CDDP vs Brokerage Oregon: Choosing Your DD Case Manager

The Choice Every Oregon DD Family Makes

When a young adult is determined eligible for developmental disability services in Oregon, they are assigned to a case management entity — the team that helps them develop their Individual Support Plan and connect with providers. Adults who live in their own homes or with family have a choice: the county Community Developmental Disabilities Program (CDDP) or a Support Services Brokerage.

This is not a bureaucratic formality. The two options operate with different philosophies, different staff structures, and different approaches to how much control the individual and their family have over service planning. The choice affects day-to-day interactions for years.

How CDDPs Work

CDDPs are public entities — either county government departments or non-profit organizations under county contracts. Every Oregon county has one. They are the backbone of the state's developmental disability system.

CDDP responsibilities include:

• Intake and eligibility determination — the CDDP is always the first stop, even for individuals who will eventually choose a brokerage
• Protective services — investigating abuse, neglect, and exploitation reports for adults with DD
• Case management for all residential settings — individuals in 24-hour licensed residential care (group homes) must receive case management through the CDDP; brokerages cannot serve this population
• Case management for children — all children with DD are served by the CDDP; brokerages serve adults (18+) only

Case managers at CDDPs are called Service Coordinators. Their caseloads vary by county but are typically larger than brokerage caseloads — in urban counties, a service coordinator may manage 60-80 cases or more.

The CDDP model emphasizes comprehensive oversight. Service coordinators handle eligibility paperwork, coordinate with other systems (schools, courts, health plans), and ensure regulatory compliance. For families who need someone to manage a complex situation involving multiple agencies, the CDDP provides that institutional reach.

How Support Services Brokerages Work

Oregon has 14 Support Services Brokerages statewide, all structured as private non-profit organizations governed by boards that include individuals with disabilities and their family members. They serve adults (18 and older) who live in their own homes or with family — not individuals in licensed residential care.

Case managers at brokerages are called Personal Agents. The key structural difference: brokerage caseloads are capped at approximately 45 individuals per personal agent. This is significantly smaller than CDDP caseloads, which translates to more time per individual for planning and provider coordination.

The brokerage model emphasizes self-determination and person-centered planning. The personal agent works with the individual to identify what they want their life to look like — where they want to live, whether they want to work, what community activities matter to them — and then builds the ISP around those goals.

Brokerages do not handle intake, eligibility, or protective services. Those functions stay with the CDDP regardless of which case management option the individual chooses.

Comparing the Two Models

When a CDDP Makes More Sense

The CDDP is the right choice when:

• The individual may need 24-hour residential care now or in the foreseeable future (brokerages cannot manage residential placements)
• The family needs help navigating complex interactions with other systems — courts for guardianship proceedings, school districts for extended FAPE, health plans for complex medical needs
• The individual is in a protective services situation that requires coordinated monitoring
• No brokerage is conveniently located in the county (rural counties may have only the CDDP)

CDDPs also handle the "warm handoff" from childhood services. When a student receiving DD services through the school-age system turns 18, the transition to adult services happens within the CDDP. If the family wants to switch to a brokerage afterward, they can — the choice is not permanent.

When a Brokerage Makes More Sense

The brokerage is the right choice when:

• The individual and family want maximum control over service planning and provider selection
• The individual has clear goals around community living, employment, or independent living and wants a case manager focused on those outcomes
• Smaller caseloads matter — when the individual needs frequent support with provider recruitment, ISP modifications, or navigating service delivery problems
• The individual values the peer-governed structure and the brokerage's self-advocacy culture

Families who have been deeply involved in IEP transition planning and are accustomed to directing their child's service plan often prefer the brokerage model. It mirrors the person-centered approach they are used to from the school system, with more individual attention than the CDDP can typically provide.

Switching Between Them

The choice between CDDP and brokerage is not permanent. An individual can request a transfer from CDDP to brokerage or vice versa through their current case manager. Ask the current and prospective case managers about the effective date and transition steps so services continue during the change.

Common reasons for switching:

• A brokerage opens or expands coverage to the individual's county
• The individual moves from community living to a residential setting (must transfer to CDDP)
• The individual is dissatisfied with the responsiveness or approach of their current case manager
• Family circumstances change and they want more (or less) oversight from the case management entity

Enrolling as a Personal Support Worker

Regardless of which case management model the family chooses, the process for enrolling a personal support worker (PSW) is the same. The individual or their representative identifies a potential worker — a family friend, a neighbor, an agency employee, or in many cases a family member.

The PSW candidate completes a background check through the Oregon DHS Background Check Unit, enrolls with the state as an approved provider, and begins delivering authorized services. Oregon allows parents and other family members to serve as paid PSWs for their adult family member in many situations, which is especially important in rural areas where outside workers are scarce.

The enrollment process typically takes six to eight weeks from the initial application to the first paid shift. Starting the search for a PSW before the ISP is finalized helps avoid the gap between authorization and actual service delivery.

The Oregon SSI at 18 & Adult Disability Benefits Guide includes a CDDP-vs-brokerage comparison worksheet and a provider search log to track recruitment efforts.

See more Oregon guides →