What Does a Care Manager Do?
Their role includes:
- Getting to know you and your goals, strengths, preferences and needs
- Helping develop, update and monitor your person-centered Life Plan
- Helping maintain or access benefits, such as Medicaid, SSI and SNAP
- Coordinating OPWDD services, health, behavioral health and community resources, including advocating with you and for what matters to you
- Providing guidance and referral to resources and services
- Supporting your health and wellness through education and coordination with preventative care and chronic conditions, including helping you make appointments and arrange transportation
- Assisting during life transitions, such as changes in residence, services or health status
How Often Will I Hear From My Care Manager?
At a minimum:
- You will meet in person at least twice per year. One time for your annual Life Plan meeting and the other for a mid-year check-in to review your Life Plan and revise it if needed
- You will have at least two other meetings with your Care Manager each year to make sure your goals are on track, and you are getting needed support with your services, benefits, health, etc. These meetings can be in-person or by video, based on your preference
- Additional contacts will occur based on your needs, and may take place via phone, video or in-person meeting
- Contact your Care Manager with any questions, concerns, or changes. We will respond to non-urgent issues within 48-72 hours. We encourage you to use our supervisory chain of command for urgent issues during business hours, or if you have not heard back from your Care Manager on non-urgent issues within the expected time frames.
- Note that completing a request, such as connecting you to a service, can take several weeks or longer due to required work by your Care Manager and approval by OPWDD or other systems. Your Care Manager will provide updates during routine scheduled check-ins.
How Can You Make the Most of Your Care Management Experience?
You and your family/supports can help by:
- Sharing your goals, concerns and what matters most to you
- Letting your Care Manager know about changes in health, housing, Medicaid benefits or services – including providing copies of documentation when requested
- Being prepared for and participating in Life Plan meetings and check-ins
- Keeping contact information up to date
- Asking questions and speaking up if something is not working
Use the button below to view/download a PDF of the What to Exepect from Your Care Manager information.
The PDF provides fillable fields to record important Care Manager contact information, as well as member information and notes, for your future reference.
