CDS Services

CDS, Consumer Directed Services for CLASS providers, CDSA, Medicaid Waiver, Foster Care, Home Foster Care, ICF/MR for disabled children and adults in Dallas, Fort Worth, Dallas County, Tarrant, Hunt, Denton, Parker, Van Zandt, Hunt, Collin, Rockwall, Smith, Gregg, Wise, Johnson, Ellis, Henderson, Navarro, Hood, Anderson, Houston, Cherokee, Rusk, Erath, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Cooke, Grayson, Fannin, Lamar, Delta, Hopkins, Franklin, Red River, Titus, Bowie, Cass, Morris, Marion, Panola, Shelby, Sabine, Nacogdoches, Angelina, Trinity, Wood, Upshur, Rains, Titus, and San Augustine counties in Texas		Text Size A A A

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CDS (Consumer Directed Services)
Options | Opportunities | Responsibilities

The CDS option allows individuals or their legally authorized representatives (LARs) to be the employer for program services. Employers recruit, hire, train, supervise, and terminate their service providers. Individuals who use the CDS option must work with a Consumer Directed Services Agency (CDSA) that will provide financial management services, such as processing payroll and filing payroll taxes for the employer.

UCP is a CDSA that offers the CDS option to CLASS (Community Living and Support Services) consumers who receive personal assistance and respite services within their current home and community-based program in Texas. CDS allows consumers to hire and manage the persons who provide their services.

CDS Option Opportunities and Responsibilities (Top)
If you are considering self directing your services it is important to understand both the opportunities and the responsibilities of using the CDS option before making a decision.

Opportunities in the CDS Option (Top)

You select and manage the people who provide your services
You schedule who provides program services and when they are delivered
You train and supervise the services delivered by your service providers (service providers include employees, contractors and vendors)
You control the rate of pay for your employee(s) within the spending limits of the unit rate for the service
You can offer benefits, such as bonuses, vacation pay, sick pay and insurance, to your employees
You select a CDSA that will pay your service providers and make deposits and file reports with governmental agencies on your behalf
You may be able to recruit eligible service providers, including family members, friends and other persons you know to work for you. The person selected must meet all eligibility requirements of the specific program you are enrolled in to be hired or retained
You may appoint someone as your Designated Representative to assist or to perform employer responsibilities for you.
You can ask for help from a CDS Support Advisor.

Responsibilities in the CDS Option (Top)

You are responsible for backup arrangements for services to be delivered if your employee or service provider does not show up for work.
Your service providers are not the employees of the CDSA, the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS), any other state or federal agency or any other contracted provider agency.
As the employer, you are solely responsible and liable for any negligent acts or omissions by you, your employees, other service providers and your DR.
You are responsible for handling all conflicts with service providers. The CDSA and the individual’s other program provider agencies are not involved in these situations.
You are required to keep and store paperwork for up to five years or possibly longer.
The employer is ultimately responsible for payroll taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) and is liable if the CDSA fails to pay.
The employer is responsible for meeting all requirements as any employer in any business and can be held liable for failure to meet those requirements.

For more information on CDS at UCP please contact DonnaMattson@ucpnorthtexas.org
For more information on CDS please click here!