At the outset of New Directions, the State will contract with one to four entities to provide fiscal intermediary functions. The Providers have not yet been identified (as of January,2005). Every person served under this waiver will have their service money managed by a fiscal intermediary. In other words, even though you will direct how your money for services are spent, the money will not be sent to you to be put in your checking account!! It will be sent, every three months, to the fiscal intermediary, who sort of acts like a bank for you. This is important to be sure that the money for your services is safe, and is spent only on services that have been approved in your personal plan.

The Fiscal Intermediary will help you to:

• Pay your service providers,
• Take care of all of the tax withholding and insurance, and reporting requirements. appropriate management of withholdings, tax payments, appropriate insurance coverage and annual reporting requirements.
• Provide monthly statements of account activity – sort of like a bank statement. .
• Help you to make sure that the providers you pick to provide services meet the proper provider qualifications
• Work out the formal provider agreements and will keep detailed records available for yours and DDA inspection. In other words, they will take care of the paperwork for you!

 Who Pays for the Fiscal intermediary?