Respite

Our families are among the most committed and dedicated people we know. However, we recognize that along with your family member's joys, it can also take a lot of energy to meet the day-to-day care needs of a family member with a disability. Family Respite is intended to provide the family with funds to arrange an occasional short-term break from the daily care of their family member, who cannot be left unsupervised.

Family respite may be available when the individual resides at home with their family. Since Family Respite is a Medicaid-funded service, the individual must be eligible for an appropriate Medicaid eligibility category for their family to receive a respite allocation. The individual must also be determined by the Bureau of Developmental Services (BDS) to meet "Level of Care" eligibility criteria and have authorization from BDS to have the respite service billed before utilizing the allocation. Your case manager will be happy to assist you with this!

Once a respite allocation is approved and you are notified of your quarterly allocation, the family determines who will provide respite support, schedule it at convenient times, and pay the provider directly within the hourly amount approved and up to the approved quarterly allocation. The family will then submit a reimbursement voucher to access respite funds they paid to their chosen provider.

Note:  Parents and other persons responsible for day-to-day care cannot be reimbursed with respite funds. 

Respite Guide for Families
Electronic Respite Reimbursement 
2024 Respite Calendar