GT IndependenceWhere We ServeHow to Start Self-Direction in the District of Columbia

Washington DC

Enrolling in the Services My Way program?

How do I get in-home support for myself or my loved one?

With self-direction, you have the right to live the life you choose. Everyone’s situation is different. For some, self-direction means receiving full-time support from someone they trust–right in their home and community. For others, it might mean hiring a friend to help make dinner or water the flowerbeds a few times a week. The goal is for you to choose what type of support you want and need.

GT Independence works with these waiver programs in Washington DC:

  • Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (EPD) – Services My Way (SMW) Program
  • Individualized Family Support Waiver (IFS)

You deserve to live the life you choose. GT is here to make that easier.

More About Self-Direction

Learn more about how self-direction works across the country. 

How GT Independence Can Help You

GT Independence is a financial management service (FMS) and support broker. This means that you decide who provides the support—and we handle the details.

For example, you hire a participant-directed worker (PDW) you know and trust. We support you by taking care of all the necessary paperwork, like timesheets, paychecks, and training for your workers. As your assigned support broker, we’ll also help you develop your budget and get the training you need to succeed. We’ll also help manage your new hire paperwork and communicate with your case manager. There’s a lot to learn as you self-direct your service–GT’s here to support you every step of the way.

Together, Let’s Make Support Simpler

At GT, we believe you should be able to decide who supports you and your loved ones. GT is here to help you learn how to control your own support in Washington DC. So you have the information to decide what is best for you.

Why Choose GT?

  • We’ve Been In Your Shoes

    People with disabilities own and lead GT, and we have focused on self-direction since our start in 2004. We understand that directing services for you or your loved one can feel complicated. But we are here to walk you through the process—and continue to support you if you need us.

  • Self-Direction Is All We Do

    GT is a financial management service (FMS) and support broker that focuses on one thing: self-direction. Our people are experts and understand how programs work in Washington DC and in states across the country. We serve thousands of participants nationwide, helping each person live the life of their choosing.

  • Support Specialists That Care About You

    Our Washington DC support team is here to help make your life easier. Your team is trained on the ins and outs of DC’s programs and waivers. And on getting you to a live person in around 30 seconds.

    This ensures you always have access to the information you need to make important decisions. We can also support more than 200 languages on request.

    At GT, we’re ready to assist people receiving services, employees, case managers, and all agency staff. Our goal is to find frustration-free solutions for everyone involved in self-direction.

  • Tools and Resources Designed for the Details

    GT has designed many tools to help manage the details of self-direction. The secure online GT Portal helps you keep track of your services and check on payments to your participant-directed workers. If you need to hire a worker, you can use Find a Caregiver on the portal to look up potential people near you.

    And the Caregiver app by GT lets employees log their hours and check the approval status of their time entries. We take care of the details, so you can focus on living your life.

Find a Participant-Directed Worker (PDW) 

Looking for a potential employee near you? Your GT Portal account has a PDW database with over 30,000 potential workers.

Sign in to your GT Portal account and select the Find a Caregiver tab to search for potential workers near you. 

Don’t have an account? Contact us

Get Added to the Participant-Directed Worker Database 

Want to support people in their own homes (and get paid)? We can add you to Find a Caregiver, our online participant-directed worker database. Potential workers near you can find you in the database and send you job offers. Contact us, and we’ll help you get started.*

*Entry into Find a Caregiver requires a background check

Find a Program

Services My Way (SMW)

Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (EPD) Program

Services My Way (part of the EPD waiver program), lets you stay in your own home and community rather than go to a nursing home. You can direct your own care and choose what services you want to receive. You can also hire friends or family members to support you.

Individualized Family Support Waiver (IFS)

How to Get Started

Take these steps to begin self-direction with Services My Way.

  1. Talk with your case manager about your eligibility for Services My Way.

  2. Once you’re eligible, a GT support broker will reach out to you and  your case manager to get started.

  3. Begin self-directing your services through the Services My Way (SMW) program.

Ready to get started?

Looking for a form?

To view forms, log into your portal account and visit the resources tab.

Don’t have access to a portal account? Get in Touch

Your Support Team in Washington DC

Sharlene Adams

Director of Operations

Washington DC Customer Support
Call: 877.659.4500
Email: customerservice@gtsd.org

DC Office Location and Hours

GT Independence, DC
2041 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE, Suite 402
Washington D.C. 20020

Open Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Learn More About Self-Direction

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