Self-directed care
Hiring your own caregiver in Utah
Some families do not need a placement — they need a person in the house. Utah runs this through Self-Administered Services (SAS), which lets you choose, hire and manage the people who support your family member instead of taking whoever an agency sends. This page is what Utah Division of Services for People with Disabilities (DSPD) publishes about it, and it says plainly where we could not confirm something.
By Chris & Becky Fry — autism parents
Reviewed September 2026 · Sources: CDC, ED.gov, SSA, and state agencies — see below
The 30-second version
- Utah calls it Self-Administered Services (SAS). Ask for it by that name — asking about "self-direction" may not be recognized.
- A relative can be paid, with conditions. That is the question most families are really asking.
- You choose and manage the staff; a fiscal agent handles payroll and tax paperwork.
- The waiting list, not the paperwork, is usually the real constraint.
What Utah calls it
Self-Administered Services (SAS). This matters more than it sounds. State agencies rarely use the phrase “self-direction” on the phone, and the national directories list the waiver that funds it rather than the mechanism itself. If you ring Utah Division of Services for People with Disabilities (DSPD) and ask about self-direction you may be told they do not have it. Ask for Self-Administered Services and you will get somewhere.
Under this model you hire, train and supervise the support staff yourself, rather than receiving whoever an agency assigns.
Can a relative be paid?
Yes, with conditions. This is the question most families are actually asking, and in Utah the answer is yes.
Utah runs a distinct Caregiver Compensation program under which parents, step-parents, legal guardians and spouses can be paid for providing care to a family member receiving DSPD services. It is delivered as an ongoing supported living service and requires completing a training video, passing a knowledge assessment, and submitting medical or behavioral certification forms. Spouses are paid under separate service codes (PA2 and SL2 rather than PA1 and SL1), which additionally require that employing the spouse be in the person's best interest, that the person chooses it, and that their support coordinator supports the choice.
How the money works
A fiscal agent is mandatory, and it is less of an obstacle than it sounds — it is the part that means you are not personally running payroll.
Every family using SAS must hire a fiscal agent — a company under contract to DSPD — which runs payroll, tax withholding, background-check monitoring and paycheck issuing. You choose and manage the staff; the fiscal agent handles the employment paperwork.
On controlling the budget: Utah Division of Services for People with Disabilities (DSPD) describes the model as giving more control over who provides support, which is not the same thing as setting the budget yourself. We could not confirm which applies, so ask specifically whether you get "budget authority" as well as "employer authority" — those are the terms the agency will recognize.
The waiting list
DSPD maintains a waiting list, and it is the main constraint rather than the paperwork. The Limited Supports Waiver exists specifically for people already on that waitlist who have lower support needs, so ask about it by name — it can be a faster route than waiting for the Community Supports Waiver.
Programs that qualify
4 Utah programs in our data offer self-direction to people with intellectual or developmental disabilities:
- Community Supports Waiver
Serves: Adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities; Children with intellectual or developmental disabilities
Official program page ↗ - Community Transitions Waiver
Serves: Adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities; Children with intellectual or developmental disabilities
Official program page ↗ - Limited Supports Waiver
Serves: Adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities; Children with intellectual or developmental disabilities
Official program page ↗ - Employment Personal Assistance Services (EPAS) Program
Serves: Adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities — adults only
Official program page ↗
Eligibility runs through the state’s developmental disability determination, not through an autism diagnosis. Autism usually qualifies, but not automatically — some states apply an IQ threshold or require that the disability began before a particular age. That determination is the first gate, before any of the above.
Self-direction in Utah runs through the DSPD waivers rather than being a separate program, so the first question is whether the person is eligible for DSPD services at all. Ask for Self-Administered Services by name; asking about "self-direction" may not be recognized.
What to say when you call
Utah Division of Services for People with Disabilities (DSPD): (844) 275-3773 — and the sentence that gets you to the right person is roughly: “I want to ask about Self-Administered Services for a family member with a developmental disability.”
Four things worth asking in the same call, because they decide everything else:
- Is my family member eligible for Utah Division of Services for People with Disabilities (DSPD) services at all? Everything else depends on this.
- Where does the waiting list stand, and is there a shorter route? Several states run a lower-support waiver specifically for people already waiting.
- Can a relative be paid, and under which service code? Agencies answer this precisely when you ask for the code.
- Do I get budget authority as well as employer authority? Those are the terms they will recognize.
Everything on this page comes from Utah Division of Services for People with Disabilities (DSPD)’s own published material, read on 2026-09-18, and is listed in the sources below. Where we could not confirm something we have said so rather than filling the gap — programs change, and a confident wrong answer about who can be paid is worse than an honest one.
Who helps with this?
The law
Federal
Self-direction is a federal Medicaid option, so the broad shape is similar everywhere — but what it is called, who may be hired, and how long the queue is are all set by the state.
The system
Your state
Utah Division of Services for People with Disabilities (DSPD) runs Self-Administered Services (SAS) and decides eligibility, which programs offer it, and where the waiting list stands.
Add your location above to see state-specific resources.
The people
Your area
Your support coordinator, once you have one, is the person who actually starts self-direction. Before that, your Parent Training and Information center can tell you what the process looks like at no cost.
Set your county to see local help.
What to do next
- If the answer is a placement insteadGroup homes, ICF/IID, the crisis route, and the rights a resident has under federal law.
- Utah waivers in detailWhat each waiver covers and how the application works — self-direction runs through these.
- Financial help in UtahSSI, Medicaid, ABLE and the state insurance mandate alongside the waiver.
Primary sources — verify directly
- Utah Division of Services for People with Disabilities (DSPD) — service delivery— Read 2026-09-18.
- Utah Division of Services for People with Disabilities (DSPD) — caregiver compensation— Read 2026-09-18.
- Utah Division of Services for People with Disabilities (DSPD) — medicaid waivers— Read 2026-09-18.
- Utah Division of Services for People with Disabilities (DSPD) — self administered services— Read 2026-09-18.
This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, medical, or financial advice. Laws and programs vary by state and change over time. Always verify current requirements with your state agency or a qualified professional.