There are some significant barriers to accessing and utilizing Self Direction.  Self Direction is a complex program, so a participant must have a strong circle of support, such as parents, siblings and friends in the community, to effectively manage their services.  The application process can take months.  Additionally, because of the increasing number of people seeking Self Direction, there are not enough Fiscal Intermediaries or trained brokers.  Once the Self Direction budget is launched, many people have difficulty finding staff to hire, particularly given the extensive background checks of prospective hires that can take months to finish.  At present, there is no central background check, so even if prospective staff is cleared through one Fiscal Intermediary, they must start the process all over to work for a person with a different Fiscal Intermediary.  There is also no uniformity among Fiscal Intermediaries regarding their rates of pay or even what services they cover, and OPWDD is not providing consistent oversight and enforcement of uniform standards for Fiscal Intermediaries and Brokers.