Find certified caregivers to fill your open positions

Competition for quality, talented caregivers is at an all-time high. In fact, one in four direct caregiver positions is currently unfilled. That’s why the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is investing in the caregiving workforce by training up to 10,000 new workers as certified direct care professionals (CDCPs) through WisCaregiverCDCP.com.

Our companion online platform, WisCaregiver Connections, makes it easy for eligible providers* to find CDCPs to fill open positions. You can gain a competitive edge in finding certified caregivers—at no charge to you. This one-stop platform lets you:

• Post job openings
• Auto-match with jobseekers
• Screen candidate profiles and credentials

Join WisCaregiver Connections Today!

Training new caregivers

People interested in becoming CDCPs can access the free, 30-hour online curriculum, created by our academic partner, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Participants advance through the modules at their own pace.

After successfully completing the curriculum and a supervised, online exam, individuals will be listed on the Wisconsin Certified Direct Care Professional Registry. CDCPs receive a $250 bonus upon hiring and an additional $250 six-month retention bonus if employed by an eligible agency or provider.

In addition, employers' and agencies' current employees are eligible to earn certification and to receive bonuses. This is at no cost to you when you become an eligible provider registered on WisCaregiver Connections.

Questions? 

Contact us at cdcp@uwgb.edu if you have questions or would like to learn more about the
CDCP program and workforce platform.

Pedestrians with disabilities throughout the United States continue to face major challenges in travel because many sidewalks, crosswalks, and other pedestrian facilities are inaccessible. Recently, the U.S. Access Board addressed this inequity by issuing a final rule on accessibility guidelines for pedestrian facilities in the public right-of-way. These guidelines inform federal, state, and local government agencies on how to make their pedestrian facilities, such as sidewalks, crosswalks, shared use paths, and on-street parking, accessible to people with disabilities. 

View guidelines

On April 18, 2023, President Biden signed the Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers, which included more than 50 executive directives aimed at almost every cabinet-level agency. In response, PHI has produced a five-part fact sheet series examining the executive order relevant to the direct care workforce. Specifically, this fourth fact sheet offers ideas for federal regulatory policies and inter-agency collaboration that would enhance equity for direct care workers.

View fact sheet

The Department of Transportation is in the process of finalizing regulations to require many new commercial airplanes to more accessible for people with disabilities. The regulations would require new single aisle aircrafts that seat 125 passengers or more to have a large enough restroom for a person with a disability and an attendant.

Read more

Meet Richard. When he’s not working at the Department of Revenue, he’s either advocating on the Arc board or participating in one of his many hobbies. He loves going to the Self-determination Conference each year where he meets new friends. He encourages people with disabilities to advocate for what they need to live a prosperous life in the community. We’re so fortunate to have him as member of the Network!    

What's your story?  Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Richard was born and raised in Connecticut, but now he currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin. He shares that he has mild autism and has done numerous amazing things independently. He has worked for the Wisconsin Department of Revenue for almost 32 years.

How are you involved with self-determination? Why did you join the SD Network?

Richard explains that he first got involved with Self-Determination when a friend, Nancy Alar, talked to him about what Self-Determination is. He has attended the annual Self-Determination Conference at Kalahari Resort for many years.

Tell us some good news - what's the most exciting thing happening for you (or in Wisconsin) in terms of self-determination?

An exciting thing for Richard is that he is a board member and self-advocate for the Arc-Dane County in Madison.  He shares that he has excellent math and cooking skills, and he’s very outgoing and friendly. He is very committed to his job at the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.

What tip or resource would you like to share with people who want to be more self-determined?

Richard encourages people who have disabilities to advocate for the accommodations they need to be able to live and work in the community. " Also, I would treat every single person with disabilities with respect, inclusion, acceptance, and love,” he says.

What are some of your hobbies?

Richard has a variety of hobbies which include: cooking, traveling, riding his bicycle, bowling, mini golf, going to high school football games, and making new friends.

***We love hearing the views and opinions of Network members. We need to mention that the views and opinions expressed on this site are those of the person who is sharing them. They do not necessarily reflect InControl Wisconsin or any of our supporters and funders.

Are you a person self-directing your services, a family member or friend assisting someone to self-direct, or a direct care worker in a self-direction program?

If so, we want to hear from you! Please complete our survey by Friday, August 11th. This survey will take you about 10 minutes to complete. 

We are leading a new project sponsored by Elevance Health to improve worker recruitment and retention in self-direction programs.  The survey responses will inform a white paper on the impact of the workforce crisis on self-direction featuring practical insights and advice from those with lived experience.

We are hoping our survey will reach a wide audience. Please share this survey with others who self-direct, family members, and direct care workers in your network.

Thank you for your help!