Contact Us

To qualify for our services, you need to be at least 18 years of age or older, or in
transition from High School. You must have a medical, psychological, or physical diagnosis
which makes it difficult for you to work or independently access your community. You need to
reside in northeastern Minnesota or northern Wisconsin and be referred by County Social
Services, Rehabilitation Services – Workforce Development Center and / or a collaborating
service agency. We accept the following funding sources ID/DD-waiver, CADI waiver, BI waiver,
and funding through the Rehabilitation Services. If these funding sources are not available, a
private pay agreement is available.

Absolutely! In fact, we prefer meeting with people prior to a formal referral. We call this
meeting a “Meet and Greet”. During the Meet and Greet your questions can be answered and
you can get a feel for our agency to determine if we will be able to meet your needs.

You can invite anyone to the meeting that will help you determine if our agency will
meet your needs. We recommend inviting your County Case Manager, Rehabilitation
Counselor, Guardian, family members, etc.

Please call Karen Schmidt or Jackie Nelson at (218) 724-5869.

Talk with your County Case Manager and / or Rehabilitation Counselor and ask that
individual to refer you to our agency. The referral form is like an application, and it needs to be
filled out, so we are aware of the type of services you are requesting. If you are paying for your
services out of pocket, you may talk directly to Karen Schmidt or Jackie Nelson at CHOICE,
unlimited and ask that a referral form be emailed or mailed to you.

Once we receive referral information from your County Case Manager, Rehabilitation
Counselor, or you (if you plan to pay out of pocket for services), we will set up a meeting that we
refer to as an Intake Meeting. This meeting lasts about one hour. In that meeting we continue to
gather information about your interests and skills and ask you to sign forms which include
Consent for Release of Information, Data Privacy Agreement, Service Recipient Rights,
Grievance Policy, etc. Often, much of this paperwork is given to you at the “Meet and Greet”
allowing you time to read through it and fill it out at your leisure prior to the Intake Meeting.

Upon receiving your completed referral form, the information is reviewed, and a
determination is made as to service availability. If there is not an opening in the identified
program, you will be placed on a waiting list. The order in which a person enters our program is
based on the date the completed referral form is received. Typically, those who are referred first

have the first opportunity to enter our program. However, CHOICE, unlimited reserves the right
to decide when a person will enter our program based on several factors including, but not
limited to, the type of vacancy, the stated desires of the individual referred, and our desire to
maximize efficiencies.

You and your team will decide when you will begin receiving services at the Intake
Meeting.

After approximately 45 days of service, you and your team will meet to talk about how
everything is going, and you will have the opportunity to set up the goals you want to reach
throughout the year. For example, many people come to our agency to find meaningful
employment. They may have a goal that simply states, “I want to work at least 20 hours a week
working with the elderly.” Or some people may have a goal that states, “I want to work in the
community and earn at least $12.00 per hour working in the food service industry."

We employ job coaches who are trained to help you become as independent as
possible at your job. We try very hard to make sure that you and your job coach are a good
match. In fact, you may be asked to participate in helping us select a job coach to work with you
by being a part of the interview team.

Yes. When you come into our agency your main contact person will be one of our
Community Support Specialist. These individuals are responsible for helping you develop your
goals and ensure your satisfaction with the services we provide. They are also your main
contact at our agency and are a part of your overall team including your County Case Manager,
Guardian, Rehabilitation Counselor, etc.