The IRIS consultant agency’s roles and responsibilities focus on several key areas to support the IRIS participant in self-direction as follows:
- Provide initial orientation for a person who has chosen IRIS for long-term care, including assisting the person in selecting a consultant who will work in partnership with the participant.
- Provide comprehensive and detailed IRIS program orientation and skills training to participants related to self-direction, support and service plan development and individual budget management.
- Provide information and training to participants regarding individual budget management and the participant’s obligations for financial accountability and eligibility in the program.
- Provide information and training to participants regarding the roles and responsibilities of being an employer.
- Establish a participant’s IRIS start date and coordinates and communicates this start date with the ADRC and IM.
- Provide information to participants on the participant’s responsibilities related to cost share obligations as calculated by IM.
- Conduct functional screens for IRIS participants annually to ensure that continued functional eligibility is maintained, and when a change in participant condition warrants a new functional screen.
- Interact with the fiscal employer agencies, the ADRCs and DHS as needed surrounding IRIS continuing eligibility issues.
- Review budget status and expenditure reports with the participant.
- Develops and maintains a network of consultants.
- Provides general and specialized support and information to IRIS consultants regarding such matters as housing, employment, youth transition planning, behavioral management, and relocation assistance.
IRIS consultants are trained and responsible to:
- Assist participants in understanding IRIS.
- Serve as an ongoing source of collaboration and support to participants in self-direction.
- Provide a level and frequency of consultant support that is responsive to a participant’s changing strengths, needs, and preferences.
- Assist a participant in the development and ongoing implementation of their support and service plan and use of the budget, including the identification of informal or natural supports.
- Assist participants, as needed, in the identification of qualified service providers and helps to ensure that service providers receive adequate training.
- Develop and submit requests for additional funding to meet exceptional, changing, and/or one-time needs to DHS.
- Administer the review and approval process for support and service plans for IRIS participants, including changes or additions to plans as appropriate.
- Review budget updates and exceptional expense requests and submits completed documentation to DHS for review and approval.
- Help assure program quality through various quality management activities that are carried out in partnership with the participant and DHS. These activities involve, but are not limited to: personal experience outcomes, provider qualifications, participant emergency and back-up plans, critical incident reporting, and service plan and budget monitoring.
- Act as the primary contact for program participants.
- Assist participants to coordinate their IRIS-Self Directed Personal Care services.