OPWDD Support Broker · New York State
Self-Direction puts you in charge of your OPWDD supports. As your Support Broker, I help you shape a plan and a budget that follow your own goals — not a system's.
The role, in plain terms
A Support Broker assists people with developmental disabilities who choose to Self-Direct their OPWDD services with Budget Authority. My job is to help you develop a Circle of Support and to complete and manage a Self-Direction Budget — so the day-to-day of running your own supports feels workable, not overwhelming.
A service delivery model that gives people with developmental disabilities greater responsibility in managing their own supports and services — including which supports they want and how the funding for them is used.
I work alongside you and the people you trust to build a Circle of Support, then help you draft, submit, and keep managing a budget that reflects the life you're building.
Two kinds of control
People who participate in OPWDD's Self-Direction model can hold two kinds of authority. You can take on one or both — and I help you carry them.
Self-hire and co-manage your own staff supports. You choose the people who work with you and help decide how they support your goals.
Decide on the mix of supports and services you need — and how the funding allowed for them is allocated across your plan.
Working together
Every person's plan is different. This is the shape it usually takes.
What does a good week look like for you? We start there, before any paperwork.
Family, friends, chosen staff, and community supports — the people who'll help you carry the plan.
We turn your goals into a budget that matches OPWDD requirements and reflects what you actually need.
Plans change. I stay on to help you adjust the budget and keep everything on track.
Meet your broker
My path to this work started at home. As the father of two inspirational children, I came to understand OPWDD’s Self-Direction model not from the outside, but as a parent navigating it — and that experience is what led me here.
Before becoming a Support Broker, I spent my career in finance as an equity trader. I hold a Master’s in Accounting from St. John’s University and am a graduate of Binghamton University. That background matters: building and managing a Self-Direction Budget is real financial work, and it’s work I know how to do well and explain clearly.
Whether you’re just exploring Self-Direction or you already know you want Budget and Employer Authority, I’ll meet you where you are and walk the process with you — from that first conversation through managing your budget over time.
Let’s build your circle together.
Get started
Reach out and we'll set up a time to talk through your goals — no commitment, just a conversation about what Self-Direction could look like for you.
Contact Jonathan Jonathan Leibert · OPWDD Support Broker · Serving New York State