IRIS: What's New
Stay up to date with latest news and updates about the IRIS (Include, Respect, I Self-Direct) program.
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You may have to find new IRIS providers before April if they didn’t sign up with Wisconsin Medicaid
All IRIS providers needed to sign up with Wisconsin Medicaid through the ForwardHealth Portal by December 31, 2025. If they didn’t sign up, they should start right now. They may see a gap in payment, but they will be able to keep delivering your services. If they don’t plan to sign up, you’ll have to find new providers before April. The toolkit for IRIS participants is now updated with language asking providers to sign up right away.
Note: Participant-hired workers (PHWs) do not need to sign up. They will keep working as usual. PHWs are workers you sign or approve timesheets for.
See the updated IRIS Participant Toolkit for Adult Long-Term Care Provider Enrollment
Other news
IRIS waiver renewal
The renewed waiver is in effect January 2026. It is a roadmap for the program from 2026 to 2030. | December 2025
FEA request for proposal
On June 5, 2025, DHS published a request for proposal (RFP) to procure fiscal employer agent (FEA) services for IRIS. The RFP is posted on eSupplier as S-1640 DMS-25. The RFP is open until 2 p.m. CT on August 12, 2025. Instructions for submitting questions and RFP responses are available on eSupplier. | June 2025
ICA expands services
First Person Care Consultants, an IRIS consultant agency (ICA), expanded their services to participants in Crawford, Grant, Green, Iowa, Juneau, Lafayette, Richland, and Sauk counties. | January 2025
Get involved in the Wisconsin IDD-MH System Improvement project
The project steering committee is getting ready to choose which of the 37 recommendations from the Wisconsin IDD-MH System Improvement Report (PDF) to start working on, and who will work on them. | December 2024