To our DAIL Friends and Colleagues:
The Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living, in partnership with the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA), individuals, families, guardians, providers and other stakeholders, have been involved in a major project with Developmental Services to develop a new payment model that we hope in the long run will increase transparency and accountability, be as easy as possible to administer and give greater flexibility to individuals, families, guardians and providers in service delivery while at the same time preserving and strengthening the important values contained in the State’s Developmental Disabilities Act. It is the most significant change to Developmental Services in Vermont since the closing of Brandon Training School in 1993. We have been plugging away at this for a couple of years now and while we are making steady progress, it has been very challenging to devote the time and attention that this project requires while at the same time keeping up with the existing full-time work that is on everyone’s plates. This is especially the case for Clare McFadden, who has been serving as the Director of the Developmental Disabilities Services Division (DDSD) and due to her extensive experience and expertise, has also been needing to focus full-time on the DS Payment Model work.
We are very pleased to let you know that starting next week, Clare will be transitioning to serve as DAIL’s new Deputy Director of Payment Reform. Clare will be working out of the Commissioner’s Office, continuing to work closely with all involved in this project. This will allow us to devote more time and resources to the Payment Reform work as it is critical that we be thoughtful and deliberate in this effort, that our work products be accessible so that all of our partners can fully participate and give meaningful input and that this effort results in a new payment model that achieves our goals, supports providers and serves people well. Looking forward, we know we will learn lessons from this project to inform future Payment Reform efforts with some of our other programs.
We will begin recruitment for a new Developmental Disabilities Services Division Director as soon as possible and are targeting next week for the position to be posted in the State’s Recruitment system. If you or anyone you know might be interested in this opportunity, we encourage you to watch for the posting which will include details about who to contact if you would like more information. In the meantime, Clare will continue the juggling act leading the DDSD and working on the DS Payment Model until we have a new DDSD Director on board. Please join us in congratulating Clare on her new position and thank you, Clare, for your on-going commitment!