Rumors were floating among parents I know. I heard that no new applications for New Directions Waiver services are being accepted at this time. I wondered if the New Directions program was at risk. So, I wrote an email to my resource coordinator, Lauretta Reffell, to ask for the scoop.
New Directions is not in danger of going away, she says. This waiver has a limited number of slots and they are all currently full, so no new applications are being accepted at this time. Those families or individuals who are currently served by the Community Pathways model must remain in that situation, even if they are not satisfied with their services, until clients leave New Directions and create openings or until DDA decides to increase the number of slots for the waiver.
Why does New Directions have a limited number of slots? I don't know the answer to that question. It could be that new applications require a lot of support from DDA staff to get the plan of care and budget set up. Many of these documents take months to create and involve many revisions until they are just right. With state budgets so stretched, I am sure that DDA can't hire any additional staff to carry the weight of such time-consuming clients. It could be that the state doesn't want to take too much business away from established agencies that currently provide services to clients with less direct DDA support and hand-holding. I am guessing. If I get an answer to the question from DDA, I will post it.
I would like to see this option expand and be available to anyone who wants it. For that to happen, DDA would need to contract out the supports required to set up the plan of care and budget, and have the applicant pay for the cost from their annual budget, rather than hire permanent DDA employees to support each applicant. That could keep the cost down to the state and the work load down for the DDA staff. What about the loss of clients to established agencies? I hope that at some point, New Directions clients will have the option of purchasing just the services that they want and need from established agencies out of their New Directions budgets, which would be something of a crossover between Community Pathways and New Directions Waivers. So far, I don't know of any established agencies that are open to this kind of arrangement. I asked CSAAC director, Ian Paragol, about this possibility by phone 2 years ago, and he said he would look into it, but never got back to me or responded to letters asking what he was able to find out.
If self direction is what you want, then you will need to let DDA know that you would like to see the number of slots for the New Directions Waiver increased, or it may not be an option when you want it.
If you are not in Maryland and your state does not have anything similar to this, click on the Maryland DDA link and go to New Directions Waiver. Send the program description to your state agency for disability services and ask for this option. Get other individuals and families you know to sign the request. The self directed option is GREAT and everyone should have it if they want it!
