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Frequently Asked Questions

So, do you have questions about SDS and IRIS and Family Care and all of these changes and worries and opportunities? We are guessing that you do, so please end them to us at info@sdwisconsin.org. 

While we are waiting to hear from you, let’s get started with these:

  1.  When the changeover to Family Care and  IRIS happens, will I lose anything in my current plan?

The change to Family Care or IRIS is a great opportunity to think about how to better achieve the outcomes that are important to you. Typically people would not lose anything as they enter Family Care; however the care management team that you are part of will talk with you about how your plan can continue to meet your needs in the most cost-effective manner. This is a great time to talk with them about what you want to continue and what you want to add or change in the way you get supported.
Within IRIS, people will not lose anything from their current plan as long as the funding within the current plan is comparable to the funding the person would receive under IRIS.

  1. How will I know how much funding would be available to me if I choose to enroll in IRIS?

If you have a current long-term care functional screen, you can make and appointment or simply call your local ADRC and say: “My name is ______, I am interested in looking into IRIS. Please tell me what my individual funding allocation would be under IRIS?”

Those who are transitioning from a current waiver program such as CIP, COP or BIW may obtain this information by contacting their current county support and service coordinator/care manager.

If your long term care functional screen is not current, or if you are moving off of a waiting list and do not have one, the ADRC staff will work with you to create a new screen.

It is important to know that if the funding allocation amount you were provided does not match what your services costs have been, the Department of Health Services may adjust the allocation if it is insufficient to meet your needs. The ADRC, your county case manager or the Independent Consultant Agency can all tell you how to request an adjustment.

  1. I understand Family Care is based upon meeting each person’s outcomes. How will Family Care help each member know that those outcomes include choosing where and with whom to live, choosing what to do during the day, and having the option to control how dollars are used to meet those outcomes.?

Both ADRCs and Family Care organizations are expected to provide information on Wisconsin’s long-term care outcomes, and on the self-directed supports option that is one way in which people may meet those outcomes. For people currently receiving services, that information may be provided through a county long-term care agency.

Information will also be available through various independent information sources, such as Independent Living Centers, various advocacy organizations, and this Self-Determination Wisconsin web site.

  1. I would like a job and would like to volunteer in my community rather than go to a community rehabilitation program. Can SDS help me do that?

Both IRIS and Family Care are designed to help people achieve the outcomes important to them. That certainly includes paying for, supporting, and helping people use a variety of methods to obtain and maintain jobs, careers, and ways to contribute to one’s community.

  1. Will the SDS option within Family Care allow me to decide how to spend all of the funding that Family Care would spend on provider contracts for my services? How would I know how much money that would be?

Within the SDS option within Family Care,  members may generally decide who to pay and how much to pay for each specific service and for their entire service plan, so long as they do not exceed what Family Care would otherwise pay for that service or plan. It also allows and supports people to develop a SDS plan that would include all, or nearly all needed supports and services (nursing home care would be an example of a service that would not be self-directed), including meeting such outcomes as “Where and with whom I live” and “Deciding what I do during the day.”  The SDS individualized budget amount within Family Care would typically be based upon the cost of services the Family Care organization would have provided if the funding for the services and supports were not self-directed.

  1. May I have a support broker through IRIS or Family Care?

Within IRIS, a person may purchase a support broker within their individual funding allocation. They may also request the Individual Consultant Agency (ICA) for the kinds of support and assistance that support brokers often provide, although the amount of such assistance from the ICA is not unlimited. Within Family Care, if a person decides they need one, a support broker can be approved as part of an individual's SDS plan and would be an expense paid out of the member's SDS budget.  Every member, including those using SDS, receives care management and its cost is not funded out of the member's SDS budget. 

We encourage you to visit the Frequently Asked Question section of the DHS IRIS web site: http://dhs.wisconsin.gov/bdds/IRIS/faq.htm