Life Patterns Inc.

Legal name: Life Patterns Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
481128445
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Topeka, KS, United States
Phone
(785) 273-7189
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Centers to Support the Independence of Specific Populations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$41,007,550
Expenses
$40,402,403
Assets
$8,136,760
Liabilities
$2,679,095

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JON GERDEL (PRESIDENT/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • DOUG GERDEL (BOARD PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JON GERDEL (PRESIDENT/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $244,321 total reported compensation
  • SHANNON WAGNER (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $244,321 total reported compensation
  • ROBYN PUGH (ACCOUNTS MANAGER): $107,027 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To promote quality life styles for persons with a disability through the provision of service administration individualized planning.

What it reported doing in 2025

Life Patterns, Inc. works with approximately 1,300 individuals with a disability and their family members who have chosen the self-directed care service delivery model for Medicaid Home and Community Based Service Recipients. Life Patterns has developed a training notebook and provides one-on-one assistance to individuals with planning in implementing personalized support systems and assistance with the hiring process of personal support providers. Life Patterns also assist when employee performance is not adequate and remediation is needed, back-up support issues, questions about finding and navigating the developmental and physical disability system of Kansas. Life Patterns provides training on the person-centered planning process which is required by the State of Kansas. Tools to provide individuals with timely information on upcoming changes and employer ideas and resources needed to be an effective and successful employer include one-on-one presentations, newsletters, and a website. Life Patterns has implemented a New Participant Coordinator position that provides individualized support to families / employers new to Life Patterns and the Kansas Medicaid waiver.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 100% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 93.6%; rating input score 94
  • Program expense ratio: 95%; rating input score 95
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 80%; rating input score 80; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 1.5%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.2; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.33; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.8%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 15.1% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 14.8% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 18.1% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 93.6% of revenue deployed · 95% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $38.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $244K · 9 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 43 of 43 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 30/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 4/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 38/100.