Acumen Fiscal Agent and Essential Learning Team Up To Offer a Comprehensive Self-Directed Service Tool

Innovative Online Training Solution Gives Support Service Recipients the Tools Necessary to Effectively Manage Their Services

SAN DIEGO, CA, February 15, 2012 — Acumen Fiscal Agent (Acumen), a national leader in fiscal/employer agent (F/EA) services for self-direction, teams up with Essential Learning to build an innovative online training library that gives the support service recipients in a Louisiana waiver program the tools necessary to manage and direct their care.

Self-direction is a model of long term care delivery in which the recipient of the service has greater choice and control over how and when to spend their support dollars. Many of these service recipients are seniors, veterans, or individuals who are receiving services because of a disability.  Acumen provides the fiscal reporting and accounting necessary for the service recipients.

Essential Learning provides an e-learning environment where self-directing service recipients and their employees can obtain information about program rules, employer responsibilities and much more.  “E-learning has been a priority for Acumen because so many self-directing employers need a way to learn how to be an employer.  This interface provides the tools necessary to train themselves as well as their staff,” said Karen Hoffman Tepper, Acumen CEO.

“We look forward to building the partnership with Essential Learning to offer a comprehensive Financial Management and Training option across the country,” said Hoffman Tepper.

Acumen is committed to designing innovative solutions for the families and individuals they serve, and saw a need to provide them with more than just fiscal support. “We want to look for ways to support individuals to be independent.  One way we can do this is by providing specialized training modules so they can be successful in managing and supervising their employees and, ultimately, continue to direct their own services. That’s why we teamed up with Essential Learning to build an online training library for service recipients,” said Hoffman Tepper.  Service recipients can choose from many distinct training modules to prepare themselves for the responsibility of self-direction as well as train their home care workers to perform services well.

“We look forward to building the partnership with Essential Learning to offer a comprehensive Financial Management and Training option across the country,” said Hoffman Tepper.

“We are very excited to partner with Acumen to provide affordable online training solutions to self-directing service recipients and their employees across the United States. Working together, we will enhance our library of courses geared to support people with developmental and intellectual disabilities,” said Sue Erskine, CEO of Essential Learning.

Essential Learning is the leading provider of e-learning services to the health and human service sector, supporting over 950 customers across the United States and Canada. Course offerings include staff compliance training and continuing education for professionals not only in developmental disabilities, but also in behavioral and mental health, addiction treatment, community health, child welfare and other human services organizations.

Essential Learning’s online courses are created by subject matter experts and designed for staff working with people with developmental disabilities in a variety of settings. Courses are available through Elevate™, a web-based, state-of-the-art learning management system that simplifies the delivery, tracking and reporting of staff training. With instant access to a broad selection of courses, Essential Learning enables organizations to orient and train staff quickly and cost-effectively to comply with many accreditation and regulatory training requirements.

For more information about Essential Learning, visit www.EssentialLearning.com, email [email protected] or call 800-729-9198 ext 212.