HCBS Participant Planning

 
4
Medicaid HCBS Waivers
Developmental Disabilities
https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/NESTATE/subscriber/new?topic_id=NESTATE_788
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What would you like to do?

What you need to know

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​YOU are in charge of your life!​ ​

  • ​​Planning happens during conversations you have with the people who are most important to you. 
  • Your Service Coordinator documents your plan at your meetings. 
  • Your services are provided based on what is written in your plan.  
  • The resources below will help you take charge.​

It is important for your services to meet your needs. This is person-centered planning.  



Planning Your HCBS Waiver Services​

Medicaid and Long-Term Care - Services, Renewal, and Share of Cost

Waiver services are Medicaid services; therefore, you must maintain Medicaid. If your Medicaid closes, your waiver services will also end. 

Medicaid provides health insurance to eligible people. When you are on a waiver you get the same Medicaid benefits as anyone else receiving Medicaid.​

​Annual Renewal

Every year, the Division of Medicaid and Long-Term Care (MLTC) reviews each member's Medicaid eligibility. It is very important to make sure contact information is up to date with Nebraska Medicaid. If Nebraska Medicaid is not able to reach you, you could unnecessarily lose Medicaid coverage.

Check your contact information on iServe

During your annual review, you may need to submit medical documentation:

Share Of Cost Information

Know Your Rights and Recognize Restrictions

Understand your Rights 

​Restriction Resources

Your Service Coordinator (SC)

Your Service Coordinator is there to support you in creating the life you choose. They can advocate for you and will be the person who writes the person-centered plan you create. 

Service Coordination - Watch a video about your case worker and their role.

Your Team

YOU choose who you want to support you. 

Your team must include you, your Service Coordinator, and any Medicaid HCBS service providers who work with you. When you have a guardian, they are on your team. You can invite other family, friends, or organizations.

When choosing a team, it may be helpful to think about:

  • Who are your cheerleaders?
  • Who keeps you grounded?
  • Who is an expert in something you enjoy or want to do?​

Your Meetings

Your meetings are with your team. You choose your team! Your meetings are person-centered for YOU.

There are at least two meetings held each year. Before your meetings, your Service Coordinator talks with you about your needs and available services. Your team will discuss your progress toward goals. When services do not meet your needs, any team member can request a meeting. ​

Provider Options and Self-Direction Resources

You can choose the provider(s) you want to work with. There are different types of providers available for the DD Waivers: Family Support Waiver (FSW), Adult Day (DDAD) Waiver, and Comprehensive (CDD) Waiver. 

DDD maintains resources and directories for providers of the DD Waivers:

  • DD agency provider - a company which is an enrolled Medicaid provider and certified by DHHS to provide developmental disabilities services. The agency provider is responsible for hiring or contracting, and supervising employees and contractors who work with you, and other administrative functions. 
  • DD independent provider - a person enrolled as a Medicaid provider and employed by you. You are responsible for hiring and supervising your independent provider. Once you choose a person, the state has an approval process to ensure requirements are met. Your Service Coordinator will help with the process.
    • DD Independent Providers Directory - includes alphabetical and geographical listings, what services each provider offers, and contact information. 
    • When you work with independent providers, YOU are in charge of directing your services. This is called Self-Direction. The following are available to help you with this decision:

Access Your Information on Therap

Participants and guardians can access Therap, the web-based case management system.

Get Ideas - Participant Success Stories

See how other participants are using waiver services to meet their goals and live their good lives. 

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Charting the LifeCourse - Tools to Plan Your Good Life!​​

Learn about Person-Centered Planning

DHHS and the Nebraska Council on Developmental Disabilities are focused on a Person-Centered Planning (PCP) initiative to provide person-centered supports for all Nebraska's HCBS Waivers. 

Introduction to Charting the LifeCourse (CtLC)

​There is a variety of information to help you think about your services and plan your life:

Life Experience Series - Quick Guides for Using CtLC at Different Ages

  • ​Focus on Early Childhood - Early childhood is the time in a child's life before they begin school full time.
  • Focus on School Age - School age is the years from kindergarten through middle school.
  • Focus on Transition to Adulthood - Transition means that you are moving from childhood to young adulthood and from school to adult life.
  • Focus on Adulthood - Adulthood is the period from the time after we transition from school and childhood years through the time when we enter our golden years.
  • Focus on Aging - Aging is the period of life when we begin to slow down and experience many age-related changes.​

CtLC Service Planning Binder and Ambassador Directory

Nebraska's Community of Practice put together an assortment of tools to help you make decisions about healthy living, safety, employment, independence, and whatever else is important to YOU. 

You can view or print these resources as a full binder, or by section:

CtLC Tool: Integrated Supports Star

CtLC Tool: Life Trajectory

Person-Centered Planning Champions - A CtLC Discussion

DHHS hosts a discussion on the first Tuesday, every other month, at 3:00 PM, Central. This is led by Amy Callendar-Taft, a Service Coordinator Supervisor and CTLC Ambassador.

See the calendar on the DDD homepage for topics.

Anyone can attend. We want to engage participants, guardians, and providers.​

Join Webex Meeting

Meeting number: 2484 319 0031
Meeting password: FQtsucjC343​



Competitive Integrated Employment - Thinking About a Job​

Comprehensive Study of Supported Employment in Nebraska

The Nebraska Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCDD) contracted with national subject matter expert Dr. Lisa Mills, to conduct a comprehensive study of supported employment outcomes and services for people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Mills has expertise and knowledge as a national consultant on Employment First who has worked with over 30 states, including Medicaid, Vocational Rehabilitation, and workforce agencies. She has expertise in Medicaid waivers, Customized Employment, and value/outcome-based reimbursement models for supported employment services.

Supportive Employment Lunch and Learn - October 2025

Lunch and Learn on Supportive Employment (from October 2025) - Learn how services can help you locate the job you want. Presented by Department of Education - Vocational Rehabilitation, Division of Developmental Disabilities, and Nebraska Council on Developmental Disabilities.

Waiver Services to Support Employment 

The decision to work is complicated when you are not sure if you want to work, where you want to work, what type of job you would enjoy, or how having a job could affect your benefits.

  • For information on DD Waiver services which support employment, see the following service summaries: 
    • Benefits Counseling Service Summary - Helps you understand your pathway to obtaining individualized integrated employment or self-employment. It will explain how employment may impact your current benefits. The goal is to increase your economic self-sufficiency through using available work incentives. Includes Benefits Education, Benefits Planning, and Benefits Management.
    • Employment Exploration Service Summary - A time-limited and targeted service to help you make an informed choice about if you want to pursue individualized integrated employment or self-employment. This service can take up to 30 calendar days from the date it starts.
    • Supported Employment - Individual Service Summary - Provides a job coach for one-on-one teaching to help you keep your competitive job. This service is provided at your job. Your provider helps you with job skills and referrals for other resources. This is a habilitative service. 
  • For information on TBI Waiver services which support employment, see the following service handbooks:

Nebraska VR - Find a Job

DDD partners with Nebraska VR for employment services. Nebraska VR provides vocational rehabilitation services to help job seekers. 

Nebraska VR helps people with disabilities prepare for, find, and keep jobs while helping businesses recruit, train, and retain employees with disabilities. They may also: 

  • ​Provide Pre-Employment Transition Services to eligible young adults. 
  • Attend IEP meetings when providing services during the IEP year or if they may provide services. 
  • Provide support for adults with disabilities to evaluate an individual's abilities to help them seek and secure competitive employment opportunities. 
  • Assist with initial job task training and ensure the individual has the necessary accommodations to be successful in the work area. ​

For more information:

Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (NCBVI) - Find a Job

DDD partners with NCBVI to provide vocational rehabilitation for people who are blind or have a vision impairment​.


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Other Resources ​​​

Enable Accounts to Save Money - Includes Lunch and Learn Presentation

​Enable accounts are offer checking, savings, and investment accounts for people with disabilities. This gives participants the ability to save money without it affecting their benefits (up to $100,000). 

Learn More

Guardianship Resources - Information for my Guardian

You do NOT need a guardian in order to have services; however, many participants d​​o have guardians. If you have a guardian, this is some information they need to know about the guardianship process and their responsibilities. 

Supported Decision Making - When I don't have a Guardian

You do NOT need a guardian in order to have services. This does not mean that you have to make all you decisions on your own. 

Nebraska RentWise - Learn about Renting a Place to Live

Nebraska RentWise increases community awareness and support for quality, affordable rental housing. It is a program to help renters obtain and keep rental housing and to be successful renters through education.

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​Learning Opportunities​

Munroe-Meyer Institute

The Munroe-M​eye​r Institute (MMI)​ at UNMC offers training opportunities for both the public and professionals. There are specific training pages for people with disabilities and parents/caregivers.

Therap Training Academy

The Therap Training Academy offers many training opportunities. Enrolling in the training academy is free. Therap is important to the services we provide, so it is important to learn about. The Therap training account is separate from your Therap login.