Summit DD Service and Support Administrators, or SSAs, have many roles and play an important part in the lives of over 2,000 adults in Summit County. They help connect people with disabilities to the services and supports they need, but it’s important to note that they do not choose the providers for people. Not only are there rules against choosing providers for an individual, but assigning someone to a provider they had no say in would rob that person of their right to choose! This process (commonly referred to as “free choice of provider”), though essential, is a timely one for each SSA. That’s why Summit DD now has a designated SSA who will assist adults and their teams through the process of finding and choosing a provider that best meets their needs.

“We were looking for ways to meet the same high level of service for people,” explained Melissa Skiljan, Director of Services & Supports Administration. “We found that this frees up time for SSAs to ensure the quality and expectations are maintained, while the Free Choice Of Provider SSA can streamline the choice process for the team.”

Free choice of provider refers to a person’s right to choose any qualified service provider (assuming the provider of services is willing and able to meet your service needs). Summit DD has a designated SSA to assist you with this process. The role of this SSA is not to choose a provider for you, but rather help identify what may be important to you and then set up interviews with a few selected providers so that you can then determine your final choice.

This is just one of the many ways that Summit DD is working to empower Summit County residents with developmental disabilities. If you or a loved one are looking for more information about choosing a provider, please contact your SSA or send us a message on our Contact Us page.