Verify three things before anything else
They are currently authorized
OPWDD keeps a centralized authorization record. Authorization is not permanent — it runs to the following 31 July and has to be renewed. Ask when theirs expires. A broker whose authorization lapses mid-year is a problem you inherit.
They work in your region
Brokerage is relationship work with a particular DDRO and a particular Liaison. A broker who has never worked with your regional office is learning on your budget.
They have capacity
Ask how many people they currently broker for and how many they are taking on this quarter. The answer "as many as need me" is not reassuring.
Twenty questions worth asking
Take these to a first conversation. You are not being difficult; you are hiring someone who will be paid from money meant for your family member's support.
About their experience
- How long have you been an authorized broker, and how did you come to it?
- How many people do you currently support, and in which counties?
- Have you worked with someone whose needs look like ours? What did that budget include?
- Which Fiscal Intermediaries have you worked with most, and which do you find easiest to deal with?
- Have you ever had a budget sent back by the Liaison? What was the reason, and what did you change?
About how they work
- Walk me through your first ninety days with a new family.
- Who writes the plan — you, or us with your help?
- How often will we meet once the budget is running?
- How do you prefer to be contacted, and what is a realistic response time?
- What do you need from us to do your job well?
- How do you run a Circle of Support meeting? Who do you want in the room?
- What happens when we disagree with you?
About money and paperwork
- What is your hourly rate, and roughly how many hours a year does a family like ours use?
- What do you bill for that families are often surprised by?
- Will you show us your service notes if we ask?
- Who prepares budget amendments, and is that billed separately?
- What happens to our billing if you go on holiday or get sick?
About the exit
- If we want to change brokers, what does that look like and what do you hand over?
- Have families left you before? What happened?
- Is there anything about our situation that makes you think we are not a good fit for you?
The single most useful question
That last one. A broker who is willing to say "honestly, I have never done a budget with nursing needs in it, you want someone else" is a broker who will also tell you the truth when your plan has a problem in it. The ones who say every family is a good fit are selling.
Answers that should worry you
Good signs
- Asks about the person before talking about money
- Names specific regional-office staff and processes
- Has opinions about what the budget should not include
- Explains what you will have to do yourselves
- Gives you references and expects you to call them
Warning signs
- Promises a specific budget figure before meeting the person
- Says the paperwork is "nothing you need to worry about"
- Vague about their authorization status or renewal date
- Is also selling you a Fiscal Intermediary, staffing or classes
- Will not put the scope in writing
- Discourages you from talking to other brokers
On brokers who also sell you other things
It is not automatically improper — agencies commonly offer brokerage alongside other services, and some do it well. But your broker's job includes finding cost-effective providers and checking whether something is already funded elsewhere. That is harder to do honestly when the alternative provider is their own employer. Ask directly: what would you do if the cheaper option were someone other than you?
Settle this in writing
The Support Broker agreement names the primary broker and sets the scope. Before you sign, make sure it answers: the hourly rate, an estimated annual hour range, what is included and what is billed separately, expected response times, meeting frequency, and what happens at handover if either side ends it. None of that is unusual to ask for, and a broker who resists putting it on paper is telling you something.
Questions families actually ask
Where do I find a list of Support Brokers?
There is no consumer-facing directory of authorized brokers. In practice families get names from their Care Manager, their Fiscal Intermediary, their CCO, local parent groups, and other families. Ask more than one source — a name that comes up from several unconnected people is worth a call.
Can I interview more than one broker before deciding?
Yes, and you should. You are not committing to anyone by having a conversation, and comparing two or three makes the differences obvious in a way that one polished pitch does not.
What if the only broker available is not a good fit?
In some parts of the state that is a real constraint. Options: ask your DDRO Self-Direction Liaison who is taking referrals, look at brokers attached to agencies outside your immediate county, or consider acting as an unpaid broker yourself while you keep looking.
Do I have to keep the broker my agency recommends?
No. The choice is yours, and you can change it later. See changing your Support Broker.
Where this comes from
Written from the OPWDD source documents below and reviewed against them on 23 September 2026. OPWDD policy and figures change; confirm anything that affects a decision with your Care Manager or your DDRO Self-Direction Liaison before acting on it.
Keep reading
Not sure where you are in this process?
GRSCorp runs free sessions for New York families on OPWDD services, Self-Direction and what to ask for. We do not sell brokerage — we explain the system so you can choose well.
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