Easter Seals Disability Services

Fiscal Intermediary Services

Easter Seals’ Fiscal Intermediary Services began in 1997 when the N.J. State Department of Human Services’ Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) decided to support individuals in the community in a dramatically different way.   

Allocated funds authorized a pilot consumer-driven program known as the “Governor’s Inclusion Initiative” based on the principles of self-determination.  Individuals on the urgent residential waiting list were granted the opportunity to develop, monitor, and authorize the supports and budgets necessary to live within their communities.

The Fiscal Intermediary is the agency that manages the budgets of individuals, pays vendors and providers, and acts as the employer-of-record of staff choosen for hire outside of an agency by each self-determing individual.

N.J. State’s DDD expanded the service provisions offered by its Self-Determination initiative in 2002 and created Real Life Choices, which has become the new way in which DDD provides services to individuals with developmental disabilities.

Previously, individuals were limited in their choices to services provided by care providers under contract to the N.J. State DDD.  The state has now simplified this process by increasing the number of agencies and individuals available to serve those with developmental disabilities, and by expanding the types of services it will cover.

Easter Seals not only provides Fiscal Intermediary Services on behalf of individuals who are self-directing their services through Real Life Choices, but is also a service provider of choice.  For more information about the services Easter Seals provides under Real Life Choices, please click here.

Criteria:  An urgent need for residential services that meets the requirements of the N.J. State DDD.

Counties:  All 21 Counties throughout the State of New Jersey

Contact: 

Madelyn Trautmann, N.J. State Dept. of Human Services’ DDD

Tel: (609) 987-2164, or

Allison Humanick, Director FIS

Easter Seals New Jersey

Tel: (732) 257-6662. ext.

E-mail: alhumanick@nj.easterseals.com

Funding:  N.J. State Department of Human Services’ Division of Developmental Disability (DDD)