DDRS update: group home conversions

Family Voices Indiana shares this information from DDRS regarding group home conversions:

To: Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services Stakeholders 

From: Tracy Myszak, Interim Director, Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services

Re: Supervised Group Living Homes to Waiver Homes Conversion

Date: January 24, 2013

I would like to take this opportunity to provide assurance the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative 

Services remains committed to current efforts toward the conversion of Supervised Group Living Homes 

to Waiver Homes.  The Division also will continue to provide support and assistance to all stakeholders 

during this process.

In accordance with the national shift to move Long Term Support Service (LTSS) consumers from 

institutional services to Home and Community Based Services (HCBS), the Division of Disability and 

Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) will be helping providers convert their Supervised Group Living (SGL) 

Homes to Waiver Homes.  The State embraces this effort to move LTSS consumers to HCBS settings 

because it eliminates institutional barriers, promotes consumer freedom of choice to select services to 

best fit their needs, and creates environments to further integrate consumers into the community.  

Provider Assistance

To assist providers with the conversion of their group homes, the State will be offering the following 

assistance: 

 To support providers and mitigate the risk to convert SGL homes to waiver homes, DDRS will 

work with Providers on a 1-on-1 basis until June 30, 2013 to develop and award providerspecific Risk Mitigation Grants.  The application should follow the SGL Procedural Guidelines 

Document and include a completed Grant Proposal Template with a Grant Proposal 

Summary.  If a provider has any questions or would like to schedule a meeting prior to 

submitting an application, please contact David Fox at david.fox@fssa.in.gov. 

 After June 30, 2013 DDRS will no longer work with providers on a 1-on-1 basis.  DDRS will 

reserve $5 million in grants to allow providers to apply for funds to mitigate their risk.  

However, these grants will be on a first-come, first-serve basis and will only be available 

until all funds are allocated.  The application should follow the SGL Procedural Guidelines 

Document and include a completed Grant Proposal Template with a Grant Proposal 

Summary.  

 Any provider that does not work with DDRS on a 1-on-1 basis or receive a portion of the Risk 

Grant Funds will not be assisted in their conversion of SGL homes to waiver homes.

Capacity for HCBS Waiver Settings Changes

The State recognizes many consumers enjoy living with their current housemates, like the home in 

which they live, and do not want to move; therefore, the State is seeking legislation to exempt these SGL 

homes from the four person maximum allowed for HCBS Waiver settings. The legislation would increase 

the maximum number of residents in an HCBS Waiver setting to 8 individuals for the converted homes.

Example:  An SGL home that currently has seven residents and converts to a waiver home would 

continue to be able to serve seven residents.

SGL Home Licensure Changes

With providers converting their SGL homes, DDRS will be sun-setting the following SGL home licensures 

on September 30, 2015: 

1. Adult Support Residence

2. Basic Developmental Residence

3. Developmental Training Residence

4. Intensive Training Residence

5. Sheltered Living Residence

Equal Assessments

The ICAP evaluations of the SGL consumers have been completed and the ALGO scores (service level 

used to develop consumers’ budget) assigned.  The State is releasing the ALGOs to the provider, 

consumer, and guardian at the same time.  The ALGOs are being released as quickly as possible at a 

controlled rate so any reviews can be handled timely. Currently, District 1-4 ALGOs have been released, 

and the State is working on District 5.  Below is a table of expected ALGO release dates (dates subject to 

change):

District 1: complete*

District 2: complete*

District 3: complete*

District 4: complete*

District 5: 1/4/13 – 1/25/12

District 6: 1/30/13 – 2/11/13

District 7: 2/20/13 – 3/1/13

District 8: 3/6/12 – 3/20/13

*There may be a very small number of outstanding ALGO scores not released due to several variables; 

we are working with these providers to get them completed.

To ensure that all providers are aware of the changes mentioned above, DDRS will be directly reaching 

out to all providers with whom it has not had previous conversations about the SGL Conversion.