Supports brokerage is a New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) service in which a Supports Broker acts as the agent of a person who is self-directing some or all of their services, helping them identify needs, develop options and access services. This service is for organizations entering DDD as Supports Brokerage providers or adding brokerage to what they offer. Integral Healthcare Solutions (IHS) drafts the brokerage procedures and records to New Jersey DDD requirements; the people you serve keep their decisions.

Last reviewed: October 2026. DDD Supports Brokerage and provider application pages and the Supports Program manual checked on October 2, 2026. This page covers New Jersey only; other states need separate scoping.

What is supports brokerage?

The governing text is Section 17.20 Supports Brokerage of the New Jersey DDD "Supports Program Policies & Procedures Manual (Version 10.0.1)," September 2025 (Supports Program Policies & Procedures Manual, Version 10.0.1), with its parts 17.20.1 Description, 17.20.2 Service Limits, 17.20.3 Provider Qualifications and 17.20.5 Policies/Standards. DDD's provider application page adds steps for brokerage applicants (DDD Apply to Become a Provider page).

DDD describes the service: "Supports Brokerage is a service available to people enrolled in the Community Care Program or Supports Program who are self-directing some or all of their services. Supports Brokerage services supplement but do not duplicate Support Coordination services" (DDD Supports Brokerage page).

The broker's role: "A Supports Broker acts as the agent of the person or their family and can help them identify immediate and long-term needs, develop options to meet those needs, and access services" (DDD Supports Brokerage page).

The manual includes skills training for self-direction: "Practical skills training is offered to empower participants and their families to independently direct and manage their self-directed services. Examples of skills training include how to recruit, hire, train and manage self-directed employees (SDEs)" (17.20.1, Supports Program Policies & Procedures Manual, Version 10.0.1).

Who needs it and what triggers it

Organizations come to this work when they apply to DDD as a new Supports Brokerage provider, or when an existing DDD provider considers adding brokerage. Before the Combined Application, DDD requires brokerage applicants to: "Review the DDD policy manuals, particularly the sections related to Supports Brokerage. Review and sign the Supports Brokerage Attestation.pdf and email it to DDD.ProviderHelpdesk@dhs.nj.gov . Successfully complete the Supports Brokerage Orientation through The Boggs Center" (DDD Apply to Become a Provider page).

Adding brokerage changes what else you can do for the same person. The manual states: "Entities rendering Division-funded Supports Brokerage services are prohibited from: Providing another waiver service to an individual for whom they are providing Supports Brokerage" (17.20.2, Supports Program Policies & Procedures Manual, Version 10.0.1). It also states: "The Supports Brokerage services cannot be paid to legal guardians, parents, or spouses of the participant" (17.20.2). The same section also prohibits facilitating placements or moves from a provider-managed licensed setting without the full documented agreement of the individual or guardian and awareness of pertinent team members including the residential provider and Support Coordinator, and finding and connecting individuals with community resources on behalf of a provider agency (17.20.2).

Some provider types carry added requirements: "If the Supports Brokerage provider is a Home Health Agency or Health Care Service Firm, they must meet the following additional license or accreditation requirements" (17.20.3, Supports Program Policies & Procedures Manual, Version 10.0.1). The manual lists licensure under N.J.A.C. 8:42 and CMS certification, or accreditation by CAHC, CHAP, Joint Commission, NAHC or NIHCA.

How IHS helps

IHS works from Section 17.20 of the Supports Program manual and the DDD steps for brokerage applicants. The process:

1. Gap assessment. IHS reads your organization's roles, workflows and staffing against Section 17.20 and the DDD application steps, and lists what is missing.
2. Questionnaires. IHS sends questionnaires on roles, workflows and staff experience to the people who do the work.
3. Drafted procedures. IHS drafts role-boundary procedures, including the bar on providing another waiver service to the same person, the bar on facilitating placements or moves from a provider-managed licensed setting without the full documented agreement of the individual or guardian and awareness of pertinent team members, and the bar on finding and connecting individuals with community resources on behalf of a provider agency; employer-support workflows for self-directed employees; records and log procedures; and procedures for coordinating with Support Coordinators. Your brokers and managers review, change and approve them.
4. Training records. IHS drafts the staff training record formats your organization keeps.
5. Mock review. IHS reviews sample files against Section 17.20 and lists what remains.
6. Application text. IHS drafts the Combined Application narrative for your organization to sign and submit.

What you supply: staff credentials, your current procedures and the brokers who work with self-directing individuals. Your staff complete the Boggs Center orientation and sign the attestation themselves.

The limit: employment and support decisions stay with the self-directing individuals, and IHS does not advise on employment law. Approval is DDD's decision. Other states need separate scoping.

What to have ready

Each item ties to the Supports Program manual, Version 10.0.1 (Supports Program Policies & Procedures Manual, Version 10.0.1), or the DDD page named.

• Your copy of the DDD policy manuals, "particularly the sections related to Supports Brokerage" (DDD Apply to Become a Provider page).
• Staff résumés showing that each broker has "at least two years of demonstrated experience working with individuals with ID/DD in a planning or coordination role" (17.20.3). 17.20.3 also lists State and Federal criminal background checks, CARI checks and Central Registry checks for all staff, drug tests as applicable under Stephen Komninos' Law, a minimum age of 18, and a valid driver's license and abstract (not to exceed 5 points) if driving is required.
• A signed Supports Brokerage Attestation for each person rendering the service, as 17.20.3 and the application page require.
• Completion records for the Supports Brokerage Orientation through The Boggs Center (DDD Apply to Become a Provider page).
• Records showing each broker completed "all Supports Brokerage required training before providing the service" (17.20.3).
• A list of every other waiver service your organization provides, so you can show no brokerage participant receives another waiver service from you (17.20.2).
• A check that brokerage is never paid to a participant's legal guardian, parent or spouse (17.20.2).
• For a Home Health Agency or Health Care Service Firm, your license and CMS certification or your accreditation (17.20.3).
• Your skills-training materials on recruiting, hiring, training and managing self-directed employees (17.20.1).
• Your procedure for working alongside each person's Support Coordinator, since brokerage services "supplement but do not duplicate Support Coordination services" (DDD Supports Brokerage page).

If you want help sorting these, the introductory call is the place to start.

How it compares

Organizations weigh these DDD roles. Some of them cannot be combined for the same person.

What it costs

New Jersey DDD does not publish a fee schedule on the pages we reviewed; fees depend on scope. The DDD provider application page we opened does not state an application fee. IHS scopes each engagement after a free introductory call.

What this is not

• IHS is not DDD and does not approve, predict or influence a provider approval.
• IHS does not contact, submit to or speak for your organization to DDD or The Boggs Center. IHS drafts; you sign and submit.
• This is not employment law or legal advice, and IHS does not make support or hiring decisions for the people you serve.

Frequently asked questions

What is supports brokerage in New Jersey's DDD programs?

It is a service for people enrolled in the Community Care Program or Supports Program who are self-directing some or all of their services. A Supports Broker acts as the agent of the person or their family to identify needs, develop options and access services.

How does an agency become an approved Supports Brokerage provider?

Before the Combined Application, DDD requires applicants to review the policy manuals sections on Supports Brokerage, sign the Supports Brokerage Attestation and email it to the DDD Provider Helpdesk, and complete the Supports Brokerage Orientation through The Boggs Center.

What are the Supports Brokerage Attestation and the Boggs Center orientation?

Both are DDD steps for brokerage applicants. The manual says persons rendering Supports Brokerage must sign the attestation and complete all required training before providing the service. Your staff complete these steps themselves.

What qualifications does a Supports Broker need?

Section 17.20.3 of the Supports Program manual requires at least two years of demonstrated experience working with individuals with ID/DD in a planning or coordination role, plus the signed attestation and all required training before providing the service. 17.20.3 also lists State and Federal criminal background checks, CARI checks and Central Registry checks for all staff, drug tests as applicable under Stephen Komninos' Law, a minimum age of 18, and a valid driver's license and abstract (not to exceed 5 points) if driving is required.

Can a supports brokerage agency also provide other waiver services to the same person?

No. The manual prohibits entities rendering Division-funded Supports Brokerage from providing another waiver service to an individual for whom they provide brokerage. It also bars payment of brokerage to the participant's legal guardians, parents or spouses. The same section also prohibits facilitating placements or moves from a provider-managed licensed setting without the full documented agreement of the individual or guardian and awareness of pertinent team members including the residential provider and Support Coordinator, and finding and connecting individuals with community resources on behalf of a provider agency (17.20.2).

What is the difference between supports brokerage and support coordination?

DDD states that Supports Brokerage services supplement but do not duplicate Support Coordination services. Support coordination is a separate service under Section 17.18 of the manual, with its own rules.

What do supports brokers do for self-directing individuals?

The manual describes practical skills training so participants and families can direct and manage their own services, including how to recruit, hire, train and manage self-directed employees. The decisions stay with the person and their family.

Do home health agencies need licensure or accreditation to offer supports brokerage?

Yes. Section 17.20.3 says a Home Health Agency or Health Care Service Firm must meet added requirements: licensure under N.J.A.C. 8:42 and CMS certification, or accreditation by one of the bodies the manual lists.

How long does DDD approval take for a supports brokerage provider?

DDD does not publish an approval timeline on the pages we reviewed. Approval is DDD's decision, and IHS cannot speed it up.