want you to make the most of them! You may choose to include in your budget the services of Individual Directed Goods and Services (IDGS) or Other Than Personal Services (OTPS). We will be providing some basic info about the categories in these budget areas in our quarterly newsletters. We hope this will be a support to you and/or your loved one in exploring the opportunities available!

This quarter, we focus once again on the two sources of transportation funding available in Self-Directed budgets. Check out our transportation guide!

The OPWDD Housing Subsidy must be recertified annually. Our Fiscal Intermediary teams are well underway on completing these recertifications for 2026. However, we must have ALL 2026 recertifications submitted to OPWDD by November 15th. Therefore, we will be working diligently over the next couple of months to complete and submit all remaining 2026 recertifications. Please be sure to work closely with your support team to provide any necessary documentation for these submissions. If you are not sure if your 2026 Recertification has been completed yet, please reach out to your FI or to one of the Housing Supports Coordinators listed below.

New York State’s Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) typically opens each year around October. This program can help pay heating costs for eligible households. Eligibility criteria are included in the link below. If you or a family member are interested in applying for this program, please check the website below periodically over the next couple of months. Once the 26-27 benefit is open the website will be updated and you will be able to apply: https://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/

Below are some additional resources you may be interested in exploring:

Social Security-Manage Benefits:

• You can download an updated copy of your Social Security Benefits Letter here: https://www.ssa.gov/manage-benefits/get-benefit-letter

New York Housing Resource Center: https://www.nyhrc.org/

• This is an extensive source of information and resources regarding housing related topics for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD).

If you have any questions or concerns with your Housing Subsidy you can reach out to your care team, or contact our Housing Supports Coordinators listed below. If you wish to learn more about what housing supports are available, please reach out!

Finger Lakes:

Joshua Bielemeier (he/him)

Email: jobielemier@heritagechristianservices.org

WNY:

Angela O'Mara (she/her)

Email: housingwny@heritagechristianservices.org

This quarter, we’re excited to spotlight some of the amazing support professionals at Heritage Christian Services whose behind-the-scenes efforts help make self-directed services possible. We couldn’t do what we do without the dedication and hard work of our finance team.

Meet Brandon Faggiano, Senior Accounting Manager. Brandon oversees Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and special projects, and is a key part of keeping our self-direction reimbursement and billing processes running smoothly. From helping resolve invoice issues to working with vendors, Brandon is always ready to be a support.

Brandon also played a major role in bringing Ingo by KeyBank to our self-directed services. Thanks to this enhancement, individuals now have more flexibility in how they receive reimbursements, including convenient direct deposit options.

With appreciation,

Your FI Team at Heritage Christian Services

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