§ 41.43 Family support services.

(a) The commissioner of the office for people with developmental
disabilities, directly or through contract, and within amounts made
available therefor, shall establish a family-directed, statewide system
of comprehensive family support services. The purpose of family support
services will be to enhance a family's ability to provide in-home care
to their family members with a developmental disability.

(b) In administering family support services, the commissioner may, to
the extent practicable, establish standards for outcome assessment and
performance reviews of the goods and services obtained whether such
goods and services are purchased pursuant to contract with the state,
through reimbursement of families, through the issuance of vouchers to
families for the purchase of goods and services, or through other means.

(c) For purposes of this section, family supports are goods, services,
and subsidies, determined by the family and the commissioner of the
office for people with developmental disabilities, which are provided to
meet the goals of: (i) providing a quality of life comparable, to the
extent practicable, to that of similarly situated families without a
family member having a developmental disability; (ii) maintaining family
unity; (iii) preventing premature or inappropriate out-of-home
placement; (iv) reuniting families; (v) enhancing parenting skills; and
(vi) maximizing the potential of the family member with a developmental
disability.

(d) The developmental disabilities advisory council created by section
13.05 of this chapter shall establish a committee pursuant to the
provisions of paragraph one of subdivision (c) of section 13.05 of this
chapter, comprised of members selected by the commissioner, to be called
the committee on family support services. The committee shall (i)
provide information to the commissioner on the needs of families caring
at home for a family member with a developmental disability; (ii) advise
the commissioner on policies related to family supports and services;
and (iii) offer advice to the commissioner on the design, implementation
and monitoring of family support services. Members of the committee
shall include persons with a developmental disability, family members of
persons with a developmental disability, and professionals and others
with an interest in the care of persons with developmental disabilities.
A majority of the committee shall be family members of persons with
developmental disabilities. Members shall only receive reimbursement for
expenses incurred in connection with their duties on the committee.

(e) The commissioner, in consultation with the committee on family
support services, shall submit by January first, nineteen hundred
ninety-three, and annually thereafter for four years, reports to the
governor and the legislature concerning family support services. Such
reports shall include, but not be limited to, the following: an analysis
of family support services provided by contract agencies and those
provided by the state, the amounts and sources of funds expended
annually for family support services by region and by type of service,
the number of families receiving services, the number of families
estimated to be in need of family support services, the results of
consumer and family member assessments of family support services, and a
description of any new initiatives and recommendations for future
action.