Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on the proposed changes to the Services Selection Guide and Virginia Informed Choice Form. 

The Arc of Virginia promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes. We know that the two documents under consideration are critical to ensuring people with disabilities and their families have opportunities to participate in meaningful decisions about their lives. The recommendations below will help users understand and engage with these documents and achieve optimal outcomes.

Services Selection Guide Recommendations:

• Spell out waiver abbreviations somewhere before the table, preferably the first page.
• Add a brief explanation of the table: “This overview table describes the services available in each waiver. The columns on the left show which waivers have the listed service. Check marks mean the service is available in the waiver."
• Change “X’s” to check marks.
• In each category (i.e. Additional Options) list services in order of how many waivers they are available within, supporting those with visual/tracking disabilities.
• Add a services compatibility chart, explaining which services can and cannot be used at the same time.

Virginia Informed Choice Form:

• We recommend the protocol sheet on page 3 be the first page in the attachment so people read through it before they start filling out the form.
• Add the phrase in quotes: I received the Service Selection Guide “and understand my options.” I completed a review of service options, providers, and alternative options available in my community with my Support Coordinator (SC ) and select the following services and providers of all DD Waiver services I choose to receive, including any changes from earlier choices...
• Question #2 does not align well with the Service Selection Guide, which states that people interested in mentoring can reach out to The Arc of Virginia. Add that people can request assistance with contacting Family-to-Family or Peer Mentoring to the Services Selection Guide.
• Signature lines should be clarified for when an individual is signing versus a legal guardian.

Thank you again for the opportunity to provide input, and please let us know if you have any questions about the recommendations above!