IRIS (Include, Respect, I Self-Direct), explained
Short answer
IRIS is Wisconsin's self-directed Medicaid long-term-care program. Participants (or their legal representative) choose their own supports, manage an individualized budget, and can hire and direct their own workers, supported by an IRIS consultant agency and a fiscal employer agent.
- Eligibility: Wisconsin resident, age 18+, has a disability or is an older adult, enrolled in Medicaid, lives in a home, apartment, adult family home, or RCAC (not a CBRF or nursing home), and passes the state's Long-Term Care Functional Screen.
- What it does not cover: assisted-living-style room and board, and it cannot be used by a resident living in a CBRF or nursing home — those settings use Family Care or private pay instead.
- Administered through: the local ADRC for enrollment and initial screening, then an IRIS consultant agency for ongoing self-direction support.
