Community Membership Supports are intended to help the participant participate in community life to enhance relationships with others, work or participate in meaning activities. These supports include: Community Direct Support (CDSS), Customized Community Group Supports (CCGS) and Employment Supports (ESS).
Please see the Mi Via Self-Directed Waiver Service Standards - Appendix A: Service Descriptions in Detail for more information.
Community Direct Supports Services
Community Direct Supports Services (CDSS) deliver support to the eligible recipient to identify, develop and maintain community connections and access social and educational options.
Customized Community Group Supports
Customized Community Group Supports (CCGS) occurs in integrated, congregate community day programs and centers offering functional meaningful activities that assist with acquisition, retention, or improvement in self-help, socialization and adaptive skills for the participant. This service can only be provided through a provider agency (vendor).
Employment Supports
Employment Supports (ESS) provide support to the participant in achieving and maintaining employment in jobs of his or her choice in his or her community. The objective of ESS is to provide supports that result in community employment in jobs which increase economic independence, self-reliance, social connections and the ability to grow within a career. These supports are geared to place and support individuals with disabilities in competitive, integrated employment situations with non-disabled co-workers within the general workforce or to assist the individual in business ownership. ESS include job development and job coaching supports only after available vocational rehabilitation supports have been exhausted. ESS are to be individualized to meet the needs of the participant and not the needs of a group.
Person-Centered Assessments and Career Development Plans
Providers of ESS (individual or vendor) works with the participant to develop a Person-Centered Assessment (PCA). The PCA is a process that results in a written report that brings out important information about the participant. The PCA helps to customize the supports the participant needs to engage in community activities or to get and keep employment.
A Career Development Plan is an action plan and is used with individuals at various stages of employment. It is completed after the person-centered assessment. For job seekers, it may include developing a discovery profile or meeting with specific businesses for job interviews. For someone who has been working for a while and is receiving job maintenance supports, the plan may include strategies to develop natural supports and/or to develop opportunities to learn new skills for career advancement. For someone who wishes to start a small business or Microenterprise, the plan might consist of writing a business plan, securing funding or locating vendors for materials.
Please see the following director’s releases on PCA to learn more.