Why are we changing?
The Office of Mental Retardation is committed to making “Everyday Lives” a reality for people receiving services and supports in Pennsylvania. Many forces have helped to shape the changes in the system, but mostly it is our commitment to the people we serve to support a more person and family driven system that brings us to where we are today.

We are building a system that promotes individuality, choice and control. We are building a system that will provide quality supports and provide information thru effective monitoring of the health and safety of people receiving supports and services.

The Office of Mental Retardation is obligated under state and federal statutes to establish a system that meets the needs of people; assures quality, health and safety; and manages state and federal funds responsibly.

What can you expect to happen after you are determined eligible to receive services? After you are determined eligible to receive services, you will be asked a series of questions referred to as a Situational Assessment. The Situational Assessment will help you in planning for future supports and services.

The Situational Assessment will lead to identifying your Individual Estimated Resources (IER). The IER is an estimate of the cost of services for people with similar circumstances.

The Individual estimated resource amount derived from this process is not a cap. In the event the IER does not meet your health and safety needs, you can request an exception case review. The IER is portable (funding will follow a person moving to another county and you cannot be unenrolled from the program due to relocation). Independent Mediation and Fair Hearing are also available if needed.

If a person’s life situation changes significantly, he or she needs to inform the Supports Coordinator so that a new situational assessment may be completed which will result in a new IER to accommodate any change in need.

We expect a more fair and equitable distribution of resources across the Commonwealth by utilizing this planning process. This process will also help to plan and budget for people on the waiting list more accurately.

If the County has resources available, you will be enrolled. The IER will be provided to you and your supports coordinator to begin planning. If the County does not have resources available, the IER will help to plan for future budgeting.

Choosing your Supports Coordinator
A Supports coordinator (previously referred to as Case Manager) will be provided for everyone.

People and their families will have the ability to choose their Supports Coordinator or Supports Coordination Agency. Choice of Supports Coordinator or Supports Coordination Agency is contingent upon the availability of the person or the agency that you are choosing and their willingness to provide the support.

The Supports Coordinator will help you develop your Individual Support Plan (ISP) and personal budget. The Supports Coordinator will provide you with assistance to locate and identify supports and services, coordinate and monitor the progress on the outcomes identified to make sure they are achieved.

Your Supports Coordinator will assist you in identifying the “outcomes” for your plan (what you what to accomplish with your plan), assure that your needs are assessed, and that your ISP meets both your needs, and desired outcomes. Your Supports Coordinator is responsible for assuring that services are delivered as planned.

Developing your Individual Support Plan
The Individual Support Plan is a planning process that is based on Person Centered Principles and will incorporate any person-centered tools/plans that you choose to use.

Prior to developing your Individual Support Plan (ISP) with your Supports Coordinator, you will want to think about what you want to accomplish with your plan, and the kinds of community activities and experiences that would enable you to achieve your desired outcomes. The ISP includes information on what is important to enable you to have an everyday life based on Person Centered Planning as well as medical needs, and health and safety needs.

You will be able to gather information about supports and services online through the Services and Supports Directory. This directory contains the names of qualified individuals or agencies who have chosen to be included, the types of services they provide and the counties where they provide services.

To develop your individual Support Plan, it may take one or several planning meetings or you may have already developed a good part of the plan on your own. Prior to the first meeting, the Supports Coordinator will orient you to the ISP and budget process as well as help to identify those other mem- bers you would like as part of your support team.

You can choose any individual or agency that is qualified by the State, willing to provide supports and services in your county, and able to meet your needs as identified in your Individual Support Plan. You cannot be denied your choice of qualified individuals and agencies that are willing to provide supports and services in your county.

In addition to traditional service providers, individuals may select people with whom they are familiar, (relatives, neighbors, friends) as long as they are qualified by the State to provide services. You along with your Supports Coordinator will gather costs of supports and services from the Services and Supports Directory. Your individual budget amount is the sum of the costs of supports and services. You will be able to keep track of your individual budget by reviewing a quarterly summary of expenditures of your budget.

Your Supports Coordinator will not decide how much funding you will receive, but will provide assistance to you in making decisions about your personal budget. Your person centered plan will be valued and followed.

What is “Quality” and how is it being monitored?
The goals of the Office of Mental Retardation are to protect health and safety, promote good outcomes for people so they live the life they want defined by the person and to provide value for the dollar and accountability in the use of public funds.

The Office of Mental Retardation and County MH/MR Programs, along with people and their families, monitor these goals through various activities such as licensing and Independent Monitoring for quality.

Quality is defined by you and incorporated into your individualized support plan. You may choose to use Person Centered tools/planning to help you accomplish this. All contracting and monitoring done by counties, agencies and people who provide supports will incorporate this concept.

How do I find out more information about changes in the MR System? Information about the changes can be found by going to www.dpw.state.pa.us  and clicking on the Office of Mental Retardation Web-site. Once you get to the OMR website, click on “Changing the MR System.”