The self-directed waiver
Mi Via
You get a budget and you run it: you choose the people, set the schedule, and decide what the money buys, inside the state's limits. Started in 1999, and the name means "my path."
The idea
On Mi Via, the state approves a budget and a plan, and then you direct the work. You decide who to hire, including in many cases people your child already knows and trusts. You decide the hours. Within the rules, you decide what the money buys.
That is genuinely more freedom, and it is genuinely a job. Somebody has to interview, schedule, approve timesheets, track the budget, and cover the shift when the worker calls in sick at 6am. On Mi Via, that somebody is usually you.
Who does what
Four roles, and families mix them up constantly.
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You, or someone you name
Employer of Record (EOR)
Directs the workers and vendors: hiring, scheduling, day-to-day supervision. The EOR role is not paid. For a child, this is normally the parent or guardian.
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Assigned to you, chosen by you
Consultant
Your guide. Helps with eligibility paperwork, writes the Service and Support Plan with you, talks to the TPA and FMA, and monitors quality. A good one changes the whole experience.
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State contractor
Financial Management Agency (FMA)
Does the employer paperwork you should not have to: payroll, taxes, vendor payments, budget tracking. Reachable at 505-924-2010 or 866-916-0310.
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State contractor
Third Party Assessor (TPA)
Reviews and approves plans and budgets. Currently Comagine Health, 866-962-2180. When a request is "with the TPA," this is where it is sitting.
The plan and the money
Two documents drive everything.
The Service and Support Plan (SSP) comes out of person-centered planning: your child's strengths, needs, preferences, and goals, then the services that serve those goals. You lead the meeting and you can bring anyone you want to it.
The budget follows the plan. Your ceiling is the Individual Budgetary Allotment (IBA), set by your child's age and level of care. There are separate limits for ages 0 to 17, 18 to 21, and 21 and over. You and your consultant build a detailed budget under that ceiling, listing for each goal the service, the amount, the frequency and duration, the provider type, and the cost. It goes to the TPA through the Mi Via Plan of Care online system, and once approved it becomes your Authorized Annual Budget (AAB): the money you actually have for the year.
The same online system is where you watch spending and approve employee timesheets.
What "budget authority" gets you
Self-direction is three specific powers, not one vague one.
| Authority | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Budget and spending | You spend waiver funds month to month within the approved AAB, and shift between line items by revision. |
| Employer | You are the employer of your child's workers. The FMA carries payroll and the tax filings. |
| Decision-making | You choose the providers, and you set what to pay them inside the state's limits. |
What Mi Via can pay for
The published categories, in family language. Some are adults-only, and the age rules matter, so check each one against your child's age with your consultant.
- Living supports. Homemaker and direct support, in-home living supports, home health aide. Most of these start at 18 or 21.
- Community membership. Community direct support, customized community group supports, employment supports including job coaching and job development.
- Health and wellness. Skilled therapy for adults once state plan therapy is exhausted, behavior support consultation, nutritional counseling, private duty nursing for 21 and over, and specialized therapies such as acupuncture, massage, and Native American healing.
- Respite. Temporary relief so the family caregiver gets a break.
- Things, not just hours. Related goods and services, environmental modifications to the home, emergency response devices, and transportation.
For a child, several of the biggest supports come from elsewhere: living supports, skilled therapies, and private duty nursing under some conditions, plus EPSDT, Medicaid school-based services, and the Family Infant Toddler program. See children and school.
Paying a relative. Mi Via allows some services from relatives and legally responsible individuals, under specific conditions and extra paperwork (there is an LRI form and an approval process). This is one of the most common reasons families choose Mi Via, and one of the most common places they hit a rule they did not expect. Ask your consultant early, in writing.
Who Mi Via tends to suit
It works well when you already have people you trust and mostly need a way to pay them; when you live somewhere with thin agency coverage; when your child's needs are specific enough that a standard service package fits badly; or when being the one who decides matters to you.
It goes badly when nobody in the household has bandwidth for administration. There is no shame in that answer. The DD Waiver exists precisely so that running a small employment operation is not the price of getting help.
Official Mi Via pages
When you need the actual rule rather than our summary of it.
- Mi Via Self-Directed Waiver Program overview, FAQ, Employer of Record fact sheet, how to apply.
- Mi Via services and supports Service standards, appendices, payment schedules, the LRI forms.
- Mi Via service planning and budgets SSP forms and instruction guide, budget rules, FMA and TPA contacts.
Still deciding? The side-by-side comparison is the fastest way to see which way you lean.