Developmental Disabilities Administration Transformation Update October 2019 Creating a flexible, person-centered, family-oriented system of supports so people can have full lives

National Disability Employment Awareness Month

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). To celebrate, the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) hosted its annual  Maryland Employment First Summit .  The summit promotes the full workplace inclusion of people with disabilities. The  Maryland Employment First Summit , themed “Partners in Transition,” is one way the DDA champions workplace integration for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The DDA Employment First initiative helps thousands of people with developmental disabilities gain competitive employment in the industries and communities of their choice. NDEAM highlights the contributions of workers with developmental and intellectual disabilities. During the summit, Maryland Department of Disabilities Secretary Carol Beatty presented Governor Larry Hogan’s Proclamation recognizing NDEAM in the State of Maryland. "Integrated employment is critical to building an inclusive community," said DDA Deputy Secretary Bernie Simons. "The goal of the  Employment First Summit  is to provide participants with tools and training to help increase the number of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities who are included in the workforce.” The DDA also celebrated by sharing NDEAM resources on its Facebook page and participating in partner events to highlight the need for an inclusive workforce.

Long-Term Services and Supports

Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) The DDA is continuing its efforts to prepare for the DDA LTSS pilot by working closely with Coordinator of Community Services (CCS) agencies and service providers. CCS agencies are creating and entering service plans for all pilot participants. Providers will electronically accept the service plans for all pilot participants within LTSS. Regional Offices will approve service plans for all pilot participants. Delivery of pilot services will start on December 1, 2019 and run through June 30, 2020. Electronic Visit Verification Under the federal law called the 21st Century CURES Act, the DDA is required to implement Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) for all Personal Supports services. EVV helps the DDA ensure that the right services are delivered to the right person at the right time. Maryland will use a phone based, electronic billing system called In-Home Supports Assurance System (ISAS) to electronically verify services. EVV is required for anyone receiving personal supports through a Home and Community-Based Services waiver in Maryland, including people who self-direct. Starting July 2020, Direct Support Professionals and self-directed workers will check in and out of Personal Supports services using the person’s telephone or a one-time password (OTP) token, that a person can get through their CCS. For people in the pilot receiving Personal Supports, DSPs will start using EVV for clock-in and clock-out starting December 1. The calls are quick and free. ISAS will verify six important things: Who is receiving the service? Who is providing the service? What service is being provided? The date of the service. The location of the service. The time the service begins and ends.

REMINDER Provider Survey - Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

The DDA and the   Governor's Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing   (ODHH) want to support provider agencies as they serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are deaf and hard of hearing. The DDA and ODHH thank those who took time to participate in the critical survey that was sent out in August; the insight is appreciated.  The survey response rate was below 20% with 42 out of the over 200 providers participating, which is halfway from the desired response rate of 50%. For providers that have not completed the survey, please consider putting aside 5 to 10 minutes to do so because your participation is key to identify service gaps to provide better resources.   Click HERE to complete the survey If you have questions, please contact Tonia Ferguson at  [email protected] .

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