2003 Research and Demonstration Grants — Community-Integrated Personal Assistance Services and Supports

VIRGINIA

Grant Information

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Name of Grantee

Partnership for People with Disabilities, Virginia Commonwealth University

Title of Grant

Increasing Understanding, Use, and Control of Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Services in Virginia's Waivers

Type of Grant

Community-Integrated Personal Assistance Services and Supports

Amount of Grant

$513,557

Year Original Funding Received

2003

Contact Information

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Tera Yoder, Co-PI/Project Director
Partnership for People with Disabilities
Virginia Commonwealth University
PO Box 843020
Richmond, VA 23284–3020
804–828–3879
tyoder@mail1.vcu.edu

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Subcontractor(s)

None at this time.

Target Population(s)

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Recipients of services under three waiver programs: the Consumer-Directed Personal Attendant Waiver, the Mental Retardation Waiver, and the Individual and Family Developmental Disability Support Waiver.

Goals

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• Ensure that individuals who receive consumer-directed personal assistance services have the opportunity to express their satisfaction with services and with the process of obtaining services.
• Ensure that individuals with disabilities have access to information, tools, and resources to understand and effectively manage and use personal assistance services.
• Provide individuals, families, and providers with assistance in understanding and using consumer-directed personal assistance services through technical assistance provided by members of the Consumer-Directed Services Resource Network.

Activities

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• Design, pilot, and refine an interview instrument and protocols that enable waiver recipients to provide routine feedback on consumer-directed personal assistance services.
• Develop and disseminate promotional materials on consumer-directed personal assistance services to waiver recipients.
• Develop and disseminate educational and technical assistance materials and resources based on promising practices, to increase the ability of individuals to direct their own services.
• Expand the resources of, and the number of individuals served by, the Consumer-Directed Services Resource Network.

Abstract

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Although Virginia has taken steps to make consumer-directed personal assistance services available, individuals are often hesitant to adopt this option due to a lack of awareness about consumer-directed options or concerns about worker shortages. Case managers and providers often do not provide adequate information about consumer-directed personal assistance services, and individuals, family members, and other representatives are only now beginning to receive needed information, tools, and supports. The current process is also cumbersome and not user-friendly.

Through this grant, the Partnership for People with Disabilities will seek active involvement from recipients of personal assistance services, family members, case managers, and service facilitators to determine ways to increase individual choice, control, and responsibility over personal assistance services and options. This grant builds on the 2001 Real Choice System Change program, in which the Partnership designed and developed materials and resources about self-direction and consumer-directed services, and designed and implemented a technical assistance network to reach consumers on a statewide basis.

The project will (1) interview consumers of personal assistance services about their satisfaction with services; (2) develop educational and technical assistance materials and resources that promote awareness of the possibilities and options for personal assistance services, and that strengthen the ability of individuals to maximize the use of services and support; and (3) expand the existing technical assistance network by increasing the number of personal assistance service recipients in the network, providing additional information for members to share with consumers, and providing opportunities for members to increase their knowledge of consumer-directed services.