Division of Developmental Disabilities

Governor Mikie Sherrill • Lt. Governor Dr. Dale G. Caldwell

Division of Developmental Disabilities

Self-Direction Options and Education

Self-Direction (self-directed services) is an approach to the delivery of home and community-based services (HCBS) that gives you more choice and control over how, when, and from whom your services are delivered.

Instead of having a provider agency control most aspects of your services, you hire, schedule, and manage your employees and decide what to pay them. You can also attend programs and classes in the community that are open to the public, or purchase equipment and supplies related to your assessed needs that are not covered by the Medicaid State Plan or another source.

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The Office of Education on Self-Directed Services (OESDS) educates people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), families, advocates, support coordinators, and community partners about self-directed services. 

We do not take over the job of a person's support coordinator. Instead, we are an extra resource to help people learn how self-directed services work and how they can use them to live a life of their own choosing.

To be added to our email list or to request technical assistance or self-direction education/training, email DDD.OESDS@dhs.nj.gov. 

The Office of Education on Self-Directed Services provides the following:

Technical Assistance

  • Guidance and tools on the benefits and responsibilities of self-direction
  • Facilitation of networking meetings with individuals, families, self-advocates and providers
  • Technical assistance for agencies providing or interested in providing Supports Brokerage services, as well as for people and families interested in using the service

Self-Direction Networking Sessions

  • Family Networking Sessions — in-person and virtual sessions for family members with a loved one who is self-directing their services and family members who are interested in self-direction for their loved one.
  • Peer-to-Peer Networking Sessions — quarterly virtual sessions for adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) who get DDD-funded services and are self-directing their services or interested in learning about self-direction.
  • WIN (What I Need) Sessions — for support coordinators, supports brokers, and other professionals who are supporting people who self-direct their services. WIN sessions are usually held the second Wednesday of every other month from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Summer Self-Direction Networking Sessions:

Supports Brokerage is a service available to people enrolled in the Community Care Program or Supports Program who are self-directing some or all of their services. Supports Brokerage services supplement but do not duplicate Support Coordination services.

A Supports Broker acts as the agent of the person or their family and can help them identify immediate and long-term needs, develop options to meet those needs, and access services. They can help the person or their family arrange for, direct, and manage services.

Resources for Individuals and Families

When you receive DDD home and community-based services through one of our two Medicaid waiver programs (Community Care Program, Supports Program), you can choose to direct your own care through a Self-Direction (Self-Directed Services) model.

There are two models to pick from: Agency with Choice (AWC) and Vendor Fiscal/Employer Agent (VF/EA). The first step is to talk with your support coordinator to determine whether self-direction might be a good fit for your needs, and which of the two models could best meet your needs and fit within your annual budget.

Depending on which model you choose, you will be the employer or co-employer of direct care workers. Your responsibilities may include:

  • Finding and hiring your own staff
  • Finding someone to fill in when a worker calls out
  • Reviewing and approving timesheets

A financial management services agency — called a fiscal intermediary — helps with tasks like:

  • Processing payroll
  • Withholding and remitting taxes
  • Paying your workers based on their timesheets
  • Paying vendors based on their invoices

The Boggs Center on Disability and Human Development created a guide to help individuals and families decide if self-directing is right for them: Deciding to Self-Direct: Making Choices, Becoming Empowered (also available in Spanish).

Two Self-Direction Models

For people getting services in a DDD Medicaid waiver program, there are two Self-Directed Employee (SDE) models:

  • Vendor Fiscal/Employer Agent (VF/EA)
  • Agency with Choice (AWC)

Both models use a fiscal intermediary — an agency that handles payments, taxes, and labor law paperwork on your behalf.

Key Differences

  • Vendor Fiscal/Employer Agent (VF/EA) Model
    • You, or someone you choose, enrolls as the employer of record for your workers.
    • There is no employer-sponsored health insurance available for workers. 
    • The fiscal intermediary administrative fee is covered by DDD and not deducted from the person's budget.
  • Agency with Choice (AWC) Model
    • You, or someone you choose, enrolls as a co-employer, with the agency as the employer of record.
    • There are various options to have employer-sponsored health insurance available for workers to purchase.
    • The fiscal intermediary administrative fee (minus an amount equivalent to the amount DDD covers for the VF/EA model) is deducted from the person's budget. There are several fee levels, depending on number of workers hired, whether they are part-time or full-time, and whether you choose one of the levels that includes the option to obtain heealth insurance.

DDD Fiscal Intermediaries

Learn More

If you have questions or would like more information, talk with your support coordinator or email the DDD Fee-for-Service Helpdesk at DDD.FeeForService@dhs.nj.gov. 

Services you can get through a self-directed employee (SDE):

  • Community Based Supports
  • Individual Supports-Hourly (15-minute units)
  • Interpreter Services
  • Respite
  • Supports Brokerage
  • Transportation – Self-Directed Employee

Services you can get through a community vendor:

  • Assistive Technology
  • Environmental Modifications
  • Goods and Services
  • Natural Supports Training
  • Transportation – Single Passenger
  • Vehicle Modifications

The following requirements apply to all self-directed employees in either model, regardless of relationship to the person served or living arrangement.

  • Fingerprinting for pre-employment criminal background checks and ongoing re-checks after employment
  • Pre-employment offender registry and exclusion/debarment database checks and ongoing re-checks after employment
  • Pre-employment drug testing and subject to random drug testing once employed 
  • Child Abuse Record Information (CARI) check
  • Completion of all mandatory trainings within the required timeframes (Quick Guide to Mandated Trainings for Self-Directed Employees.pdf)
  • CPR and First Aid Certification, and Recertification every two years
  • Electronic Visit Verification (EVV), unless exempted
  • Service documentation (daily service notes)
    • All Medicaid providers must keep daily notes of the services they provide. This includes self-directed employees (SDEs) working under DDD's self-direction models.
    • These notes serve as proof that:
      • The services were actually provided
      • The services matched what the person needed
    • This documentation is required in order to receive Medicaid payment.

Helpful Resources

Previously Recorded Webinars

Publications from The Boggs Center (also available in Spanish)

DDD Office of Education on Self-Directed Services

  • Email DDD.OESDS@dhs.nj.gov for information or training on using self-directed services, or to join the OESDS Listserv.

Upcoming Self-Direction Networking and WIN Sessions