DDDS Aims to Expand Opportunities and Access for Individuals with Disabilities to Join the Workforce

DOVER (Oct. 31, 2022) – The Delaware Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDDS) announced today efforts to expand services and supports for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to seek and secure employment.

“October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and our division is committed to expanding employment opportunities for the people we serve,” said Marissa Catalon, Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services. “The current workforce environment provides a great opportunity for the people we serve to secure a job where they can use their individual skills, abilities and talents to contribute in a meaningful way to their community.”

Catalon said there are many opportunities for individuals with disabilities to enter the workforce, but they need some help doing so. She said DDDS is committing additional financial resources to support the expansion of these opportunities through a strategy that expands the number of employment specialists available in the state, encourages more provider agencies to engage in supported employment, and pilots a new program designed to train those with disabilities to serve others with IDD.

“We are thrilled to see these investments being made by our colleagues at DDDS,” said Molly Magarik, Cabinet Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS). “These are more than just service enhancements, they are investments in the lives of our friends and neighbors and our communities across the state. And they open the possibility for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to work in their community alongside people with and without disabilities, at competitive wages. This offers a direct pathway to greater autonomy, self-sufficiency and health.”

Catalon said DDDS is committing funds to hire and train 25 new employment specialists. This increased workforce could support up to 400 individuals we serve in their pursuit of community integrated employment.

“The demand for employment services today is much greater than the capacity of our existing provider network,” said Jody Roberts, Director of External Relations and Strategic Partnerships for the division. “The public health emergency and increased workforce competition has impacted the recruitment and retention efforts of our provider network to hire and retain skilled employment specialists. These employment specialists provide crucial supports for people with IDD to obtain, maintain and succeed in these jobs.”

To accelerate the use of these new resources, existing DDDS Home and Community-Based Service providers who are authorized to provide Individual Supported Employment Services may seek approval from DDDS to hire up to two new employment specialists and be reimbursed for wages, trainings and other employment-related expenses for the first six months of the new hire’s employment.

“We know it takes time before these services can become financially sustainable for our providers, and we don’t want that to become a barrier to implementing these new programs,” Catalon said. “That’s why we’re offering to cover the costs of the first six months for these providers to encourage them to take the time needed to make this effort work for everyone involved.”

Finally, the Division will be partnering with RCM Training and Consulting to implement its program, the DSP Academy. The programs trains individuals with disabilities to become DSPs – or Direct Support Professionals – serving those with individuals with IDD.

“The DSP Academy is a truly innovative program,” Roberts said. “It simultaneously works to address the impacts of ongoing workforce shortages in our service system and provides training and employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities in Delaware. It’s a model for the communities we hope to create all across Delaware.”

DDDS is one of 10 divisions in the Department of Health and Social Services. It serves more than 5,000 service recipients statewide.

DOVER (Oct. 21, 2022) – The Delaware Division of Developmental Disabilities Services is announcing today that it is mailing letters to service recipients and legal guardians who were impacted by a recent data breach incident and is providing information to the public regarding the incident.

On August 23, 2022, staff within the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDDS) discovered that in the process of creating new user accounts in the division’s client database, DDDS staff inadvertently provided access to individual records of 7074 individuals. As a result of these actions, 159 new users had potential access to service recipients’ personal, identifiable information and protected health information as well as potential access to more detailed information through accessed accounts.

A thorough investigation of the incident was conducted. Using forensic analysis available through the software’s vendor, the division has been able to determine how many users accessed information not intended for their use, and which service recipient records were opened and viewed. While the division has determined that only 12 detailed records were actively accessed, certain personal, identifiable information and protected health information was passively available to any user with the erroneous access level. The software vendor is unable to determine who may have passively viewed this information.

Based on this internal investigation and consultation with the software vendor, the division is taking corrective measures to tighten security and protection of the personal health information of its service recipients. DDDS has:

• Reviewed and reinforced its Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-related policies and procedures.
• Established new guidelines for the creation of user accounts and a tightened approval process for accessing records.
• Worked with its vendor to institute technology checks on providing access.

The division will incorporate lessons from this analysis into the design and implementation of its new client data management system scheduled for transition in 2023.

As required by HIPAA and state law, the Delaware Division of Developmental Disabilities Services has reported this breach to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and to the Delaware Department of Justice.

The Division of Developmental Disabilities Services is also establishing a dedicated call center independently staffed by a contracted company to answer any questions about this incident. Call center representatives have been fully versed on the incident and can answer questions or concerns individuals may have regarding protection of their personal information. Additionally, the division will be offering free access to credit monitoring to all impacted parties for a period of one year.

The call center can be reached at 1-833-875-0644 Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding U.S. holidays.

Information will also be posted on the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services website at: https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/ and the division’s website: https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/ddds/.

DOVER (May 4, 2022) – The Delaware Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDDS) announced today that the Columbus Organization will continue to operate as the Division’s Targeted Case Management Provider, providing case management support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families across the State. Targeted Case Management through the Columbus Organization provides each individual and family with access to a Community Navigator ensuring a person-centered planning approach that supports individuals receiving services to live their best life.

“Our Division’s top priority is to ensure every individual we serve, and their family, can access the services and supports they need to lead the life they want to live,” said Marissa Catalon, Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services. “Columbus’s Community Navigators do just that by connecting individuals to the communities they live in.”

The Columbus Organization works to serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities by making connections to services and supports in the community. Those include access to, for example, supported employment services and day services, behavioral supports, or assistive technologies. They also support families in gaining access to respite services and home or vehicle modifications.

Carlos Hernandez, Senior Vice President with the Columbus Organization, shared his enthusiasm for this opportunity to continue partnering with DDDS. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with DDDS and to making a significant impact on the lives of so many people in Delaware. Beyond the benefits of maintaining continuity of care for these individuals, we also believe that Columbus’ complex care model, state-of-the-art training and analytics tools, and dedicated Quality Assurance team, will contribute greatly to helping individuals achieve their meaningful life-goals while improving health outcomes.”

DDDS began working with the Columbus Organization in July 2017 when the Division first implemented Targeted Case Management Services. Over the past five years, Columbus has maintained an excellent record of Medicaid compliance. The nonprofit’s average compliance scores are consistently in the 90th percentile; this year its Medicaid compliance scores range from 95% to 98%.

The Columbus Organization will continue to provide services primarily to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) living in their own home or in their family home. DDDS has additional case management and resource coordination services for individuals with IDD living in provider-managed residential settings and for those individuals served by the Diamond State Health Plan Plus – a Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) program.

DDDS is one of 11 divisions in the Department of Health and Social Services. It serves more than 5,000 service recipients statewide.

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The Department of Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of life of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.

DOVER (Oct. 13, 2021) –The Delaware Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDDS) announced today that Easterseals of Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore will become the Division’s new “Agency with Choice” Provider, providing self-directed services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Self-directed supports provide additional flexibility to individuals and families to build the service system that suits them best.

Marissa Catalon, Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services said, “Self-directed care options empower people to control the supports they receive – whether those supports are needed at home, at a job, or out in the community. It’s our most flexible option, and we’re excited to have Easterseals as a new provider of this service option for our community.”

Easterseals will work with individuals receiving personal care and respite services via the DDDS Lifespan Medicaid Waiver Program and their families to provide assistance with training, enrollment, staff-hiring and onboarding.

Pam Reuther, Chief Operating Officer of Easterseals of Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore, shared the enthusiasm for this new partnership. “Easterseals has a long history of working to meet the unique needs of every individual we support. We’re excited to have been selected as the new Agency with Choice Provider for DDDS and look forward to enabling more individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and their families to play a stronger role in building the supports they need.”

DDDS first made self-directed care through the Agency with Choice program available to its service recipients in 2017 in partnership with Consumer Direct Care Network. “We’re incredibly grateful for the work Consumer Direct Care Network did in partnership with the State to build and grow this program over the last four years,” said DDDS Director Catalon. “Because of their commitment and stewardship of this service, we feel confident in our ability to transition this program to our new partner and continue its expansion in our service system.”

DDDS is one of 10 divisions in the Department of Health and Social Services. It serves more than 5,000 service recipients statewide.

NEW CASTLE (Oct. 12, 2021) – The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services’ Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance (DMMA) and Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDDS) are pleased to announce immediate efforts to stabilize and strengthen the home and community-based services (HCBS) workforce that serves thousands of individuals across Delaware. The State will make targeted payments to recruit and retain the Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who are the critical infrastructure of the human services support system.

Through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Congress provided a temporary 10% increase in federal matching funds to enhance, expand, and strengthen home and community-based services supported by Medicaid.

“Investing in our Direct Support Professional workforce is the first step toward strengthening and expanding our system as a whole,” DHSS Secretary Molly Magarik said. “These investments will be used to support DSPs operating across our entire network of home and community-based services, but will be made available first to DSPs supporting Delawareans with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Maintaining the integrity of this workforce ensures continued availability of this community lifeline for the individuals and families who rely on DSPs every single day.”

Approximately 3,000 DSPs play a vital role in providing critical support for Delawareans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) living in the community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these essential staff are enabling Delawareans with IDD to maintain their jobs and live safely in their communities.

In order to access this additional federal funding, states must develop a detailed spending plan demonstrating how and where the funds will be used. Delaware’s spending plan will include payments directly to DSPs:

• Each new DSP, employed on or after May 1, 2021, who works a minimum of 25 hours a week could receive a recruitment payment of up to $1,000.
• Existing DSPs who were employed prior to April 30, 2021, and who worked an average of 25 hours a week would be eligible for a one-time $1,000 payment.

DHSS intends to begin submitting payments to providers later this month.

Additional details on supports for DSPs working in other sectors of HCBS will be released soon. Additional information on Delaware’s ARPA spending plan can be found on the DHSS website.

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The Department of Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of life of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.