Safety Net Services Program

Safety Net funded services are primarily intended to help people remain in their own or their family's homes. These services are provided by or through the AACOG/IDD services. In order to receive safety net-funded services, a person who lives in a local authority's service area must:
  • have a diagnosis of (Intellectual Developmental Disabilities (IDD), which is based on:
    • measure of the person's IQ;
    • a determination of the person's adaptive behavior level (ABL); and
    • evidence of the disability that originated before the person's 18th birthday;
  • have a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), such as autism;
  • be a nursing facility resident who is eligible for specialized services for IDD or a related condition pursuant to §1919(e)(7) of the Social Security Act; or
  • be a child eligible for early childhood intervention services.
Service Coordination helps people access medical, social, educational, and other appropriate services and supports that will help them achieve an acceptable quality of life and community participation. Service coordination is provided by an IDD staff person who is typically referred to as a service coordinator.



Employment Assistance helps people locate paid, individualized, competitive employment in the community, and includes helping the person identify:
  • employment preferences, job skills, and work requirements and conditions; and
  • prospective employers who offer employment compatible with the person's identified preferences, skills, and work requirements and conditions.
Supported Employment is provided to a person who has paid, individualized, competitive employment in a setting that includes non-disabled workers to help him or her sustain that employment. It includes individualized support services consistent with the person-directed plan, as well as supervision and training.

Community Supports are individualized activities consistent with the person-directed plan and provided in the person's home and at community locations, such as libraries and stores. Supports may include:
  • habitation and support activities that foster improvement of, or facilitate, the person's ability to perform daily living activities;
  • activities for the person's family that help preserve the family unit and prevent or limit out-of-home placement of the person;
  • transportation for the person between home and his or her community employment site or day habitation site; and
  • transportation to facilitate the person's employment opportunities and participation in community activities.