The Supports for Community Living Waiver and the Michelle P waiver are Medicaid paid services for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. These waivers are intended to assist individuals to live and participate in the community rather than in an institutional setting. Currently, there is a waiting list for both the SCL and MP waivers. There are close to 7000 people on the MP Waiver waitlist and 2500 on the SCL waitlist.

Path Forward of KY is now offering a private pay option for people who need and want individualized services but are not on a Medicaid waiver. We are offering all services that we currently provide through the waivers by the same direct support professionals who provide waiver services.

The services that Path Forward of KY provides are:

Community Living Supports/Personal Assistance/Companion Care: a one on one service that enables an individual to accomplish tasks to increase independence and promote integration into the community. This service offers support and assistance with routine household tasks, maintenance, activities of daily living, shopping, socialization, relationship building, leisure choices, and participation in community activities.

Case Management: assists individuals with disabilities navigate services, benefits, medical appointments, and advocates on behalf of the individual.

Respite: support needed due to the absence of or need for relief for the primary caregiver.

Behavior Support: professionally trained behavior specialist use positive approaches and ABA therapy techniques to help decrease challenging behaviors and increase coping skills and social skills.

Supported Employment: ongoing job support after funding is no longer available through Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. We will assist the individual in maintaining employment in an integrated setting with competitive wages.

If you are interested in learning more about our private pay services you can contact our office at 502-451-2565 or email info@pathforwardky.com

In 2008, the face of the global economy changed forever. America was in the height of the 2008 Recession.  Investment banks, the secondary credit market, and an unregulated financial market disappeared. The housing market collapsed. Central banks around the world propped up the financial system. In September of that year, America came very close to total economic collapse. New inventions still made a difference! 2008 saw a camera for the blind, electric cars, instant replay for baseball, No Country for Old Men won Critic’s Choice Best Film and Alex Sholtz and Jim Bratcher rolled up their sleeves and started the work to establish the very successful Path Forward of Kentucky!

The first service to be offered by PFK was Supported Employment. This service assists consumers in navigating the State’s Vocational Rehabilitation program and puts them on a path of employment, out in their communities, by providing job coaches. Today, the coaches guide consumers thru the entire employment process, from resumes to interviewing and finally on-the-job support for over 94 job placements in 2018.

Case Management services followed Supported Employment and today works with 34 consumers to put together a full menu of waiver services. Community Living Supports, Personal Care and Respite services were then added and exponentially grew the company, by hiring and training Direct Support Professionals throughout the Louisville Metro Region. These services help consumers become as independent as possible, in all aspects of their life, as well as provide their guardians with essential breaks from 24/7 care.

Acquired Brain Injury Waivers joined the list not long after, followed by residential services in the form of Family Home Providers. By 2012, Path Forward of KY had grown around Kentucky to include Supported Employment services in the Bowling Green Region and created the Bluegrass Region, serving 10 counties in central KY for both Michelle P and Supports for Community Living waiver services.

After getting the company up and running, like a well-oiled machine, the Executive Director position was handed down in 2013 from Alex to Brittany Knoth, our current ED. Brittany has led the way in professional development and team building while establishing the name of Path Forward as a respected leader in the field of Medicaid Services. In 2018, Brittany was honored by being selected to serve on the Centralized Quality Management Advisory Subpanel for the Medicaid Waivers Redesign. Today, Brittany excels in both management style and substance, leading growth and rock solid teamwork!

Over this past decade, PFK has grown to be financially sound by using a common sense approach while keeping quality and compassion top of mind. As chief motivator, Jim Bratcher, likes to say, “The main thing is and always will be the main thing at PFK; the folks we serve. That will always be our focus!”

Touching the lives of more than 200 consumers and guardians, closing in on half a million hours of service, PFK has a well-earned reputation of fine service driven by teamwork. We can’t wait to see what the next decade holds in store for us.

It is not every day that you get an all-expense paid trip to Hollywood to tape a TV show! That is exactly what Melissa Healy, a PFK family home provider, got to do in early December. It all started when she was just having fun with her family and playing with her three dogs. She posted a funny video of her 13-year-old dog, Mocha, on social media and it quickly gained attention and a lot of comments. One of those comments suggested that Melissa post her video on the America’s Funniest Home Videos website. Melissa thought, “why not?” and sent the video to them one night and did not think much else of it. Two weeks later, Melissa got a call from the show and was told that not only did the producers want the video on the show, but that she would be a finalist! “I was in disbelief,” reported Melissa, “I never thought I would have an opportunity like this in my life.” America’s Funniest Home Videos gets over 5,000 video submissions each week and there is a less than 1% chance of being a finalist on the show. Melissa enjoyed her first time on an airplane, traveling to Hollywood for the taping of the episode, and sightseeing at places like Manhattan Beach and Hollywood Boulevard for the remainder of that weekend. She got to bring her husband, Steve, with her on the trip and Melissa said it was “one of the most exciting things they have done together in their 28 years of marriage.” They even got to meet host Alfonso Ribeiro and take pictures with him. Be sure to tune in to America’s Funniest Home Videos on Sunday, January 13^th at 7pm on ABC to see Melissa compete for the grand prize!