2025-26 State of Wisconsin NCI Surveys

National Core Indicators is a national project that includes a comprehensive suite of surveys and support for accurate administration, provided to participating National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) member agencies, to gather a standard set of performance and outcome measures that can be used to track their own performance over time, to compare results across states, and to establish national benchmarks. The National Core Indicators-Aging and Disabilities (NCI-AD™) is a similar initiative designed to support states’ interest in assessing the performance of their programs and delivery systems in order to improve services for older adults and individuals with physical disabilities. More information on these national projects is available on the national websites at http://www.nationalcoreindicators.org/ and http://nci-ad.org/.

Wisconsin is using NCI surveys to better capture participant-reported information on quality of life, community integration, and satisfaction with Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS). These are important tools in monitoring the quality of Wisconsin’s Medicaid-funded LTSS. DHS uses the data collected to gather performance and outcome measures that can be used to track performance over time, compare performance to other states, and compare Wisconsin’s survey results against the national benchmarks.

The NCI IPS for people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) is a face-to-face conversation carried out in person or via videoconference with individuals who are 18 years of age or older and are receiving at least one paid service from the State in addition to case management.

What to Expect:

You should have received a consent form and information to participate in the mail. Knowledge Services will begin outreach in November to ask for participation in the NCI-IDD survey. The person receiving services and/or guardian will be given the choice to participate in-person at your home, in-person at an alternate location, or remotely via videoconference. If you would like to participate but have not received a call yet, please email surveys@knowledgeservices.com or call 1-608-509-9713 or +1 866 228-5859.

In the NCI-AD survey, data are gathered through in-person surveys of older adults and individuals with physical disabilities, Medicaid waivers, Medicaid state plan programs, and/or state-funded programs as well as fee for service nursing home enrollees.

What to Expect:

You should have received a consent form and information to participate in the mail. Knowledge Services will begin outreach in October to ask for participation in the NCI-AD survey. The person receiving services and/or guardian will be given the choice to participate in-person at your home, in-person at an alternate location, or remotely via telephone or videoconference. If you would like to participate but have not received a call yet, please email surveys@knowledgeservices.com or call 1-608-509-9713 or +1 866 228-5859.

AD Notification Letter

IPS Notification Letter

AD Infographic (English)

AD Infographic (Español)

IPS Infographic (English)

IPS Infographic (Español)

NCI IPS & AD Consent Form (PDF - English)

NCI IPS & AD Consent Form (PDF - Español)

NCI IPS & AD Consent Form (Online)

1. Why is WI DHS doing the survey the survey?

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) partnered with the National Core indicators project to understand the experiences of people in long-term care programs like Family Care and Include, Respect, I Self-Direct (IRIS).

DHS is also working with Knowledge Services, a survey company, to find out about the experiences of older adults, people with physical disabilities, and people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and their quality of life.

2. Do I have to take the survey?

No. Participating is your choice. Your choice will not impact your services now or in the future.

3. What will happen if I participate?

An interviewer will call you between October 2025 and May 2026 to discuss the survey and next steps. You or your guardian can choose the time and place of the interview, meet in-person or via secure technology, when and where you feel comfortable.

4. How will my privacy be protected?

All answers are confidential, secure, and combined with other participant responses for reporting purposes. Individual answers will not be shared.

5. What are the survey questions like?

The questions are about your quality of life, health, safety, transportation, people who help you, where you live, supports and services and things you do in the community. You can stop the interview at any time and you do not have to answer questions you do not want to. There are no right or wrong answers.

6. How long does the survey take?

The survey takes about 30-45 minutes.

7. What if I am a guardian?

Knowledge Services will call you and ask for your consent to participate in the survey. Verbal consent is valid and written consent is obtained electronically or by mail.

You can be at the interview, but you do not need to be. You can request for other people to be present in your stead.

8. What should I do if I received this letter instead of the participant or guardian?

Please forward this communication as well as any future NCI-related correspondence to the potential participant and their guardian. Call Knowledge Services toll free at 866-228-5859 if this information should be directed elsewhere.

9. Why should I participate?

Participating in the NCI Survey allows people receiving long-term care services to share their perspective on the services they receive, and how they feel about their lives. When participants and their guardians share their experiences in the survey, they help Wisconsin plan for future program improvements.