Intake and Resource
Connecting you with resources in the community
What does the Resource Team Do?
- Meets with new person asking for services/assistance
- Offers Short-Term Assistance and Referral (STAR) Program
- Manages core services
- Advocates for person on the state DD waitlist
- Provides TEFRA care coordination
- Facilitates/records person-centered plans
- Responds to respite requests
- Assists with problem-solving challenging situations
- Provides information/advocacy in school setting
1. Meets with new person asking for services/assistance, assists with eligibility application
To be eligible for REACH services:
- Must have a mental or physical impairment.
- This impairment must have existed before age 22.
- Because of this impairment, the individual has substantial functional limitation (high level of difficulty) in three or more of the following areas:
- Self-care (requires an excessive amount of time and/or supervision and/or human assistance on a regular basis to perform at the level of one's non-disabled peers in two or more areas - eating/drinking, toileting, grooming, or dressing.)
- Receptive and expressive language (Requires human assistance on a regular or continuing basis and/or presents such difficulty as to take an unusually long time as compared with peers)
- Learning (Limited in the ability to acquire new knowledge or transfer knowledge and skills to new situations and performs well below peer level, even when specialized intervention is used.)
- Mobility (Assistance to maintain ambulation and mobility using fine and gross motor skills, requiring an unusually long time and/or human assistance on a regular or continuing basis and/or a barrier free environment is required.)
- Self Direction (Assistance to initiate and/or maintain an age-appropriate level of personal relationships, socially acceptable behavior or judgement requires supervision on a regular basis and/or human assistance.)
- Independent Living (Unable to maintain performance at peer level in at least one of these four areas - using community resources, household maintenance, personal and family roles and responsibility, or time and money management.)
- Economic self-sufficiency (Fully dependent on external sources of money as a result of limited ability to find and keep adequate employment.)
- Because of the individual's limitations, special care, treatment or other services are needed that are of extended duration and individually planned and coordinated.
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2. Offers Short-Term Assistance and Referral (STAR) Program
The STAR Program provides referrals and assistance to consumers on the state DD waitlist. Funds are available to address barriers to independence or to prevent crisis situations.
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3. Manages core services
Core services is an annual grant of $3,000 to an individual on the state DD waitlist. Funds are flexible.
Core services will pay for:
- Support services like respite or supported employment
- Training, consultation or classes to enhance independence
- Dental, medical or therapies
- Developmental materials, toys and devices
- Specialized and adaptive equipment
- Home modifications
- Vocationally related materials
- Transportation to gain access to community services or activities
- Travel if related to family unification or for short-term training
- If all other needs are met, cores services will pay for recreational/cultural/leisure activities or recreational and leisure equipment and tools needed to participate in an activity.
- Cars and insurance
- Ongoing rent and utility payments
- Food/groceries not related to the nutritional needs due to the disability
- Non-disability or non-safety related household furnishings/supplies
- Computers unless used as the primary educational and communication tool for the individual (needs prior approval)
- Daycare
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4. Advocates for person on the state DD waitlist
To be placed on the waitlist for Medicaid waiver services, a person must complete a waitlist assessment. The person's place on the waitlist is determined by the number of points received based on need. The resource team member will update the assessment information as needs change.
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5. Provides TEFRA care coordination
TEFRA is a Medicaid program for children up to age 19 who meet the following eligibility:
- The child must be living at home
- The child must meet an institutional level of care (the child needs frequent monitoring due to a chronic physical condition. If direct specialized care is not provided, the child would need to be institutionalized for their health and safety.)
- The child's resources and income are counted (not the parents). Resources must be less than $2,000.
- It must be feasible and safe for the child's care to be delivered in the community.
- The cost of care in the home must be less than the cost of care in the institution.
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6. Facilitates/records person-centered plans
REACH services are driven by a person-centered planning process. Every consumer who receives full services has an annual Person-Centered Planning team meeting. This is a meeting involving friends, family, staff and anyone else the person would like to invite to discuss a person's strengths and interests and develop goals. The focus of the meeting is to help the person achieve their hopes and dreams.
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7. Responds to respite requests
The Respite Coordinator is a member of the Intake and Resource Team. She maintains a pool of providers and matches families with providers who can meet their respite needs.
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8. Assists with problem-solving challenging situations
Every week, the Resource Team provides an opportunity for REACH staff to attend their team meeting to discuss and brainstorm ways to better support the people REACH provides services to. This includes everything from behavior difficulties to funding questions.
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9. Provides information/advocacy in school setting
Resource Team members will often attend IEP meetings to provide parent support and advocacy, and help problem-solve situations.
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To contact a resource team staff member: REACH@REACHAK.orgClick here to view this page as text only
REACH 213 Third Street, Juneau, AK 99801
Phone (907)586-8228 Fax(907)586-8226
