BROCHURE (CDC+ logo) CDC+: Consumer-Directed Care Plus Karla Herrera — Miami, FL (photo) Agency for Persons with Disabilties An introduction to Florida's Consumer-Directed Care Plus program - - - What is CDC+? Florida’s Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) offers an alternative to the traditional Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Medicaid waiver for people with developmental disabilities. It is called Consumer-Directed Care Plus (CDC+). CDC+ gives you the option to choose your service provider. It could be a family member, friend, or anyone you decide. CDC+ gives you control over your services and life like never before. A trained CDC+ consultant is always there to help guide you as you choose your supports. You can also decide to appoint a representative to assist in managing your budget and making decisions regarding your care, or you can choose to manage the program yourself. How it works CDC+ participants exchange the total budget of their current approved Medicaid waiver cost plan for a smaller budget that has greater flexibility. The budget is reduced because a discount is taken out to make the program cost-neutral. APD charges a small fee to handle your payroll responsibilities such as accounting, check writing, and tax withholding. You can use the monthly budget to pay for the services and supports you choose, including: • Purchasing services from a provider at a rate that you negotiate • Hiring an individual to work for you • Purchasing consumable medical supplies from a vendor or store of your choice • Modifying your home to increase independence, such as adding a chair lift or ramp • Purchasing accessible equipment, appliances, or other assistive technology Benefits There are many benefits associated with participating in CDC+. Some of them are: • Increased satisfaction from supports and services that help you achieve your goals • The ability to choose your providers • More self-determination and independence • More options in areas where Medicaid-enrolled providers are scarce • The ability to save for special purchases CDC+ participants decide how to use the services they are approved for—like personal care, respite, or transportation—and who they want to provide those services. You get to hire the employees and tell them how you want the job done. You are in charge! If you are not satisfied with a provider, you can hire someone else at any time. CDC+ provides you with the opportunity to make your own decisions. Families matter! Family caregivers provide millions of hours of care every year, sometimes risking their own emotional health. Exhaustion and burnout are often a result from juggling work, family responsibilities, and caregiving. In addition, many caregivers must reduce their work hours or even give up their jobs entirely so that they can take care of their loved ones. This program allows the participant to make decisions regarding the kinds of services purchased and who provides them. By allowing the individual to choose the services most important to them, CDC+ helps relieve some of the stress of caring for a family member with a developmental disability. Program integrity APD conducts quality assurance reviews to determine ways to continuously improve the CDC+ program. This process includes input from a Quality Assurance Committee, annual satisfaction surveys, a toll-free helpline, consultant monitoring, and a program self-assessment tool to determine whether CDC+ meets performance standards. Does CDC+ work? Based upon participant feedback on the program’s success, the answer is an overwhelming, “Yes!” Allowing people to control their own lives, as opposed to being dependent on someone else, has proven to be extremely effective for both the individual and the state. Eligibility To be eligible for CDC+, you must already receive services from APD through the iBudget Florida Medicaid waiver. Enrollment in CDC+ is limited. - - - Kristopher Serna — Miami, FL (photo) Kristopher Serna has autism and entered the CDC+ program when he was 10 years old. This gave his family the flexibility they needed to help him be successful. Kristopher recently graduated from high school and looks forward to transitioning into adult life, getting a job, and becoming a contributing member of society. “The progress that I have seen through the services provided by CDC+ has left me with such a wonderful peace of mind,” Kristopher’s mother says. “Thank you so much to the CDC+ program for providing the best possible services for our angels with different capabilities.” Karla Herrera — Miami, FL (pictured on front cover) Karla Herrera has cerebral palsy. Thanks to the services she receives from CDC+, she was able to turn what she loves into a profitable career and is on her way to becoming a successful baker. Karla’s family says, “The ability to purchase services and supports as needed has been the key to such an endeavor. When Karla became a participant of CDC+ that was the day her life as we knew it was changed.” Agency for Persons with Disabilities 4030 Esplanade Way, Suite 380 Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0950 1-866-APD-CARES (1-866-273-2273) May 2013