Do you ever stop to marvel at the disproportionate amount of staff that children with special needs depend on? ABA para, com hab worker, respite worker, home health aide… these are just a few from the standard collection of support staff that many of our kids rely on regularly.
And despite all this, most parents will tell you — justifiably so — that their children, whether young or grown, still do not have enough outside support and supervision to remain healthy, safe, and functionally independent at home.
HES, or Home Enabling Supports, is a new service which utilizes technology and remote support to decrease the need for on-site staff, allowing our children to develop a higher level of independence.
Sounds interesting? Read on for the nitty-gritties of the program!
What’s covered by HES?
(Disclaimer: If you’re gonna be technical here, HES isn’t considering itself a funding resource, so “what’s covered” isn’t quite the right way to ask. Rather, HES assesses the daily living of the individual in question and then implements necessary technological or remote supports — within the set budget.)
Here’s a detailed definition: HES is a new sub-service under the broader umbrella of AT (Assistive Technology), which is one of the services through the OPWDD Waiver. Depending on what’s needed in the specific situation, HES may provide items such as movement sensors, safety fences and alarms, voice-activated lights, automatic medication dispensers, smart locks, safe cooking equipment, and so forth.
In addition to these physical/technological supports, HES also offers remote personal support, such as scheduled remote check-ins and location monitoring, as well as a health program called HACS which helps individuals understand their symptoms and connects them with healthcare providers if needed.
HES is capped at $5,000 worth of services per individual per year.
Nice! Who’s eligible for this stuff?
People who are:
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Eligible for OPWDD and
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Enrolled in OPWDD Waiver and
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Not living in a certified residence
Technology and health support (a.k.a. HACS) through HES is available to individuals of all ages, but the general remote support piece is only for individuals aged 15 and up.
How do I go about getting it?
The process begins through your child’s care manager and then continues through an approved HES provider agency. Your care manager will need to update the need for an HES service to the Life Plan and then request approval from OPWDD. Once it’s been approved, your care manager will refer you to an HES provider agency in your region.
Note that the provider agency supplies the approved items directly (rather than funding items which you purchase on your own).
For more detailed information on the HES process, refer to these slides from this great recent presentation by HCS (not HES 🙂).
With much appreciation to the staff at HCS of Rockland for sharing their knowledge and experience with us for this newsletter. HCS is an approved HES provider agency in the Capital Region and Hudson Valley. Their intake department can be reached at (845) 426-2199 ext. 1644.
Mrs. Rothenstein was struggling with Chani, her adorable yet challenging 5-year-old with special needs. Feeling alone, she reached out to Ezreinu and was directed to a support group and a helpful chat for mothers of children with the same diagnosis as Chani. Mrs. Rothenstein now has the encouragement and friendship of peers in the same situation as her who cheer her on and help her get through the difficult days.
The Feiner family was staying out of state for the end of the summer and needed a structured program for Dassy, their 8-year-old daughter with special needs. Because they didn’t live locally, they knew they would not have access to state funding and would need to pay privately, but they didn’t know whether there was even a program available. Mr. Feiner called Ezreinu and received detailed information about two local programs that would be a good fit for Dassy, including the difference in price between the two, so that they could make the decision that worked best for their family.
Identifying details have been changed to protect client confidentiality.
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