Tag: HCS

Families Who Receive In-Home Care Services: Take Note of 2022 Changes

Posted on by Nicol Walsh

A Brief Overview

  • Everyone who gets state-funded in-home care in Washington is affected by a new employment structure for Individual Providers (IPs).
  • The Consumer Direct Care Network of Washington (CDWA) is the new Consumer Directed Employer (CDE) for all individual providers of state purchased in-home care.
  • The CDWA website offers support in multiple ways by online live chat, email, phone, webinars, and in person. See below for direct links and phone numbers.

Full Article

Some individuals with disabilities need help at home for various reasons related to activities of daily living. People who are eligible receive those services as part of a state-funded benefit. A professional who comes to the home to provide that help is called an IP—an Individual Provider.

Washington IPs have historically worked under contracts with various social service agencies, such as Home and Community Services (HCS) and Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA). Those contracts are changing.

A legal change that takes effect in 2022 means that these employment contracts are managed differently. Every Washingtonian who uses in-home personal care services provided by state agencies is affected, including children and adults with disabilities and people who need in-home help due to aging.

Here’s new vocabulary to describe the change:

Individual Providers (IPs) now work under the Consumer Direct Care Network Washington (CDWA). The CDWA operates as an independent Consumer Directed Employer (CDE).

CDWA will employ approximately 47,000 dedicated caregivers who provide in-home personal care and respite services. Providers are transitioning to this new organization of work in early 2022.  To see what’s happening in your area, check out the map on the CDWA website.  

For information and training materials, and to register for CDWA webinars, please visit the Resources page.

The CDWA website offers multiple ways families and providers can reach out for information: