South Carolina Therap and SCOMM for DDSN Waiver Services

What Therap Is and Why It Matters

Therap is the electronic record and case management system used by South Carolina's BHDD-OIDD (formerly DDSN) to manage waiver services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. If your family member is enrolled in the ID/RD Waiver or the Community Supports Waiver, Therap is where their case documentation lives. During the waiting-list and intake period, communication is through the intake provider and the central intake line; access depends on whether BHDD-OIDD or a provider has set up an account for the family.

Therap stores many of the records used to administer waiver services, including Individual Support Plans, incident reports, health records, and service notes. Case managers and providers use the platform to document services and changes. Understanding how Therap works gives families a concrete sense of where decisions about their family member's care are being made and documented.

SCOMM: The Messaging System Inside Therap

SCOMM (Secure Communication) is Therap's internal messaging module. It works like a secure email system that connects everyone involved in an individual's waiver services — case managers, service providers, residential staff, nurses, and family contacts who have been granted access.

For families, SCOMM access is significant because it provides a documented, timestamped communication channel with the waiver case manager. When you send a message through SCOMM about a change in your family member's needs, a complaint about service quality, or a request for a service plan modification, that message becomes part of the official case record.

This matters especially when circumstances change and you need to request a Reserved Capacity slot review. If your family member requires immediate waiver services to prevent serious and imminent harm, and either has an immediate need for direct care related to the disability or has recently lost (or is at imminent risk of losing) their primary caregiver (one of the six qualifying situations for bypassing the ID/RD waiver waitlist), a documented trail of SCOMM messages showing the progression of that situation strengthens the case manager's submission to BHDD-OIDD Central Office.

Getting Family Access to Therap

Not every family member automatically receives Therap access. Access is role-based and is set up by BHDD-OIDD or a provider. If you're the legal guardian, representative payee, or a designated supporter under a Supported Decision-Making Agreement, ask the assigned case manager whether family access is available and what documentation is required.

Once you have access, the level of access varies by role. Ask the assigned case manager what you can view, edit, or message through the system.

If you're still on the waiver waiting list and haven't yet been assigned a case manager, communication during the waitlist period is through the intake provider and the central intake phone line at 1-800-289-7012. Ask the intake provider whether any Therap access is available before a case manager is assigned.

How the ISP Works in Therap

The Individual Support Plan (ISP) is the waiver service equivalent of an IEP. It documents the individual's goals, the services authorized to meet those goals, the providers delivering each service, and the frequency and duration of services.

The ISP is developed through a person-centered planning process that must include the individual, their family or guardian, the case manager, and relevant service providers. Under BHDD-OIDD waiver policy, the ISP must be updated at least annually, though changes can be made at any time when circumstances warrant a modification.

In Therap, the ISP is a living document. When the case manager authorizes a new service or modifies an existing one, the change is recorded in the system. Ask the case manager when an approved change becomes effective and how it affects the services documented in the current ISP.

Common Pain Points and How to Address Them

Service notes that don't match reality. If a provider logs hours in Therap that don't align with the actual services delivered, raise the discrepancy with the case manager through SCOMM and document it in writing.

Slow ISP updates. When a family requests a service modification (adding respite hours, changing a day program schedule), the case manager must process the change through Therap's authorization workflow. If weeks pass without an update, follow up through SCOMM and copy the case manager's supervisor if needed.

Lost documentation. Before the Therap system, much of DDSN's case management was paper-based. If your family member transitioned to waiver services before Therap implementation, some historical records may not have been migrated. Request a copy of the complete case file from the intake provider to identify any gaps.

Our South Carolina SSI at 18 & Adult Disability Benefits Guide includes a waiver tracking worksheet that helps families document ISP goals, service authorizations, and provider contacts alongside SSI and Medicaid status — all the moving pieces that Therap manages on the agency side.

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