Self-direction

AARP recently released the “National Inventory of Self‑Directed Long-Term Services and Supports Programs,” building upon the 2023 LTSS State Scorecard and previous inventories to provide an overview of all publicly funded self-directed Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) nationwide. This inventory includes estimates of numbers of participants, populations served, funding sources, and other key variables, and covers significant trends influencing the overall LTSS landscape, such as the well-documented national shortage of direct care workers. This marks the first report released since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, providing insight into the impact of the pandemic on self-direction programs...

Applied Self-Direction recently published a paper that aims to provide insights on the self-direction workforce from key stakeholders. With the support of Elevance Health, Applied Self-Direction held an Executive Roundtable Series with experts to discuss pertinent themes and issues. They then conducted a national survey of people who self-direct, representatives, and direct care workers to understand their experiences and ideas for addressing workforce challenges. This paper synthesizes the roundtable discussions and survey results to inform further research and dialogue on supporting the unique needs of the self-direction workforce. The white paper also includes stakeholders’ recommendations for policies and practices...

This brief outlines successful EVV implementation in self-direction. Successful implementation is defined as one that protects and upholds the participant's choice and control over their services and supports while strengthening program integrity. The brief describes the functionality required to support self-direction, including flexible scheduling, protocols for EVV system use in areas without internet access, and workflows that support participant control of workers' hours.