Coming Soon: Mentor Brokerage Transition

A transition is coming to Brokerage services in the Portland and Mid-Valley areas. The Mentor Network will no longer provide services in Oregon after August 31st, 2021. Unexpected change can be unsettling, but there is a plan underway to maintain support without interruption to people currently using Mentor Brokerage services. We are pleased and fortunate to have established Brokerage organizations that are willing to come together to ensure that these services continue and that people get what they need. We know you have questions, and we have collected answers to some of the most pressing below.

A little background: The Oregon Support Services Association is made up of the 14 Brokerages that cover the state of Oregon. Two of those 14 Brokerages have been operated by The Mentor Network, doing business as Mentor Oregon. The Mentor Network is a national corporation that purchased and assumed control of the Portland area Brokerage in 2004. In 2007, Mentor Oregon secured a second Brokerage contract, to operate in the Mid-Valley area of Lane, Marion, Polk, Linn, and Benton counties. All told, the Mentor Oregon Brokerages currently serve around 1,200 adults with case management services. In addition to their Brokerages, Mentor has operated a number of other services for people with IDD, including group homes, day programs, and more. The Mentor Network's decision to move out of Oregon impacts a lot of people in a variety of ways.Change can be intimidating, but change is the only way we grow and improve. We believe in RCO, UCP, and SDRI and their ability to take care of people and their Brokerage services while working to build something even better for the future.

What is happening to Mentor’s Brokerage services?

Current Mentor Metro Brokerage customers:UCP Oregon and Self-Determination Resources Inc (SDRI) are partnering to transfer customers currently served by Mentor in Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington counties.

• UCP Oregon will add customers living in Multnomah and Clackamas counties to their existing base of customers served there. They will operate two distinct, stand-alone Brokerages,

• SDRI will add customers living in Washington County to their existing base of customers served there.

Current Mentor Mid-Valley Brokerage customers:Resource Connections of Oregon (RCO) will add customers currently served by Mentor in Lane, Marion, Polk, Linn and Benton counties to their existing Brokerage agency. RCO will operate two distinct, stand-alone Brokerages.Our collective aim is to ensure that services customers are currently receiving remain intact, with no disruption in services. The Brokerages are working closely with the State’s Office of Developmental Disabilities Services (ODDS) to ensure customer enrollment, ISP, billing, and payment information is transferred in eXPRS and other data systems.

What is changing?

The organization that holds the contract with the state’s Office of Developmental Disabilities Services (ODDS) to provide in-home support services is changing from Mentor Brokerage services to:

• Resource Connections of Oregon (RCO) for customers living in Lane, Marion, Polk, Linn and Benton Counties

• UCP Oregon for customers living in Multnomah and Clackamas Counties

• Self Determination Resources Inc for customers living in Washington County

Your Personal Agent might change, or your Personal Agent may be staying on with the new Brokerage. The incoming Brokerages hope to invite many members of the Mentor team to join them. As Mentor staff join RCO, UCP, and SDRI, they intend to learn from each other and improve their collective strength and service excellence.

What is not changing?

This transition will not change your ISP, services, or supports. During this transition and anytime you make a choice to move your case management services, your case management files, services, and supports will be transferred to your chosen Case Management Entity. Your providers are not changing. For some, your Personal Agent may remain the same. All Brokerages contract with the state of Oregon, under the same set of rules, doing the same work. Though the name of the agency providing your Brokerage case management services will change, the service they provide will not.

What are my options?

Choice is assured at every Brokerage and CDDP: Choice of available Case Management Entities, and choice of available case management staff. You can make that choice or change your selection at any point during your services. Learn more about the Brokerage options available in your area here and the CDDP options here.Over the next several weeks, Mentor Oregon Personal Agents will be contacting every person using their Brokerage services to talk them through their choice options. If you choose to stay with Mentor during the transition, you will be served by an established Brokerage to continue services after Mentor’s closure. Once your preference is known, we will be working to prepare and transfer information to the right place by the end of August. We are focused on making sure that your services are not disrupted, you continue to get the support you need, and providers continue to be paid. Choice decisions will be honored, as they always are, but the time-frames may be a bit longer than usual due to this big system transition. This is a large undertaking for our system, but we remain committed to honoring choice now and in the future.

What do I need to do to make sure I still have Brokerage services after August 31st, 2021?

You do not have to do anything if you would like to continue working with a Brokerage for case management. As detailed above, you may remain with Mentor’s Brokerage services and they will be transferred to another existing Brokerage with years of experience. If you would like to receive case management services from your CDDP, please let your Mentor Oregon Personal Agent know of your choice.

Why is Mentor closing?

The Mentor Network is a large, national corporation, and they have made the decision to close out all of their services in Oregon. Our focus in Oregon will be on ensuring a smooth transition to high-quality case management services.

Does Mentor’s closure affect any of the other remaining Brokerages?

No other Brokerage agencies are affected by Mentor’s decision to close services in Oregon. After the Mentor Brokerage services are fully transitioned to UCP, RCO, and SDRI Brokerages, there will still be 14 Brokerages covering Oregon, run by 12 independent non-profit entities.

What do provider agencies need to do to continue providing and being paid for services to current Mentor customers after August 31st?

ODDS will move all authorizations to the new Brokerage entity effective Sept. 1, 2021. Providers should continue to bill as normal.

What do Personal Support Workers need to do to continue providing and being paid for services to current Mentor customers after August 31st?

ODDS will move all authorizations to the new Brokerage entity effective Sept. 1, 2021. Providers should continue to bill as normal.