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Developmental Disability Services

Developmental disability services assist children, adolescents, and adults who have a developmental disability to live, attend school, work, and recreate in their communities. Supports are provided to over 3,000 people by private non-profit developmental disability services providers throughout the state. Individuals or their families may also choose to self- or family-manage their own services with the assistance of an Intermediary Service Organization.

Most people with developmental disabilities in Vermont are actively involved in home and community life, working and living along with everyone else. Not everyone with developmental disabilities needs services. Of those that do need support, many people have only moderate needs. Those with more intense needs do require long term, often life-long supports, many at a very intensive level.

The Division of Disability and Aging Services (DDAS) partners with people with developmental disabilities, families, guardians, advocates, service providers, and state and federal agencies to plan, coordinate and administer services to people with developmental disabilities. The Division provides funding for services, systems planning, technical assistance, training, quality assurance, monitoring and standards compliance. The Division also provides guardianship services to people with developmental disabilities who have been determined by the court to be in need of guardianship supports.

Services provided to people with developmental disabilities and their families must foster and adhere to the Principles of Developmental Services as outlined in the Developmental Disabilities Act of 1996.

 

 

 

Services Include

Developmental disability services and supports offer a comprehensive range of services designed to support individuals and families at different levels of need. Services encompass a wide range of support options designed around the specific needs of an individual. Supports include:

  • Service Planning & Coordination
    Assists individuals and their families in planning, developing, choosing gaining access to, coordinating and monitoring the provision of needed services for a specific individual.
  • Community Supports
    Specific, individualized and goal oriented services which assist individuals in developing skills and social supports necessary to promote positive growth.
  • Employment Services
    Assist individuals in establishing and achieving career and work goals; includes employment assessment, employer and job development, job training and ongoing support to maintain employment.
  • Home Supports
    Services, supports and supervision to an individual in and around their residence up to 24 hours a day. This may include support to a person in his or her own home; sharing a home with others (e.g., in an apartment, group home, shared living arrangement); or who lives with his or her family.
  • Respite
    Services (hourly or daily) provided on a short-term basis because of the absence or need for relief of (1) a family member or significant others, or (2) shared living providers normally providing the care to individuals who cannot be left unsupervised.
  • Clinical Interventions
    Assessment, therapeutic, medication or medical services provided by clinical or medical staff.
  • Crisis Services
    Time-limited, intensive supports provided for individuals who are currently experiencing, or may be expected to experience, a psychological, behavioral or emotional crisis; includes crisis assessment, support and referral and crisis beds.

 

Information on related developmental disability services

     The purpose of the Bridge Program is to assist families of children under age 22 who have developmental disabilities to access        and coordinate needed medical, educational, social or other services. 
  • Flexible Family Funding
    Funding is provided to eligible families of individuals with developmental disabilities to enhance their ability to live together. These income-based funds, up to $1,122 per year determined by a sliding scale, are used at the discretion of the family.
  • Offender Services
    The focus of offender services is to keep the community and past victims safe while providing treatment and supervision to offenders with developmental disabilities who are not served by the Correctional system.
  • PASARR Services
    The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 established Pre-Admission Screening and Resident Review (PASARR) which mandates the screening of all nursing facility residents and new referrals to determine the presence of mental retardation and/or related conditions and the need for specialized services. Services include pre-admission screening and development of community placements and specialized services. Specialized Services provide support to individuals with developmental disabilities who live in nursing facilities. These services greatly improve the quality of life for people living in nursing facilities by providing support to address social and recreational needs as well as the person’s overall well being.
  • Children's Personal Care Services
    Children's Personal Care Services (CPCS) is a state plan Medicaid program available to children under the age of 21, with a significant disability or health condition that substantially impacts care giving needs and/or the development or self care needs.
  • Respite Homes
    The Division of Disability and Aging Services funds four respite homes around the state to provide planned out-of-home respite support to eligible individuals who live with their family.
  • Office of Public Guardian
    The Office of Public Guardianship, acting under court authority, provides public guardianship where there is no friend or family member to serve as guardian, and the individual needs a public guardian to protect his or her rights or welfare. Vermont law provides public guardianship for: Adults with developmental disabilities and People over age 60 with mental disabilities. Note that there is no public guardianship in Vermont for individuals between the ages of 18 and 60 with mental disabilities other than a developmental disability. The mission of the program is to assist and empower people under guardianship in making decisions and taking actions in critical life areas. Public guardians seek to diminish the need for public guardianship by identifying, training, and assisting private guardians; by encouraging and preparing individuals to make their own decisions; and by developing supportive community resources.

 

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Eligibility

Eligibility for services is determined by the designated agency in the county. If a person meets the eligibility criteria as a person with a developmental disability, he or she does not automatically qualify for funding. The additional step of determining if a person’s situation meets the funding priorities is also required for most services (Flexible Family Funding is an exception). Funding criteria are outlined in the State System of Care Plan (Chapter 6 Funding Process and Guidelines). Eligibility for funding, based on an individual needs assessment, is also determined by the designated agency.

The Division of Developmental Services’ Rules Implementing the Developmental Disabilities Act of 1996 (Parts 1 and 2) govern eligibility.

  • Part 1 of the regulations for the Developmental Disabilities Act provides a definition of developmental disability and criteria for determining developmental disability for young children, school-age children and adults.
  • Part 2 of the regulations provides a definition of who is a recipient.

Young Children (1.01, 1.06)

A young child (not yet old enough to enter first grade) is considered a person with a developmental disability if he or she has:

  1. A condition which has a high probability of resulting in mental retardation; or
  2. Significant delays in cognitive development and adaptive behavior; or
  3. A pervasive developmental disorder (i.e., autistic disorder, Rett’s disorder, childhood disintegration disorder, Asperger’s disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified) resulting in significant delays in adaptive behavior.

School Age Children & Adults (1.07, 1.08, 1.05)

A school-age child (old enough to enter first grade and younger than age 18) or an adult (age 18 or older) is considered a person with a developmental disability if he or she has:

  1. Mental retardation (i.e., significantly sub-average cognitive functioning documented by a full scale score of 70 or below on an appropriate standardized test of intelligence and resulting in substantial deficits in adaptive functioning) or a pervasive developmental disorder (i.e., autistic disorder, Rett’s disorder, childhood disintegration disorder, Asperger’s disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified) which occurred before age 18; and
  2. Substantial deficits in adaptive behavior which occurred before age 18.

People Receiving Services on July 1, 1996 (1.14)

People with developmental disabilities and families who are receiving services on July 1, 1996, shall continue to receive services consistent with their needs and the system of care plan.

 

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Applying for Services

If you need developmental services please contact the Designated Agency (DA) in your local area and ask for an intake assessment (see "Providers of Services" below). When you first ask for services you will need to be assessed for the most appropriate program to meet your needs. Intake coordinators are located at each agency. They will schedule a meeting for you in order to complete the intake assessment.

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Intake coordinators will help you determine what programs and services might be helpful for you, and what you need to do to apply for services. Not all programs have the same eligibility criteria or services available, so it's important to work with the Intake Coordinator to agree on what your needs and strengths are, what services are available to you, and what you need to do to apply for services.

 

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Providers of Services

There are 15 private non-profit developmental disability services providers in Vermont, contracted by DAIL, who offer a variety of services to people with developmental disabilities. Supports include service coordination/case management, home supports, employment services, community supports, family and respite supports, clinical interventions and crisis services. The providers include 10 designated agencies that each cover a geographic region of the state and are responsible for ensuring needed services are available by providing services directly or contracting with other providers or individuals. Five providers are Specialized Service Agencies who also serve people with developmental disabilities. In addition, there is one Supportive Intermediary Services Organization to assist people and families to manage their developmental disabilities services."

Developmental Disability Service Providers listed by County.

Addison County

Bennington County

Caledonia County

Chittenden County

Essex County

Franklin County

Grand Isle County

Lamoille County

Orange County

Orleans County

Rutland County

Washington County

Windham County

Windsor County

 

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Program Contacts

DDAS Contacts for Developmental Disability Services.

 

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Policies and Guidelines

The following are policies and guidelines developed for Developmental Disability Services.

  • Peggy's Law
  • Health and Wellness Standards and Guidelines (March 2004)
    These guidelines were created because the Division of Disability and Aging Services is responsible for insuring the health and safety of people who receive Medicaid-funded developmental disability services.
  • Policy on Education and Support of Sexuality (January 2004)
    This document provides a clear statement about the rights of individuals receiving developmental disability services to learn about the risks and responsibilities of expressing their sexuality.
  • Flexible Family Funding Guidelines (Revised: July 1 2009)
    The Flexible Family Funding Program offers support to individuals with developmental disabilities and families to enhance their ability to live together.
  • Individual Support Agreement Guidelines (Revised: March 2003)
    An Individual Support Agreement is a contract between you, your guardian (if you have one), and your provider(s). If you are managing all or some of your supports, you are still required to have an Individual Support Agree (ISA). This agreement addresses your needs that you, your Designated Agency and others have prioritized through an individualized planning process.
  • Background Check Policy (April 2006)
    Performing background checks on individuals who work with vulnerable people is a component of preventing abuse, neglect and exploitation. This policy describes when a background check is required, what the components of a background check are and what is done if a background check reveals a potential problem.
  • Critical Health Care Decisions Policy (November 1996) (Updated 2007)
    A Division of Disability and Aging Services (DDAS) policy that outlines the role of the public guardian when needing to make critical health care decision for adults with developmental disabilities for whom they are guardian. It includes an outline of the role of the Ethics Committee.
  • Human Rights Committee Guidelines (April 25, 2003)
    The purpose of the Human Rights Committee is to safeguard the human rights of people receiving developmental disability services in Vermont. The Committee will provide an independent review of restraint procedures proposed or occurring within the supports provided by the developmental disability service system. This document gives the guidelines utilized in the review of policies, procedures, trends and patterns, individual situations and individual behavioral support plans that authorize the use of restraint procedure.
  • Medicaid Manual for Developmental Disability Services (Supplement: January 1999)
    The Medicaid provider manual details the procedures for Medicaid-funded developmental disability services. This manual only outlines requirements for reimbursement of Title XIX services (Social Security Act covering Medicaid) including fee-for-service and home and community-based services.
  • DDS Grievance Procedure (2009)
    A description of how to file a grievance (expression of dissatisfaction) with a Designated Agency (DA), Specialized Service Agency (SSA) or other provider of developmental services through Medicaid that does not involve eligibility or the authorization of the amount or duration of services. For example, grievances may relate to the quality of services provided or to interpersonal interactions between an individual receiving services and a provider. A grievance is distinguished from a complaint in that a grievance requires a written response.
  • DDS Appeal Procedure (2009)
    A description of how to file an appeal about a decision made by the Division of Disability and Aging Services (DDAS), a Designated Agency (DA), or a Specialized Services Agency (SSA) which has an impact on the amount or duration of services a consumer can have. This includes decisions around eligibility, type and quantity of services a consumer can have or the length of time a consumer can have a service.