Published: September 18, 2015

  1. Parent provider and guardianship advocacy. Parent providers, organized through our union, pushed ODDS and they responded by coming with a fair process in which guardians could continue to be paid providers. Guardians can now appoint someone else to take on the role of the employer. This appointed individual could be another family member, a family friend, or a trusted community member. The appointed individual will have two responsibilities: signing off on the provider’s timesheets, and attending the Individual Support Plan (ISP) meetings. Guardians will still be able to attend the ISP meetings. This was a turnaround from the initial conflict of interest stance that the state was taking on parent provider and guardian providers.
  2. Natural Supports. Our union advocated for compliance by the state and its service providers to eliminate mandatory natural support as outlined in Medicaid State Plan Community First Choice Option. This means that, family providers are compensated for the assessed needs of loved ones in their care and are no longer expected to work for free because of their familial status.
  3. SB 1542 gave non-Medicaid Oregonians in need of in-home support services access to Home Care Commission Registry. This enabled many Oregonians a more affordable way to find qualified Home Care workers as the state was only recouping administrative cost. Up to this point the choices were between hiring an agency or advertising and hiring on their own.
  4. SB 559 required CDDP to provide Oregonians with developmental disabilities at least three placements options when deciding where to live and receive services. At least two must be from in different settings (e.g. two Adult Foster Homes and a group home) Previously Oregonians with developmental disabilities had little to no choice of where they lived and received services.
  5. SB 5529 Budget notes removed monetary caps on brokerage consumers’ individual service dollars. Consumer needs will be fully funded at the level assessed in the needs assessment tool, with no caps or unmet needs. Consumers will no longer have to make limited funds stretch between support hours, technology, and employment services.
  6. SB 5529 As a result of cap removal, consumers will no longer have to go into crisis services in order to meet their needs.  This meant that consumers would not have a disruption in their familiar environment or existing case management relationship in order to have the needs met.  The process up to this point was that consumers would have to go into a “crisis” bed that at times were in a different location from their current living situation.  In conjunction with moving, a consumer was also be assigned a new “crisis” case manager and relay very personal information to someone new at a time that could be particularly stressful.  
  7. SB 626 Expanded Oregon’s Long Term Care (LTC) Ombudsman Program to include Oregonians with mental illness or developmental disabilities. Many family members, direct service workers, and consumers had expressed frustration that their concerns about resident rights, service quality, disparities in access to service, lack of choice regarding service options, and system development initiatives are not being addressed.
  8. SB 640 mandated that service needs are assessed once every three years or, if a provider requests a reassessment before the three-year period, that a reassessment will be conducted if the provider has documentation that services cannot be provided at the current funding level.  This was an improvement from the 5 year cycle that had been previously in place. Service providers at that time were forced to file an exit notice to force the county to reassess service funding.
  9. Reassessment in the Functional Needs Assessment Tool. Providers, organized through our union, advocated for consumers’ right to receive a reassessment if they believe their needs are not being met. Consumers can now request and are required to receive a reassessment within 45 days from their Personal Agent or Service Coordinator.
  10. Removal of wait list for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities seeking services within the Community First Choice Option delivery system.  Providers, organized through our union, advocated for the elimination of the wait list for individuals waiting for services from Brokerages and CDDPs.  This allows Oregonians with developmental disabilities to get their needs met without being forced to wait for their number to be called for support services.