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COMBINING VENDOR F/EA AND SUPPORT SERVICES. William A. B. Ditto Director, New Jersey Division of Disability Services & Project Director, Personal Preference (NJ Cash & Counseling Program). COMBINING VENDOR F/EA AND SUPPORT SERVICES. SOME HISTORY . . . . .
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COMBINING VENDOR F/EA AND SUPPORT SERVICES William A. B. Ditto Director, New Jersey Division of Disability Services & Project Director, Personal Preference (NJ Cash & Counseling Program)
COMBINING VENDOR F/EA AND SUPPORT SERVICES SOME HISTORY . . . . . • NJ kept them separate when we began Personal Preference in 1999 • We felt there were benefits to having the two functions performed by different vendors • Over time, we came to see that combining the two made sense • In 2006 re-bid we combined the functions
COMBINING VENDOR F/EA AND SUPPORT SERVICES • PROS • Increased communication between F/EA and counselors • Ease of monitoring and oversight • Less confusing for participants in terms of using the services • Ease of making policy changes • Training and orientation of staff made easier and more efficient
COMBINING VENDOR F/EA AND SUPPORT SERVICES • CONS • Potential of reduced choice for participants • Need to keep F/EA functions and counseling separate • “Double danger” in the event that vendor ceases operations • Program “identity” may appear to rest with F/EA & counseling vendor, not the state agency
COMBINING VENDOR F/EA AND SUPPORT SERVICES • SOME ADDITIONAL POINTS • Participants were not as interested in “choice” as we assumed. • It is better to prohibit the combined F/EA & counseling vendor from the delivery of any direct services • State and vendor must be clear in terms of expectations, performance standards and deliverables and understand that the counselor must sometime also be the “advocate”