July News & Updates
Get Register Ready

Q: What is the NJ Special Needs Registry?

A: The NJ Special Needs Registry is designed to assist emergency responders in locating and safely evacuating individuals who may find it difficult to help themselves in the event of a major disaster (i.e. a hurricane).

Q: Is there a fee to register?

A: The NJ Special Needs Registry is- free, voluntary, strictly confidential, protective of your privacy, and is a way to protect yourself in the event of a major emergency.

Q: How can I Register?

A: There are multiple ways to register. You may log on to: Register Ready or telephone
2-1-1 (toll free). Telephoning your County Office of Emergency Management is also an option, as is mailing a complete paper form to your County Office of Emergency Management.
Individuals Under 21 Enrolled in the Community Care Program (CCP)

There is a small group of children under age 21 who are eligible for DDD services and enrolled in the Community Care Program (CCP). These children are eligible for transition into CCP-FFS and are actively being assigned to Support Coordination Agencies.
 
The ISP for an under-21 child cannot include any DDD-funded services that are being provided (or are available) to the child through his/her educational entitlement (e.g., PT, OT, AT, Day Habilitation). All other CCP services, such as respite and behavioral supports, are available to them, since those services are typically provided through the DCF Children’s System of Care (PerformCare).  
NJ Minimum Wage Law: Impact on Agencies
and Self-Directed Employees

Earlier this year, Governor Murphy signed a law to raise New Jersey’s minimum wage to $15 by 2024. The new law may impact some provider agencies and individuals who receive DDD-funded services from a self-directed employee (SDE). The minimum wage in New Jersey is $8.85 per hour, and the increase will happen in increments as follows:

EFFECTIVE DATE: MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES TO:
July 1, 2019 $10 per hour
January 1, 2020 $11 per hour
January 1, 2021 $12 per hour
January 1, 2022 $13 per hour
January 1, 2023 $14 per hour
January 1, 2024 $15 per hour


The first step for individuals who need to raise their SDE’s hourly wage in order to comply with the law will be to contact their support coordinator (SC). The SC will need to work with the individual/family to identify a wage that complies with the law and is supported by the budget.

Below are the steps needed to raise an SDE hourly wage in the PPL model and in the current (non-fee-for-service) Easterseals model:

For PPL SDEs
  1. Individual/family contacts SC to discuss a higher SDE wage and how it will impact the service plan.
  2. Individual/family submits Employee Hourly Wage Change Form to PPL.
  3. PPL processes form, notes the change in their system, and emails new billable rate to SC.
  4. SC receives email from PPL with new billable rate and creates new SDE service line (and stops previous SDE service line).
  5. Revised plan is approved.

The new hourly wage is not in effect until the revised plan is approved.

For Current Easterseals SDEs (e-Record and Interim)
  1. Individual/family or SC contacts Easterseals and identifies the new hourly wage desired for the SDE.
  2. Easterseals reaches out to the DDD Self-Directed Services Unit to review the plan, service, current budget and anticipated tier budget, and justification for the SDE wage increase.
  3. DDD SDS Unit advises whether desired hourly wage is viable or services need to be adjusted to make it viable.
  4. SC revises plan accordingly and submits to DDD for review.
What is AwC?

A new DDD SDE model available to individuals who utilize one or more self-directed employees (SDEs) In this co-employment model the Fiscal Intermediary holds the EIN and is the employer. The individual acts as the co-employer/managing employee

Employer-sponsored health benefits available to SDEs working 30+ hours/week for the employer (Easter Seals). Paid time off available to all SDEs, based on number of hours and number of years worked for the employer (Easter Seals).

Soft enrollment into this model is expected to begin July 2019. The cost, referred to as the Per Member Per Month (PMPM) fee, is deducted monthly from the individual’s budget. The cost is still being finalized with AwC vendor, but current estimates are approximately $200/month ($2,400 annually) if all SDEs work less than 30 hours per week for Easter Seals and approximately $600/month ($7,200 annually) if one or more SDEs work 30 or more hours per week for Easter Seals and elect health benefits.

Once the DDD informs us that this system is operational, we will inform families who would like to use this model rather than the current model through PPP. 
Email Validation:
Many of you have seen email validations emails come across your email. It is important to validate your email account so that the DDD, as well as Spectrum, has the correct contact information to reach you.

Please see below for an example :