Bill > S916

Introduced Session

This bill requires the Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities (division) in the Department of Human Services to ensure that there is parity between service provider and self-directed employee rates, regarding approved services funded by the division and provided to eligible individuals. Under the bill: "self-directed employee" means a person who is recruited and offered employment directly by an individual who is eligible to receive services funded by the division, or the individual's authorized representative, to perform approved services, for which the self-directed employee is qualified; and "service provider" means an entity or individual who enters into a contract with the division to provide approved services to individuals who are eligible to receive services funded by the division. The director's efforts are to include, at a minimum, setting the rates contracted between the division and a service provider as the maximum self-directed employee rates, provided that the rates are for the same service, duration of time, and level of care. Currently, under the self-direction service model, the individual, or the individual's authorized representative, offering employment to the self-directed employee determines the employee's hourly rate, within a "reasonable and customary" framework. The individual's service budget must be able to support this rate. The comparable service provider rates are specific by amount and are generally much higher. For example, the hourly base rate for high acuity community based supports provided by a service provider is approximately $51.00, while the hourly rate for the same service provided by a self-directed employee is "reasonable and customary." The current threshold for "reasonable and customary" is between approximately $20 and $25 per hour. Under this bill, the maximum hourly rate for a self-directed employee providing community based supports would be equal to the hourly service provider rate of approximately $51.00, provided that the level of care is identical for both services.

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Committee Categories

Kristin Corrado (R)*,  Andrew Zwicker (D)*,  Joe Lagana (D),  Holly Schepisi (R), 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document