Participant-Directed Services

Welcome! This resource provides information for individuals interested in topics related to Participant-Directed Services.

Participant-directed services are home and community-based services that help people of all ages across all types of disabilities maintain their independence and determine for themselves what mix of personal assistance supports and services work best for them. Participant-directed services are sometimes referred to as consumer-directed or self-directed services. Historically, several initiatives have advanced participant directed services including the Independence Plus and the Cash & Counseling Programs.

The National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services (NRCPDS), is a technical assistance center that offers states the tools they need to implement a wide variety of participant-directed long-term care programs. It is the only national center of its kind and is available to assist states and other entities that want to offer, or already offer, participant-directed services to people with disabilities.

The NRCPDS offers an array of services—including program consulting, membership benefits, training, and research. A variety of informational resources and valuable tools can be found online at http://www.participantdirection.org

Contact Information

What's New

Aging and Disability Network Participant Direction Toolkit
Review this one-stop resource created by a team of agencies to help providers better understand, develop, and sustain participant-directed programs. The information is applicable whether funded by the Older Americans Act, Veterans Health Administration, State funds or other. The toolkit has two parts: one devoted to designing, managing and evaluating programs; the second on Financial Management Services (FMS). Resources include articles, forms, webinar recordings, state examples and charts.

Participant Direction & Managed Care: A Case Study
In response to the growing number of states providing Medicaid Long-Term Supports and Services (LTSS) through a Managed Care option, the NRCPDS created an issue brief to share examples from three states with participant direction in their Managed Care Medicaid LTSS. Representatives from a Managed Care Organization (MCO), a Financial Management Services (FMS) provider, and a state agency in each state were each asked a standard set of interview questions to provide a snapshot of how their programs function. Review the five key sections.

Fiscal/Employer Agent (F/EA) Core Standards
What are the Core Standards for Fiscal Employer Agents? Although application will differ from program to program according to state and local regulation, there are still topic areas and themes that can be agreed upon. Read the full list of best practices.

Upcoming Events
Are you looking for webinars and conferences related to Participant Direction? Review the upcoming events sponsored by the NRCPDS.

Frequently Asked Questions

This section is organized by category, with examples featured below.
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General

Cash & Counseling

Resources