Supports Broker Services

What is the Supports Broker Service?

Supports Broker Service is a direct (face to face) and indirect service to individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism in arranging for, developing, and managing the services they are self-directing either through an employer authority or budget authority.

Your Supports Broker will provide helpin accessing Participant Directed Services (also known as self-direction). With Participant Directed Services, an individual or their representative serves as a Common Law Employer (CLE) or a Managing Employer (ME).

How can a Supports Broker help?

A Supports Broker assists participants or their designated Managing Employer with employer-related functions in order to be successful in self-directing some or all of the services needed by the participants. The Supports Broker works collaboratively with the participant's Supports Coordinator and team.

Who can use a Supports Broker?

The service is available to individuals who live on their own or with a family member who elects to self-director some or all of their services. There is a maximum of 260  hours per year.

Determining the need for a Supports Broker

• The participant and/or Managing Employer is self-directing the individual's services and requires additional assistance.
• The Supports Broker is able to assist the participant but they will not actually perform the activities.
• A Supports Broker will help determine what assistance or support is needed for the participant to perform the managing employer functions.
• Supports Brokers will provide documentation to support the continued need for services as necessary for service reauthorization.
• Supports Brokers should assistn participants with the functions and activities utilized to manage or co-manage their Support Service professionals.

A Supports Broker Can:

• Explain and provide support in completing paperwork.
• Help identify areas of support that will promote success with self-direction and independence and communicate it to the team, as well as advise any changes to the ISP along with the ME.
• Assist CLEs and MEs in developing a process to determine pay rates for Support Service Professionals so that CLEs/MEs can perform such tasks independently and without ongoing assistance from the Support Broker to the fullest possible extent.
• Assist CLEs and MEs to understand and participate in orientation and trainings provided by the Vendor/Fiscal Employment Agency or Agency with Choice.
• Provide education, guidance and support in developing effective recruiting and hiring techniques so that CLEs/MEs can perform such tasks independently and without ongoing assistance from the Supports Broker to the fullest extent possible.
• Assist CLEs/MEs in developing a process and provide assistance to recruit and retain workers.
• Educate and support CLEs/MEs on managing service utlization such that overall expenditures do not exceed authorized units for services, and assisting in the development of a method to accomplish this on an ongoing basis.
• Provide technical assistance and support to CLEs/MEs to establish a process for creating work schedules that include both workers and (when applicable) unpaid supports, including developing, implementing and modifying backup plans for when a worker or unpaid support is unable to work due to an emergency, acute illness, etc.

In addition, the Supports Broker will work collaboratively with the Supports Coordinator and service plan team but may not perform Supports Coordination functions. 

For more information, please contact Shayla Andrews at (814) 806-6408 or shaylaandrews@barberni.org.