Preparing for an IRIS consultant meeting means treating it as a working conversation you lead, not a test you pass. The consultant's job is to help you understand IRIS rules, complete paperwork, and build your plan of care. A little preparation before the first face-to-face meeting makes the conversation shorter, clearer, and more useful to you. Knowing your goals, your daily routine, and who helps you now gives the meeting a strong starting point.

Table of Contents

  • [What actually happens at an IRIS consultant meeting?](#what-actually-happens-at-an-iris-consultant-meeting)
  • [What should I have ready before my first IRIS consultant meeting?](#what-should-i-have-ready-before-my-first-iris-consultant-meeting)
  • [How do I decide what to put in my plan of care?](#how-do-i-decide-what-to-put-in-my-plan-of-care)
  • [What questions should I ask my IRIS consultant?](#what-questions-should-i-ask-my-iris-consultant)
  • [What if I want to hire and manage my own workers?](#what-if-i-want-to-hire-and-manage-my-own-workers)
  • [How can skill-building supports fit into an IRIS plan?](#how-can-skill-building-supports-fit-into-an-iris-plan)
  • [What should I do after the meeting?](#what-should-i-do-after-the-meeting)
  • [Key Takeaways](#key-takeaways)
  • [References](#references)

What actually happens at an IRIS consultant meeting?

An IRIS consultant meeting is a structured conversation about your goals, your support needs, and the plan that will guide your services. The IRIS consultant introduces the IRIS program and the concept of self-direction, then guides you through plan development and final enrollment steps, according to the ADRC of Brown County.

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The IRIS consultant agency, or ICA, schedules the first face-to-face meeting. The consultant will meet with you in your home to learn more about you, help with IRIS paperwork, and begin talking about your plan, according to TMG Wisconsin.

During the meeting, the consultant helps you understand IRIS requirements, learn the rules you must follow, complete paperwork, and get your questions answered. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services explains that you and your consultant work as a team to discover goals and long-term support needs. Your plan must be approved before you can begin receiving services or supports.

What should I have ready before my first IRIS consultant meeting?

You should have basic paperwork, contact information for people who already help you, and a written list of questions ready before your first IRIS consultant meeting. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services notes that the consultant helps with IRIS paperwork, so bringing what you have, even if incomplete, is enough to start.

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Prepare a short written list of your goals and what a good week looks like for you. The plan is built around your own goals, and having them written down keeps the conversation focused. Think about the routines that matter to you and the parts of your day where you want more independence.

Self-advocates are encouraged to be open and share as much information as they can so the consultant truly understands them, according to the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities. Sharing honestly about what is working and what is not helps the consultant build a plan that reflects your real life.

How do I decide what to put in my plan of care?

You decide what goes in your plan of care by naming the goals and supports that matter most to you, then working with your consultant to shape them into a realistic plan. The plan of care is your plan, developed with the consultant, and it must be approved before services start, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

The budget estimate for your plan comes from the Long-Term Care Functional Screen, or LTCFS. The IRIS consultant agency provides and discusses that budget estimate with you, according to the ADRC of Brown County. The amount of funding available is determined by the LTCFS, so the plan should be realistic about what the budget can cover.

Name the skills you want to build, not just the tasks you need done today. A plan focused on skill-building supports independence over time. For example, you might include support for learning to manage money, use community transit, or build daily routines.

What questions should I ask my IRIS consultant?

Ask your IRIS consultant how often you will meet, who to contact at the IRIS consultant agency if the fit is not right, how meetings get scheduled, and how providers get paid. The consultant is required to meet with you several times each year, and you may choose more meetings than the minimum, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

If you want a different consultant, you can contact your ICA to request one, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Ask for the name and contact information of the person who handles that request.

Ask how meetings get scheduled. The consultant should not set up meetings without your consent, and some ICAs ask that only the participant or their helpers request meetings, according to Family Voices of Wisconsin. Ask how providers get paid, since providers of IRIS supports and services are paid through a fiscal employer agent, or FEA, according to the ADRC of Brown County.

What if I want to hire and manage my own workers?

You can choose to hire and manage your own workers if you want that level of control over your services. IRIS participants may exercise employer authority, which means serving as the employer of record, including having their own federal employer identification number, according to the ADRC of Brown County.

Participants who exercise employer authority are responsible for recruiting, hiring, training, supervising, and managing their participant-hired workers. This is a significant responsibility, and it is a choice to weigh carefully with your consultant.

Participants who do not want employer authority work with their ICA to identify provider agencies instead. Employer authority is not a requirement of IRIS. The right choice depends on your comfort with managing workers and your preference for how services are delivered.

How can skill-building supports fit into an IRIS plan?

Skill-building supports fit into an IRIS plan as practical, goal-based services that help you build independence over time. IRIS funds supports that align with your goals, and skill instruction is one way to turn those goals into real-life abilities.

Abide Supportive Living provides IRIS-funded Life Skills Training and Education, which is structured skill-building for adults focused on the practical abilities that support living more independently. Related instruction areas include Daily Living Skills Instruction, Money and Planning Skills, and Community Access Skills, all taught alongside the person rather than done for them.

Abide serves Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington counties. Abide provides skill instruction and respite, not housekeeping, personal care, or nursing. If you are building a plan around independence, skill-building supports can be a meaningful part of that plan.

What should I do after the meeting?

After the meeting, follow up on any paperwork the consultant asked for, keep a running list of what is working and what is not, and tell your consultant directly if something needs to change. Your plan must be approved before services or supports begin, so completing requested paperwork promptly helps move the process forward.

You will meet with your IRIS consultant regularly to make sure you are getting the help you need, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Keep a simple running list between meetings. Note what is working, what feels hard, and what you want to adjust.

If something is wrong or you want a change, tell your consultant directly and share as much detail as you can. Self-advocates should talk to their IRIS consultant about what is wrong or what they want to change, according to the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities.

Key Takeaways

  • IRIS stands for Include, Respect, I Self-Direct, and it lets participants direct their own services and supports.
  • IRIS consultant services are contracted by the State of Wisconsin at no cost to the IRIS participant.
  • The IRIS consultant agency gives a welcome call, helps the participant choose or get assigned a consultant, and schedules the first face-to-face meeting.
  • The budget estimate comes from the Long-Term Care Functional Screen and is discussed with the participant by the IRIS consultant agency.
  • The plan of care must be approved before the participant can begin receiving services or supports.
  • An IRIS consultant is required to meet with the participant several times each year, and the participant may choose more meetings than the minimum.
  • Providers of IRIS supports and services are paid through a fiscal employer agent, or FEA.

References

  1. IRIS Consultant Agencies - Wisconsin Department of Health Services
  2. Working with an IRIS Consultant - Family Voices of Wisconsin
  3. Tell Me More About IRIS - ADRC of Brown County
  4. Enrolling in IRIS - TMG Wisconsin
  5. A Self-Advocates Guide to the IRIS Collaborative Decision - Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities
  6. IRIS Handbook - Wisconsin Department of Health Services