Good questions, straight answers.

giv.care generally supports Utahns with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are eligible for DSPD services and Utah Medicaid, and whose plan authorizes a service giv.care provides. We serve families anywhere in Utah.

Whether we can support a specific person depends on the services authorized in their plan and whether their chosen DSP qualifies. We serve families statewide.

Services are authorized through the person’s Person-Centered Support Plan (PCSP), which they build with their Support Coordinator. The plan sets which services the person receives and how much; DSPD must approve increases. giv.care can only provide — and be paid for — services that are authorized for giv.care in that plan.

Source: Community Supports Waiver application, Appendix D.

No. DSPD determines eligibility for DSPD services, and the Department of Workforce Services determines Medicaid eligibility. giv.care is a provider. We confirm whether a person’s authorized services, location, needs and chosen DSP fit what we can provide.

A Support Coordinator helps the person develop their Person-Centered Support Plan, coordinates their services and monitors how the plan and budget are used. You can change Support Coordinators at any time. Your Support Coordinator is the person to tell if you’d like giv.care as a provider.

Source: DSPD Guide to Eligibility & Services.

It depends on three things: the services being authorized for giv.care, the DSP completing screening and training, and setup being finished. We don’t commit to a start date until all three are complete.

If the person isn’t receiving DSPD services yet, eligibility doesn’t always mean services can begin right away. Many people wait for state funding on the DSPD waiting list.

Often, yes — when they meet the employment and training requirements, the service is authorized in the person’s plan for giv.care, and the program allows that relationship to provide that service.

Under the Community Supports Waiver, relatives such as siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins may provide services they qualify for, and so may friends and neighbors. Spouses, parents and guardians have narrower rules (see below). We confirm what applies before anyone is offered a role.

In limited situations. Under the Community Supports Waiver, a parent or guardian may be paid only to provide Supported Living, only when the support is “extraordinary care” beyond what a parent would typically provide, when it’s the person’s choice, and for no more than 40 hours a week. A paid parent can’t also direct the services.

How these rules apply to parents of adult children can depend on the details, so we confirm them for your family before any role is offered.

Source: CSW application, Appendix C-2-d. Other programs have different rules.

Under the Community Supports Waiver, the same limits apply as for parents and guardians: Supported Living only, in “extraordinary care” situations, as the person’s choice, and up to 40 hours a week. Other programs have different rules, so we confirm what applies to you.

Transportation works differently depending on the service. Under the Community Supports Waiver, for example, transportation during Supported Living is included in the Supported Living rate and isn’t billed separately, while non-medical transportation is a separate service that must be authorized on its own. Medical transportation isn’t a waiver service.

Source: CSW application, Appendix C.

Let us know as early as you can. Depending on the service and the plan, options may include rescheduling within the authorization or another qualified DSP on the person’s team. Because most giv.care teams are built around people the family chooses, we encourage families to identify more than one trusted DSP where possible. We can’t guarantee backup staffing.

Authorized waiver services are funded by Utah Medicaid. Whether any cost applies to your household depends on the person’s Medicaid eligibility, which the Department of Workforce Services determines. For children on the Community Supports Waiver, parents’ income and assets are not counted. Ask your Support Coordinator or DWS if you’re unsure.

Source: Utah Medicaid — long-term care and waiver programs.

With SAS, the person or a family member becomes the employer, with a fiscal agent handling payroll. With giv.care, you still choose your DSP, but giv.care is the employer.

Talk with your Support Coordinator and with us about whether moving services to a provider agency makes sense for you.

Yes. giv.care DSPs are W‑2 employees, not independent contractors. giv.care handles payroll and withholding.

For DSPD services, provider staff complete required training on a schedule — generally emergency procedures and first aid, abuse and neglect reporting, rights, medications and person-specific training within 30 days; CPR within 90 days; and crisis-intervention training within six months, followed by continuing training each year. Exact requirements depend on the service.

Source: CSW application, provider qualifications.

Shifts are planned with the person and family within the hours authorized in the plan. A DSP can’t work more hours than are authorized, and some relationships have weekly limits — for example, 40 hours a week for paid spouses, parents and guardians under the Community Supports Waiver.

Electronic visit verification (EVV) is an electronic record of each visit: who provided the service, what service, where, and when it started and ended. Utah Medicaid requires EVV for personal care and home health services, which includes in-home DSPD services such as Supported Living, Personal Assistance and hourly Respite.

Sources: Utah Medicaid — EVV; Utah Admin. Code R414-522.

Transportation provided during an authorized service may be treated differently from employee mileage reimbursement. Before using a personal vehicle while working, ask the giv.care team which trips are permitted, what documentation is required and whether mileage reimbursement applies. Medicaid billing and employee reimbursement are separate questions.

Pay depends on the service, your qualifications and the hours authorized in the individual’s plan. Any estimate we give is not a job offer or a guarantee of hours or pay.

Utah requires a Department of Health and Human Services background check for people who work directly with the individuals they support. It includes criminal history, abuse registries and fingerprint-based records. Please tell us about any past charges up front; some records need additional state review.

Please don’t put any of these in a website form: Medicaid ID numbers, diagnoses, assessments, service plans, dates of birth, medical information, detailed support needs or other protected documents. Website forms are for a first, general conversation. After we talk, we’ll collect what’s needed through a secure channel.

This website collects only what we need to respond to you, and the “find where to begin” questions stay in your browser. Once someone becomes a giv.care client or employee, their information is handled under our privacy practices and applicable law.

Tools that help authorized members of the support team coordinate services and access the information they need.

Read our privacy policy.