Once your child is granted OPWDD eligibility, you can apply for waiver services – which can provide life-changing support. OPWDD services can be accessed traditionally, or via self-direction. 

Choosing the best service structure for your family can feel overwhelming. You may be wondering what self-direction is, how it differs from traditional services, and if it’s the right way for you to get services. 

Hamaspik’s intake team supports hundreds of families each year as they navigate this important decision, offering clear guidance on both available paths. This guide outlines the key differences between the two options so you can move forward with confidence and clarity.

Self-Direction vs. Traditional Services: The Core Difference

Self-direction offers you more freedom to shape your services by giving you a budget to allocate to approved services, rather than a set number of service hours. With self-direction, you have more control and flexibility over how you access support and how much you pay your providers.

Self-direction also comes with more responsibility, paperwork, and hands-on management. It tends to work best for individuals and families who want to be actively involved in planning and managing services.

In contrast, traditional services deliver support via a defined number of approved hours for each service. Hamaspik handles all paperwork and coordinates support workers and programs, providing structured support with minimal hands-on management. This option works well for families seeking predictable, reliable services without administrative responsibility.

By understanding both approaches, you can decide which option best fits your family’s needs, preferences, and capacity right now.

How services are structured

Your self-direction budget can be allocated to several approved areas such as respite care, community classes, transportation, and other approved supports. While you can hire providers of your choice at your preferred rate, all services and expenses must meet specific program guidelines.

In the traditional setup, you receive a set number of hours for each eligible service, and providers are paid the set OPWDD rate.

Beyond what services you receive, it’s also important to understand who will be working with you under each structure.

Who’s on your team?

Whichever service structure you choose, your Hamaspik coordinator will guide you and serve as your point of contact to help you access services.

With self-direction, you’ll start by working with a broker — chosen by you, or provided by Hamaspik when available. Your broker helps create your budget and submit initial documentation.

Once you begin services, you’ll be assigned a dedicated coordinator who acts as the Fiscal Intermediary (FI), handling the government funds and paying providers based on the paperwork you submit. Our Preapprovals team manages any additional preapprovals required for certain expenses (such as classes, memberships, or household-related items).

With traditionally structured services, you’ll work with a dedicated coordinator who creates a plan that ensures you’ll get the most out of your services — from connecting you with excellent-fit respite workers and providers to recommending helpful programs and guiding you every step of the way.

‍What you’ll be responsible for

With self-directed services, every expense in your budget must be documented with receipts and required paperwork. You’ll have to obtain and maintain all required documentation. 

Your broker and FI coordinator will meet with you monthly to collect documents, review spending, and make sure your budget is up to date. As with all OPWDD services, your support workers will clock in and out using a specific app, and you’ll need to approve your providers’ timesheets.

With traditional services, there’s little-to-no paperwork or ongoing updates for families, other than approving providers’ timesheets. 

Costs and budget structure

There is no out of pocket cost for any OPWDD services. 

With self-direction, the broker’s rate is called a “fringe rate” and it’s built into the overall overall budget. Hamaspik’s fringe rate is only 18% of the total budget – lower than the NYS average 26%.