Reminder to apply for respite funding

Apply for Caregiver Support (respite) Funding beginning July 1 for the fiscal year 2016. Applications received during fiscal year 2015 for Caregiver Support Services do not carry over to fiscal year 2016. Each fiscal year an application must be completed; Here is more information Caregiver Support Services:
• The program is 100 percent state funded and available on a first-come, first-served basis;
• As long as the Caregiver Support Services funds are available, services may be approved when
an individual meets the state eligibility definition of intellectual and developmental disabilities and the primary caregiver selects an approved provider;
• Caregiver Support Services are available to the primary caregiver if the targeted individual is not currently receiving and does not begin to receive other services from BDDS or other related state programs such as (but not limited to) Vocational Rehabilitation Services, First Steps, CHOICE, or a Medicaid Waiver;
• Applications may be made online, by mail or in-person;
• Online applications are available on this Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) webpage: https://ddrsprovider.fssa.in.gov/BDDS/ConsumerInfo/CaregiverSupportRequest.aspx;
• To apply by mail or in-person please call or visit your local Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BDDS) District Office to request an application. Contact information for your local BDDS Office can be found on this webpage: http://www.in.gov/fssa/ddrs/4088.htm.

Initial budgets will be approved in the amount of $500 for each eligible individual regardless of the number of eligible individuals residing in the home. Successive budgets may be requested by the Caregiver Support Services provider and will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Any new budget is dependent upon available funds. Here is a link to frequently asked questions about the Caregiver Supports Program: http://www.in.gov/fssa/files/Caregiver_Supports_FAQ.pdf.

From Marci Wheeler, Social Work Specialist at the Indiana Resource Center for Autism