A clear referral. A care team that follows through.
Refer someone to Empowered Services for authorized I/DD support across Oregon. Start with Customer Intake, or contact us first to ask about service fit, county capacity, or a specific situation. We do not determine I/DD eligibility or authorize service hours.
Statewide referrals all 36 countiesTypical follow-up 1–2 business daysSecure intake for private information
StatewideReferral inquiries across Oregon
Clear next stepIntake + care-team follow-through
36 countiesStatewide service inquiries
6 service areasBased on the approved plan
2 caregiver pathsTrusted person or matching support
Care teamRegional + county accountability
Is Empowered a good fit?
Start with the person, the plan, and what they need next.
Referral partners do not need to solve the entire pathway before reaching out. These are common reasons a referral may fit Empowered Services.
They need authorized support at home or in community
The person’s approved plan may include one or more services that Empowered can provide. Staffing level, setting, activities, and service type depend on authorization and the plan.
They already know someone they trust
Empowered Choice may allow a trusted person to be considered for employment as the person’s DSP when relationship, program, authorization, and employment requirements are met.
If the person does not already have a caregiver, Empowered can use its matching process to consider communication, routines, goals, location, support style, availability, and relationship fit.
Regional and county care roles support communication, DSP oversight, documentation, required reporting, changes, caregiver support, and practical follow-through after services begin.
Not sure whether the referral fits? Start Customer Intake or contact the partner route. We can clarify service fit and the next step without promising authorization, availability, or a start date.
Services a referral may involve
Six service areas. One approved plan guides the work.
Empowered Services supports people with I/DD in Oregon. The person’s approved plan determines which services, staffing level, setting, and activities are authorized.
Daily life
Attendant Care
Authorized help with daily living, personal routines, household tasks, communication, community access, and other plan-based needs.
Learning
Skills Training for Daily Living
Coaching, prompting, and practice while supporting everyday tasks so the person can build greater independence.
Caregiver break
Relief Care
Authorized support from a different worker when the person’s usual caregiver needs time away or is unavailable.
Work
On-the-Job Attendant Care
Attendant-care support while the person is working when authorized in the plan. This is distinct from job coaching.
Adults
Day Support Activities
For adults: scheduled support focused on community participation, communication, social skills, and other approved outcomes.
Adults
Community Transportation
For adults: transportation support when it is authorized and fits the person’s approved service plan and applicable transportation rules.
Empowered Services does not determine eligibility or authorize services or hours. The referral and intake process helps clarify whether Empowered can provide the authorized support.
What happens next
From referral to service start, with clear ownership.
The order can change depending on what is already authorized, whether a caregiver is already known, and what onboarding steps remain.
01
Start Customer Intake
Share the person’s county, contact information, service situation, and the people they want involved. Use the secure intake pathway for private information.
Empowered reviews the inquiry, confirms what information is still needed, and explains the service and caregiver pathway without promising authorization or a start date.
03
Connect to the approved plan
We coordinate with the person and their Services Coordinator or Personal Agent so the authorized service, outcomes, setting, and agency responsibilities are clear.
04
Choose the caregiver pathway
A known caregiver may follow Empowered Choice. If matching is needed, recruiting uses caregiver profiles to explore potential fit.
Required screening, background checks, training, employment steps, service-specific preparation, and documentation must be complete before paid services begin.
06
Begin authorized services and stay connected
Once the required pieces are in place, the DSP provides authorized support and the care team stays involved with oversight, communication, reporting, changes, and follow-through.
Clear roles. Better teamwork.
Case management leads the plan. Empowered delivers the authorized support and follow-through.
The person remains at the center. Different roles carry different responsibilities around planning, authorization, employment, service delivery, supervision, and communication.
Services Coordinator or Personal Agent
Provides case management, helps the person plan and manage authorized services, and coordinates the broader support system.
Regional Care Manager
Connects regional care strategy, community partnerships, customer and caregiver experience, and local relationship-building.
Care Manager
Holds county-level care accountability and DSP workforce responsibility, including formal supervisory accountability.
Care Coordinator
Provides frontline coordination, delegated DSP oversight, documentation, communication, and practical follow-through around assigned care relationships.
DSP + specialist support
The DSP provides authorized support. HR, compliance, billing, recruiting, and other specialists support the employment and agency systems behind dependable care.
Empowered Choice and Oregon’s Children’s Extraordinary Needs Program are different pathways. Referral partners should route them distinctly.
Empowered Choice
For a person who already knows a trusted family member, friend, neighbor, or longtime supporter they want considered as their DSP. The person receiving support starts Customer Intake while the chosen caregiver follows the separate Empowered Choice employment pathway.
Authorization, relationship, program, screening, training, and employment requirements apply.
For eligible children under 18 with very high medical or behavioral support needs. Parents or guardians of enrolled children may be paid to provide up to 20 hours of care per week.
If a child is enrolled in or joining CEN, coordinate with the child’s Services Coordinator and contact Empowered Services about the parent-caregiver hiring and onboarding pathway.
A proposed match is only useful if the person wants to move forward.
When a person needs help finding a caregiver, matching considers readiness, relationship, and real-life fit. The person can meet possible caregivers, ask questions, consider the connection, and decide whether to continue.
A team member reviews the inquiry or intake, confirms receipt, and explains what needs to happen next.
02
Consent and privacy
Private information belongs in secure intake and authorized systems. Updates are shared with the appropriate partners when permitted.
03
Required reporting
Service documentation, progress information, and required reports are provided to the Services Coordinator, Personal Agent, or case-management team as required.
04
Community connection
Regional teams can help connect people and partners with local resources, events, activities, and community relationships that fit real life.
Community partnerships
Bring Empowered into your community.
Regional Care Managers build relationships with CDDPs, brokerages, schools, health teams, family groups, and community organizations. We can explain the service model in plain language, share referral pathways, and connect people with useful resources.
DSPs and caregivers receive required onboarding and training, clear communication, oversight, check-ins, and a team they can turn to. Empowered also supports caregiver wellbeing, self-care, and community care so people are not carrying demanding work alone.
Paid training Care-team communication DSP oversight Documentation support Backup planning Wellness + community care
Ready when you are
Make the referral. Know what happens next.
Use Customer Intake for a new service inquiry. If you want to talk through service fit, county capacity, a community partnership, or a complex situation first, use the referral-partner route on Contact Us or call us.
Use secure Customer Intake for private or health information · English & Spanish support · Oregon Relay 711
Referral questions
What partners ask most.
Plain answers about service fit, statewide referrals, eligibility, caregiver pathways, CEN, care-team responsibility, updates, and timing.
Who can make a referral?
The person, a family member, a Services Coordinator, a Personal Agent, a health provider, a school, or a community partner may contact Empowered Services. Customer Intake is the clearest way to begin a new service inquiry.
What services does Empowered Services offer?
Empowered Services provides statewide support for people with I/DD in Oregon. Services may include Attendant Care, skills training for daily living, Relief Care, and On-the-Job Attendant Care. For adults, services may also include Day Support Activities and Community Transportation. The person’s approved service plan determines which services, staffing level, setting, and activities are authorized.
Do you accept referrals from every Oregon county?
Yes. Empowered Services welcomes service inquiries from all 36 Oregon counties. Specific services, assignments, and start timing depend on authorization, workforce capacity, service fit, caregiver availability, onboarding, and the person’s approved plan.
What happens after I make a referral?
Our team reviews the information and explains the next step. We work with the person, the people they choose, and their Services Coordinator or Personal Agent to understand the approved plan, service fit, caregiver pathway, and what still needs to happen before services can begin.
Does Empowered Services determine I/DD eligibility or authorize service hours?
No. Empowered Services does not determine I/DD eligibility or authorize service hours. Community Developmental Disabilities Programs determine I/DD eligibility, and a Services Coordinator or Personal Agent helps the person plan and manage authorized services. Empowered Services explains what we can provide within the person’s approved plan and authorization.
Can someone bring a caregiver they already know?
Yes, in some situations. Empowered Choice allows a trusted family member, friend, neighbor, or longtime supporter to be considered for employment as the person’s DSP when authorization, relationship, program, and employment requirements are met. The person receiving support starts Customer Intake while the chosen caregiver follows the separate Empowered Choice employment pathway.
What if the referral is for a child whose parent or guardian wants to be the paid caregiver?
Oregon’s Children’s Extraordinary Needs Program is a separate pathway for eligible children under 18 with very high medical or behavioral support needs. Parents and guardians of enrolled children may be paid to provide up to 20 hours of care per week. If a child is enrolled in or joining CEN, contact Empowered Services and coordinate with the child’s Services Coordinator about the parent-caregiver pathway.
Who is responsible for follow-through after services begin?
Empowered uses a regional and county care model. Regional Care Managers connect regional care strategy and community partnerships. Care Managers hold county-level care accountability and DSP workforce responsibility. Care Coordinators provide frontline coordination, delegated DSP oversight, documentation, communication, and practical follow-through around assigned care relationships.
Will I receive updates after I refer someone?
Empowered Services confirms the referral or intake was received and explains the next step. With the person’s consent, appropriate status updates may be shared with authorized partners. Required service documentation and progress information are provided to the Services Coordinator, Personal Agent, or case-management team as required.
How quickly does Empowered Services follow up?
Empowered Services typically follows up within 1–2 business days. A service start may take longer because authorization, caregiver availability, screening, onboarding, training, service fit, and other requirements must be in place before authorized services begin.
