Empowered Match Method · Oregon I/DD caregiver matching
A better match starts with the whole person—not a score.
We begin with the support in your approved plan. Then we consider caregiver readiness, relationship, communication, routines, support style, schedule, and real-life fit. You can meet a possible caregiver, ask questions, and decide whether you want to move forward.
ReadinessCan the caregiver safely support the approved plan?
RelationshipCan communication, trust, and support style work?
Real lifeDo schedule, location, routines, and logistics fit?
Your decisionThe person decides whether to move forward
A match built around you
Three layers help us look at the whole fit.
No single signal decides the match. We bring useful information together so the person can make a more informed choice.
01 · READINESS
Can the caregiver do the work safely?
We look at the approved plan, required skills, training, communication needs, schedule, setting, health and safety instructions, and other preparation that must be in place.
02 · RELATIONSHIP
Can the working relationship feel respectful?
We consider communication, boundaries, comfort, routines, goals, support style, and the person’s preferences about how support feels in everyday life.
03 · REAL LIFE
Can the practical pieces work together?
Location, schedule, transportation, availability, household rhythm, community activities, and other logistics matter because a match has to work beyond an introduction.
Readiness + Relationship + Real Life
Readiness first
Before relationship fit, we understand the support itself.
Matching begins with what is already authorized and documented—not assumptions about what someone needs.
Approved plan + service
We review the authorized service, outcomes, staffing, setting, schedule, and the tasks Empowered is expected to provide.
Health + safety instructions
We review existing health, medication, emergency, behavior-support, delegation, and safety instructions that affect caregiver preparation.
Communication + daily life
We learn how the person communicates, what helps them feel understood, and the routines, mobility, sensory, personal-care, meal, transportation, and community needs that matter.
Caregiver preparation
Required screening, background checks, employment steps, training, credentials, person-specific preparation, and documentation must be complete before paid support begins.
This is not a clinical evaluation. Empowered uses the approved plan, existing protocols, and information from the person and authorized support team. The Match Method does not diagnose, prescribe, create a professional behavior plan, determine I/DD eligibility, or authorize service hours.
Seven relationship signals
Then we look at how support may work in real life.
Select a signal to see what it means. These signals guide conversation; they do not create an automatic score or assignment.
Selected signal
Comfort and connection
We look at whether the caregiver’s presence, pace, boundaries, and support style may help the person feel respected, comfortable, and able to communicate what works.
Human connection
Person-centered preferences matter, and employment decisions must still follow applicable fair-employment and nondiscrimination requirements. Protected traits are not used as shortcuts for skill, safety, or fit.
Explore · Meet · Connect · Decide
The method organizes information. The person makes the choice.
When Empowered identifies a possible caregiver, the goal is not to “win” a score. It is to create enough clarity for a real conversation. The person can ask questions, notice how the interaction feels, and decide whether they want the relationship to move forward.
A match should feel like a conversation, not a ranking.
How matching works
Five steps from information to a possible connection.
The order can overlap depending on what is already authorized, whether a caregiver is already known, and what employment or onboarding steps remain.
01 · LISTEN
Start Customer Intake
We learn the county, support situation, goals, communication preferences, schedule, and the people the person wants involved.
02 · REVIEW
Understand the approved plan
We review the authorized service, responsibilities, training, setting, and other information that affects caregiver readiness.
03 · EXPLORE
Identify a caregiver pathway
A trusted caregiver may come through Empowered Choice, or our matching team may review caregiver profiles and other potential caregiver pathways when matching support is needed.
04 · MEET
Connect and decide
When a caregiver is proposed, the person can meet them, ask questions, consider the connection, and decide whether to continue.
05 · PREPARE
Complete requirements before paid support
Employment, screening, onboarding, training, person-specific preparation, and required documentation must be complete before authorized paid support begins.
Different starting points
The doorway depends on where you are starting.
These are different journeys. Choosing the right first step keeps the process clearer for the person and the caregiver.
I need help finding a caregiver
Start Customer Intake. Empowered can review service fit and, when appropriate, use the matching team and the Match Method to explore possible caregiver connections.
I want to be considered for possible customer matches
Create a Caregiver Profile. Our matching team can use your profile when exploring possible customer-caregiver fit. A profile is not a job application and does not guarantee a match, hours, or employment. If a possible match develops and both sides want to continue, Empowered explains the formal employment application and later onboarding requirements.
Empowered Choice is the distinct pathway for a trusted family member, friend, neighbor, or longtime supporter to be considered for employment as the person’s DSP when requirements are met.
Parent or guardian supporting a minor child? Parent-paid care for an eligible child follows Oregon’s separate Children’s Extraordinary Needs (CEN) Program. CEN is for eligible children under 18 with very high medical or behavioral support needs. Ask the child’s Services Coordinator about that pathway, or contact Empowered and we will help clarify the next step.
A good introduction is only the beginning of care quality.
The Regional Care Model keeps accountability visible after services begin. Matching does not replace supervision, communication, reporting, or ongoing support.
01
Care Manager accountability
The Care Manager remains accountable for county-level care and DSP workforce outcomes, including formal supervisory responsibility.
02
Care Coordinator follow-through
A Care Coordinator may provide frontline coordination, delegated DSP oversight, communication, documentation, and early issue resolution.
03
Check-ins + reporting
The care team follows communication, required documentation, care-quality feedback, progress information, changes, and open next steps.
04
Plan for change
If a caregiver becomes unavailable or the fit changes, the team reviews the approved plan, preferences, schedule, and available options. Replacement coverage is not guaranteed.
What the Match Method does—and what it does not do.
The method helps us…
Understand the approved support and caregiver preparation needed.
Bring communication, routines, goals, support style, schedule, and logistics into the conversation.
Create a clearer introduction when a possible caregiver is identified.
Keep the final decision with the person receiving support.
The method does not…
Automatically assign a caregiver or let a score make the choice.
Guarantee a match, start date, employment, hours, backup worker, or uninterrupted coverage.
Replace the CDDP, brokerage, Services Coordinator, Personal Agent, or approved-plan process.
Diagnose, prescribe, or create clinical or professional behavior plans.
Matching questions
What people ask most.
Plain answers about readiness, choice, coverage, Empowered Choice, eligibility, employment pathways, and what happens after a match.
What is the Empowered Match Method?
It is Empowered Services’ person-centered approach to exploring caregiver fit. We begin with the support in the approved plan, confirm caregiver readiness, consider relationship and real-life fit, and help the person meet a possible caregiver when appropriate. The person decides whether to move forward.
Do health, medication, behavior, or safety needs affect matching?
Yes. We review the approved plan, existing protocols, emergency information, training requirements, and other instructions already in place so we understand the preparation a caregiver may need. The Match Method does not diagnose, prescribe, create a professional behavior plan, determine I/DD eligibility, or authorize service hours.
Does a score or algorithm decide my caregiver?
No. The Match Method organizes useful information, but it does not automatically assign a caregiver or let a score make the decision. When Empowered proposes a caregiver, you can meet them, ask questions, consider the connection, and decide whether you want to move forward.
Is the same caregiver or uninterrupted coverage guaranteed?
No. Thoughtful matching may support fit and continuity, but staffing changes and absences can still happen. Your care team can review your preferences, approved plan, schedule, and available options and help coordinate the next step. A replacement worker or uninterrupted coverage is not guaranteed.
Can someone I already know become my paid caregiver?
In some situations, yes. Empowered Choice allows a trusted family member, friend, neighbor, or longtime supporter to be considered for employment as your DSP when authorization, relationship, program, screening, training, and employment requirements are met. A parent or guardian seeking paid care for an eligible minor child should ask about Oregon’s separate Children’s Extraordinary Needs (CEN) pathway.
What if I do not already know a caregiver?
Empowered can help explore possible caregiver fit. Our matching team may review caregiver profiles and other potential caregiver pathways, while the Match Method helps consider readiness, relationship, communication, routines, support style, schedule, location, and other real-life factors. You decide whether a proposed connection moves forward.
Does Empowered Services determine I/DD eligibility or authorize service hours?
No. Your local Community Developmental Disabilities Program determines I/DD eligibility. A Services Coordinator or Personal Agent provides case management and helps with needs assessment, planning, and finding and using authorized services and supports. Empowered provides services within the approved plan and applicable authorization.
What happens after a caregiver connection moves forward?
Required employment, screening, onboarding, training, and person-specific preparation must be complete before paid support begins. After services start, the Care Manager remains accountable for county-level care and DSP workforce outcomes, while a Care Coordinator may provide frontline coordination and delegated oversight around the assigned care relationship.
Can a caregiver use the Match Method to be considered for possible customer matches?
A caregiver who wants to be considered for possible customer matches can create a Caregiver Profile. The matching team may use that profile when exploring fit. The profile is not a job application and does not guarantee a match, hours, or employment. If a possible match develops and both sides want to continue, Empowered explains the formal employment application and later onboarding requirements.
Your next step
Start with what you know. We’ll help with what comes next.
Start Customer Intake if you are looking for services or matching support. Create a Caregiver Profile if you want to be considered for possible customer-caregiver matches. Or call us if you are unsure which path fits.
