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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Wisconsin Medicaid announces IRIS fiscal employer agent—January 2026
The Department of Health Services (DHS) is announcing the “notice of intent” to select Public Partnerships LLC (PPL) as the new IRIS fiscal employer agent (FEA) vendor for the Wisconsin Medicaid IRIS program. The FEA helps IRIS participants in their role as employers by assisting with hiring paperwork, processing payroll, and other employer tasks. In years past, DHS had agreements with multiple IRIS FEA partners. DHS will work with one FEA moving forward.
What participants need to know
- No action is needed at this time.
- DHS will begin transferring IRIS participants to the new FEA no earlier than 2027.
- For more information about the FEA transition and other IRIS news, sign up to receive “IRIS Program Updates” emails.
Learn more about the IRIS FEA announcement including the benefits to having one FEA, how Wisconsin Medicaid chose PPL, the timeline and next steps, and answers to common questions.
Other news
You may have to find new IRIS providers before April if they didn't sign up with Medicaid
Many 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 to keep delivering your services. The toolkit for IRIS participants is now updated with language asking providers to sign up right away. | January 2026
IRIS waiver renewal
The renewed waiver is in effect January 2026. It is a roadmap for the program from 2026 to 2030. | December 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