Bulletins

Individual & Family Services: Out with the Old, In with the New

It’s official. After more than a year of planning, the new Individual & Family Services (IFS) Waiver program has been approved by the federal government. Clients currently on the state-only flexible funding IFS program will begin transitioning to the new waiver program at their annual assessment.

In addition, the Legislature has approved funding for up to 4,000 new clients to be enrolled in the IFS waiver program, and DDCS is in the process of contacting individuals on the IFS request list. Because the new IFS program is now a Home & Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver, there are some differences in the services, as well as how the services are accessed.

Approved IFS Waiver Services*

• Assistive Technology
• Behavior Support & Consultation
• Behavioral Health Stabilization
• Community Engagement (new)
• Environmental & Vehicle Modifications
• Peer Mentoring (new)
• Person Centered Planning Facilitation (new)
• PT, OT, Speech, Hearing & Language Services
• Respite Care
• Sexual Deviancy Evaluation
• Skilled Nursing
• Specialized Medical Equipment & Supplies
• Staff/Family Consultation & Training
• Supportive Parenting Services (new)
• Therapeutic Equipment & Supplies
• Transportation (non-Medicaid Broker)

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Changes and Opportunities
Providing services under a federal waiver comes with some big changes, as well as new opportunities.

Changes:

• The IFS waiver program does not provide reimbursements or cover medical co-pays.
• All providers must be contracted by DSHS to provide services.

Opportunities:

• Clients on the waiver program will be eligible for Apple Health/Medicaid health care, regardless of family income.
• New services have been added, such as Community Engagement, Peer Mentoring, Person Centered Planning Facilitation, and Supportive Parenting.

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Accessing IFS Waiver Services

If you are on the No Paid Services Caseload and have a need that could be met by the IFS waiver, contact DDCS to request IFS services. There’s currently funding for new enrollments through June 2017. So, if you have a need that could be met by the IFS waiver, contact DDCS to request IFS.

• Identify the service(s) during your annual person-centered service planning meeting. The service(s) will be approved within your annual funding allotment. Funding levels are the same as the old IFS program.
• Identify a contracted provider. Unlike the old program, all services under the IFS waiver must be provided by an individual, agency, or organization that’s contracted with the DSHS to provide that service.
• Contact your DDCS case manager if your needs change. In addition, if the service is intermittent (not monthly), your DDCS case manager will provide check-in and monitoring to ensure that service needs are being met.

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