Richard Zalewski
iLIFE Program Consultant
My, oh my. How things
have changed.
Thinking back to when our organization took its first steps
into the financial management field, the landscape looked very different. It was 1988.
While more options for services and resources were becoming available to
people with disabilities, the practice of people self-directing their services
was not widely implemented.
From the 1960s through the ‘80s, self-directed service models
sprung out of the independent living movement.
These programs only served small pockets of our country, but they
fostered larger principles that would eventually influence future policies and
programs.
Now, federal regulations and requirements are driving the
transformation of long-term care. Of
course, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Olmstead decision have been huge.
However, additional financial incentives for states to decrease
institutional spending are expanding community based service options. In 2012, nearly half of the $136 billion Medicaid
spent on long-term care went to home and community based services.
Wisconsin’s participant-directed supports program, IRIS, is
an increasingly popular option for people wanting to exercise
self-direction. iLIFE is the fiscal
employer agent for IRIS, which currently serves over 11,000 participants. Additionally, veteran-directed service
programs (VD-HCBS) have expanded across the United States. iLIFE provides financial management services
to VD-HCBS participants in Wisconsin, Illinois, and the Upper Peninsula of
Michigan.
As more long-term care programs become available and self-directed
options expand, financial management service providers are in a unique position
to help people and their families better live and work in their community.
Over the past quarter century, there has been a great deal
of change. I hope this commitment stays
the same.
Learn more about our services at iLIFEfms.com.
