St. Coletta’s of Illinois expands services for intellectually disabled

Navigating care for intellectually disabled children and adults living at home can be a daunting task for families.

That’s why St. Coletta’s of Illinois has added Self-Direction Assistants (SDA) to its repertoire of services. SDAs will help families arrange for, direct and manage services for their loved ones.

When you have an intellectually disabled person living at home rather than a residential care facility, it’s not uncommon to feel lost at first, said Kim Cappelletti, director of social services at St. Coletta’s of Illinois.

“Many don’t have a clue where to start,” she added. “They need someone to help them sort through everything.”

For 75 years, St. Coletta’s of Illinois has been providing residential and vocational training services to developmentally disabled children and adults from the south and southwest suburbs.

Last year, the non-profit social services agency decided to expand its services to include self-directed assistants and applied to the Illinois Department of Human Services to become a registered Home-Based Services (HBS) provider.

The application was approved in October, and the agency began accepting referrals in November.

Now, St. Coletta’s Self-Direction Assistants can help families manage paperwork; budget for personalized care and services; navigate end-of-life planning and care; and facilitate approval requests for adaptive equipment, assistive technology, home and vehicle modifications, temporary assistance and therapies.

Other services include:

• Meeting with Independent Service Coordination (ISC) agencies for Discovery and/or Personal Plan
• Assisting with Medicaid Spenddown forms (HFS-2653) and submissions
• Providing information on and assisting with the hiring process of Personal Support Workers (PSWs)
• Assisting with and/or providing training on billing and timekeeping for PSWs each month
• Assisting with the completion of service agreements and updates for all waiver services
• Assisting with employment/educational supports

SDA services are paid for using HBS waiver funds through the Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver program. Families do not need to pay for the services out of pocket.

Families interested in more information may contact Kim Cappelletti, director of social services, at 708-342-5200 or info@stcil.org.

Persons interested in applying to be an SDA may view the job description on the St. Coletta’s of Illinois website.

Based in Tinley Park, St. Coletta’s of Illinois serves more than 300 children and adults from the south and southwest suburbs each year. Its therapeutic day school, the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. School for Exceptional children, serves developmentally delayed students ages 3-22 while its Community Day Services program works with adults, helping them build adaptive learning skills, improve economic self-sufficiency and become more independent.

The agency also operates an Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) for high need individuals.

For more information about St. Coletta’s programs and services or how you can support its mission, please visit www.stcolettasofil.org