KNOW YOUR RIGHTS:

Listed below are suggested steps to take if DDD tries to decrease, change or remove any service hours.
1. You do not need to agree to the change, denial or reduction of services. At the end of your PCSP Meeting, if you do not agree to what was discussed state that you do not agree, will not be signing the Planning Document and that you will be filing an appeal and grievance. See numbers 9 and 10 on how to do this.
2. Do not disclose to your Support Coordinator that you are a parent provider, if you are one, just disclose you have a provider. Unfortunately, despite being perfectly legal and allowed by the DDD, there seems to be a growing resentment among Support Coordinators toward the parent provider program. If they already know, state that you are working with your agency to find a non-family provider. DDD Support Coordinators have the ability ask the agency who the provider is for each member but they do not have access to this information independently.
3. After each 90 day meeting read the entire planning document which should be emailed to you a few days later. If you do not complete your signature (or lack of signature) within 7 days of the signature email being sent to you, your “signature will be forfeited.” If you disagree with the Planning Document be sure to note this in email as well.
4. ALL correspondence with your DDD coordinator should be in writing. If you have a phone/video conference PCSP meeting with them, have a follow up email stating “I wanted to follow up after our meeting to make sure I understood everything we talked about correctly. If I am misrepresenting anything incorrectly, please email me back and correct it immediately.”
5. Remind the Support Coordinator that if they want to change your child's services, that a new assessment will need to be done. If the Support Coordinator initiates changing the hours, ask “What has changed since their last assessment that would indicate a decrease of needs? There has been no change in our home, our child’s condition and our resources that would constitute a change to services rendered.”
6. Ask why the hours are being reduced or discontinued. If the reason given is because of "natural supports." Ask the Support Coordinator to detail what they define are natural supports? And what has changed with these “naturals supports” since the first assessment was done.
7. Ultimately, the pediatrician dictates your child health care plan NOT DDD. Get a written formal letter and a prescription for the service needed stating reasons why from your child’s pediatrician. See attached DDD policy and procedures for Habilitation, Attendance Care, and Attendance Care Supervision at the end of this post. Use the verbiage from the policies which state why someone would qualify for each service. Send this letter and prescription to your Support Coordinator. Write out the letter for your pediatrician, they will appreciate it since they are busy people. And ideally, make an appointment to discuss it with them, not just call it into the office. If you end up fighting for the hours with DDD, they might call the pediatrician and you want your pediatrician to go to bat for you. The pediatrician will remember you came to their office and discussed the need, not just them signing a letter their medical assistance put in front of them.
8. If the Support Coordinator continues to deny hours request an official NOA, which is a Notice of Action. This is DDD official denial of services. Technically, the hours for the service should still be awarded until they give you this NOA.
9. If you disagree with the planing docment, we highly recomend that you file an appeal, even without a Notice of Action being given. That appeal can be filed with the DDD Office of Administrative Review. It must be filed within 60 days. See this website for additional information: https://des.az.gov/services/disabilities/developmental-disabilities/-individuals-and-families/request-an-appeal-on-an-adverse-benefit-determination
10. You can also file a grievance with DDD at the DES DDD Customer Service Center; [email protected]; (844)-770-9500.  Again, technically, the hours for the service should still be awarded until they give you the grievance is process is resolved.
11. Finally, request a new Support Coordinator through DDD Customer Support. According to DDD policy, you are within your rights to ask for a new support coordinator for any reason and be honored that request (see link below See number 4 & 5): https://des.az.gov/services/disabilitis/developmental-disabilities/individuals-and-families/individual-and-family-rights
12. AFTER all of the above steps have been taken and your concern regarding hours, evaluations and/or your child's Support Coordinator has not been resolved DDD has requested that you contact Barbara Crawford who is the DDD Support Coordination Program Administrator. Her email is: [email protected]. Also CC Zane Ramadan: [email protected].
ATTACHMENTS:
Habilitation Services: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nB8fNP1PnuBR1EVmwV38PDUyiotv3MXw/view?usp=sharing
Attendant Care Supervision Requirements Age 17 and Younger: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I1CLQO6OHn9BzTYG0B8SrbzVbuL6R46Y/view?usp=sharing
Attendant Care and Homemaker - Direct Care Services: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q_bo33SKd8rRnac9ccpuA9lBPvknFGTM/view?usp=sharing