The Person-Centered Planning Process

Care Managers assist with a person-centered planning process to document how and where someone wants to live. This leads to securing services that help that person move toward a life of meaning and productivity. 

To access these meaningful services, OPWDD eligibility is required. Once achieved, a variety of assessments are administered to determine the nature and significance of the developmental disability. Also, the assessments determine which supports and services are most appropriate for that individual. Lastly, they must clearly document the ongoing level of need.   

Although the process can seem long, OPWDD requires the administration of specific assessment tools to identify a person’s strengths, needs, interests, and service needs. Information from these tools helps to develop the Life Plan. The Life Plan is a document that outlines the plan of care. For those who are familiar with the IEP document for students with disabilities, the Life Plan is the core of all the planning. It includes the goals, hopes and dreams of the individual. 

The Process

If you’re over 18 years old the Coordinated Assessment System (CAS) is where the process starts. (The CANs is administered to children 18 and under.) CAS is administered by OPWDD through a 3rd party contractor called Maximus. Your Care Manager reviews this assessment with you to ensure the information is accurate and in sync with the Life Plan. Your Care Manager will also administer a new assessment called the PATHs and will work with you to create a Person Centered plan.

Each of these tools look at different aspects of an individual’s needs and are often done on different days and times to get a better sense of the whole person. This process gives the Care Manager insight into the members world in varied circumstances. 

The infographic is a helpful resource in navigating disability services with your Care Manager. Click here to download a full version.

Additional Resource

To help you understand person centered planning assessments and their use, this chart offers information and status updates about changes in the processes.

For further information, watch this Educational Webinar.