Voucher Respite

The Illinois Department of Human Services is providing a grant opportunity for the Voucher Respite program, which aims to provide short-term, group supports to children and/or adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities. The program allows provider agencies to issue reimbursement vouchers or direct pay vouchers for families to purchase direct care support staff or special recreation program services. The goal of the program is to reduce caregiver stress, provide relief to families, and help maintain individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities in their homes. Key aspects of the program include: • Providing voucher respite services to individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities • Ensuring that individuals receiving voucher respite services are not receiving waiver services or respite services from other State-funded agencies • Providing a voucher to families for reimbursement of costs associated with hiring direct care support staff or participation in special recreation programs • Providing direct pay to providers for direct care support staff or special recreation programming • Ensuring that vouchers are provided through reimbursement to families or direct pay to service providers • Maintaining a list of unduplicated individuals who received or requested services through voucher respite • Providing surveys to individuals and/or guardians being provided respite services and summarizing the responses.