You may have heard the term “Self-Direction” being thrown around, as though it’s the answer to all of life’s problems.
“Did you know that you can get art lessons for your kid through Self-Direction?”
“Can I use Self-Direction to pay for this camp?”
“If you switch to Self-Direction, you can get a nutritionist, cleaning lady, social skills class, Sunday program, and sushi delivered to your door daily!”
Is it true?
What’s Self-Direction, anyway?
What does it cover? What doesn’t it cover?
Bottom line – Is it worth it?
Read on to learn about Self-Direction and whether it’s right for you.
Featuring: Self-Direction FAQs
Please note that the information below is specific to New York State, and was verified as of March, 2024.
With traditional OPWDD services, your child is allotted specific services (such as com hab or respite) in pre-set quantities. If you choose to enroll in Self-Direction, you get the full overall budget for your services and you can divide it up in whichever way will be best for your child.
→ Maybe you would like to enroll your child in art classes. If you are on Self-Direction, you can choose to allow more of the budget to be used for classes, and be left with a smaller budget for other services.
That Being Said…
Be aware that Self-Direction is not beneficial for everyone. True, you can use the budget for cool stuff like different classes and lessons, or transportation. But each category has it’s limits. With Self-Direction, if you’ve maxed out your com hab or respite hours, you’re stuck. There’s no such thing as applying for more.
If your child needs services mostly for the com hab and respite hours, and isn’t going to be interested in gym or music class, Self-Direction is probably not for you.
You’ll be asked a bunch of questions about your child, and the State will allot your budget accordingly. They’ll want to know about your child’s health, ADL skills, and behaviors. Most people use a Self-Direction Broker to help them figure out how to maximize their budget.
→ Be smart and advocate for your child! Now is not the time to gloss over his challenges. Explain how your child is struggling and get him the help he deserves!
You’ll be asked a bunch of questions about your child, and the State will allot your budget accordingly. They’ll want to know about your child’s health, ADL skills, and behaviors. Most people use a Self-Direction Broker to help them figure out how to maximize their budget.
→ Be smart and advocate for your child! Now is not the time to gloss over his challenges. Explain how your child is struggling and get him the help he deserves!
- Com Hab
- Respite
- Housing
- Family reimbursed respite
- IDGS – Including classes, memberships, transition program, transportation, household items, camp, paid neighbor, staffing support & interpretation
- OTPS – including phone, internet, utilities, transportation (& over age 18, clothing & board stipend)
- Contact Ezreinu at 718-750-1010 for a broker recommendation.
- You can still pull out after you hear your budget allotment, if it isn't what you were hoping for. But once you start using your budget, it's much more complicated to switch.
- After years of non-compliance and frequent meltdowns at school and at home, Chaviva, a smart - but mischievous - 7-year-old girl was finally diagnosed with ADHD. The diagnosis explained a lot and helped the family understand their child better, but her behavior was still unmanageable. Ezreinu connected them with the perfect psychologist to help Chaviva thrive.
- The H. family routinely misses out on family simchos because of Dovid. Dovid is an adorable child with a developmental delay, but at the age of 12, it was becoming impossible to find willing Shabbos hosts for a growing boy who was not toilet-trained and in general needed intense care. Baruch Hashem, Ezreinu was able to find placement for Dovid for Shabbos, enabling his family to enjoy their family simcha stress-free
- Shira, a 12-year-old girl who has a diagnosis of ASD, looks forward to the summer all year long. But the camp she attended the last few summers wasn’t able to accommodate her anymore. Her parents were at a loss, and Shira was heartbroken. They thought this was the only program available for girls with needs like Shira’s. Ezreinu told them about two other viable summer camp options, and Shira is so excited to go to camp this summer!
Holding Hands
718-750-1010
Have a simcha? A dentist appointment? PTA meeting?
Life is busy. And it’s HARD to find the right person to care for your special child when something comes up.
The Holding Hands division of Ezreinu is a short-term respite coverage program, designed to cover those few hours you need to get back on track!
For the first time in forever, you can relax, knowing that your child is in the experienced hands of our devoted team.
Click the button below to register. Registered families can call in at any time, and we’ll b’ezras Hashem get your request covered.
We accept paid and volunteer requests.