Administrative Notice

Transcription

1 Administrative Notice Clarifications regarding Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) Employment Services BAS Communication Number: BAW17-29 Please Note: This notice supersedes BAW16-39 issued 08/12/2016 and BAW17-06 issued 02/27/2017. AUDIENCE: PURPOSE: Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) Providers of Career Planning (Vocational Assessment and Job Finding) and Supported Employment (Intensive Job Coaching and Extended Employment Supports), Supports Coordinators and Supports Coordinator Supervisors To provide updated clarifications regarding the Career Planning (Vocational Assessment and Job Finding) and Supported Employment (Intensive Job Coaching and Extended Employment Supports) services and provider training requirements. DISCUSSION: The Bureau of Autism Services (BAS) would like to provide additional guidance about the AAW employment services and correct and clarify information that was included in previous notices (BAW16-39 and BAW17-06, Archived). ADDING AAW EMPLOYMENT SERVICES TO THE ISP AAW employment services may be added during the initial plan development, an Annual Review Plan or via a Critical Revision. These services may not be utilized for volunteer positions. In order to receive Career Planning (Vocational Assessment or Job Finding) or Supported Employment (Intensive Job Coaching or Extended Employment Supports) through the AAW, the participant must first go through the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR), unless the participant meets one of the exceptions outlined in the joint OVR/ODP Bulletin OO-16-02, issued April 1, 2016 or subsequent updates OVR Referral Process for Employment-Related Services. CAREER PLANNING VOCATIONAL ASSESSMENT If a participant needs a Vocational Assessment, this should be the only employment service added to the ISP until the assessment is completed. Providers must complete the assessment using the BAS Vocational Profile template and then submit it to the SC for entry into HCSIS. Additional services can then be added to Page 1 of 5

2 the ISP as appropriate. See the Training Requirements section of this Administrative Notice for information on direct care staff submitting their very first Vocational Profile. Providers should use their judgement and experience to estimate the number of units needed for a participant s assessment. Otherwise, BAS suggests that 60 units initially be added to the ISP for completion of the Vocational Assessment; additional units may be requested and approved, based upon need. Vocational Assessment may only be added to the ISP for 90 days but may be reauthorized as described in the reauthorization section below. This service may be added to an ISP whenever the participant s circumstances or career goals change. Vocational Assessment will be authorized for billing immediately once the ISP has been approved. Additional Details about Vocational Assessment Vocational Assessment does not require objectives to be submitted to the SC for the goals on the ISP. On the Monthly Progress Note (MPN) form the objectives column should indicate Not Applicable. The provider must send a copy of the Vocational Profile to the SC and retain a copy in the participant s file. CAREER PLANNING JOB FINDING If the participant needs help with finding a job but does not need an assessment or one has already been completed, Job Finding may be added to the ISP. Job Finding may also be added to an ISP if the participant s employment ends or is determined unsatisfactory by the participant. Providers should use their judgement and experience to estimate the number of units needed for a participant s job finding. Otherwise, BAS suggests that 112 units initially be added to the ISP for completion of this service, although additional units may be requested and approved, based upon need. Job Finding may only be added to the ISP for 90 days but may be reauthorized as described in the reauthorization section below. Job Finding will be authorized for billing immediately once the ISP has been approved. The provider needn t wait for participant to secure employment before Job Finding may be authorized and billed. Additional Details about Job Finding Job Finding does not require objectives to be submitted to the SC for the goals on the ISP. On the MPN form the objectives column should indicate Not Applicable. SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT - INTENSIVE JOB COACHING Page 2 of 5

3 This service may only be added to the ISP for six months and may be reauthorized twice more, for up to a maximum of 18 consecutive months for the same position at the same employment site, if necessary. Additional Details about Intensive Job Coaching Intensive Job Coaching supports participants who require on-the-job support for more than 20% of their work week. Objectives must be submitted by the provider to the SC for the goals on the ISP within three weeks of service start date. Prior to adding this service to the ISP, SCs should update the Employment/Volunteer screen in HCSIS to include the place of employment as well as document within the comments box the number of hours per week the participant is scheduled to work. This information is essential to BAS so that a determination can be made about the appropriate level of Supported Employment services being requested. SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT EXTENDED EMPLOYMENT SUPPORTS This service may be authorized up to a maximum of 416 hours per year, with the year starting on the ISP plan effective date. Additional Details about Extended Employment Supports Extended Employment supports participants who require support 20% or less of their work week. Objectives must be submitted by the provider to the SC for the goals on the ISP within three weeks of service start date. Prior to adding this service to the ISP, SCs should update the Employment/Volunteer screen in HCSIS to include the place of employment as well as document within the comments box the number of hours per week the participant is scheduled to work. This information is essential to BAS so that a determination can be made about the appropriate level of Supported Employment services being requested. REAUTHORIZATION OF VOCATIONAL ASSESSMENT, JOB FINDING & INTENSIVE JOB COACHING Reauthorization of these services is not automatic and is subject to BAS review and approval. Each reauthorization must be added as a separate service line each time it is added to the ISP. Continuation of these services requires reauthorization: o Every 90 days (for Vocational Assessment and Job Finding), if necessary, for up to one year from initial authorization every time it is added to the ISP; or o Every six months (for Intensive Job Coaching), if necessary, for up to 18 consecutive months from initial authorization for the same position at the same employment site. Page 3 of 5

4 If a participant has received Intensive Job Coaching at the same employment site for 18 consecutive months and continues to need this service, an Exception Request to the service limitation needs to be submitted to BAS by the SC. See Administrative Notice BAW 16-31: Request for an Exception to Established Service Limits for more information on the exceptions process. The ISP team is expected to discuss progress towards the service s goal(s) and the continued need for these services prior to the end of the authorization period and before the SC requests that BAS reauthorize. o For Intensive Job Coaching, the team is also expected to discuss progress towards fading the service. If needed, the SC should submit a Critical Revision at least 15 days prior to the end date of the current service line to add an additional 90 days of service for Vocational Assessment and Job Finding, or to add an additional six months of Intensive Job Coaching for the same position at the same employment site. The SC s HCSIS service note must include details regarding the team s discussion on progress made and reasons why additional time is needed. If a participant is laid off or stops using Intensive Job Coaching for any other reason, the employment provider must notify the SC as soon as possible and the SC should submit a critical revision request to BAS to reduce the amount of units on the ISP. PROVIDER & SC REPORTING & DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS Providers are required to submit Monthly Progress Notes (MPNs) to the SC no later than the 10th day of the month following the delivery of services for all services detailed in this Administrative Notice. If the service is occurring on a less than monthly frequency, the provider should complete one MPN for each time the service is provided. SCs are required to submit Quarterly Summary Reports for these services in HCSIS. Providers are required to document service delivery; refer to the AAW Provider Manual Chapter 4: Documentation of Service Delivery for more information. BAS will monitor for verification of service delivery. Both Career Planning (Vocational Assessment and Job Finding) and Supported Employment (Intensive Job Coaching and Extended Employment Supports) services may be provided directly to the participant and indirectly for the benefit of the participant. While documentation of service delivery is required for all billing purposes, a participant s signature is not required to confirm delivery of indirect services. However, the provider should be clear in their documentation that the service was delivered indirectly. Indirect services may not be used for staff training or supervision, as this is already included in the service rate. Interaction and engagement with employers about specific participants is billable as long as it is of direct benefit to a particular participant. TRAINING REQUIREMENTS Beginning 6/1/17, all direct service providers of Career Planning and Supported Employment must have documentation of completion of the required AAW Employment/Vocational Services training. This new training requirement was announced in February Page 4 of 5

5 All providers of Career Planning and Supported Employment MUST: Complete the six-module AAW Employment/Vocational Services training prior to their first service provision. To access the course on the MyODP Training & Resource Center, use this link: All providers of Career Planning - Vocational Assessment MUST ALSO: Submit their first Vocational Profile developed for a participant for review and approval by BAS. o The option to submit the profile will become available only after the six-module course has been completed. o At the point of completing the modules and receiving a certificate, instructions will become available on MyODP and will remain available until the first Vocational Profile is submitted and approved by BAS. Once mastery is met on the Vocational Profile, an additional completion certificate will be issued to document that the employee is considered fully qualified for the service and can submit Vocational Profiles directly to the SC moving forward. Note: A second Vocational Profile should not be developed and submitted until the first Vocational Profile has been approved. IMPORTANT: Agencies are responsible for ensuring that all staff are fully qualified at the time of service provision. Certificate(s) must be maintained by the provider within the individual direct service worker s training records. During annual monitoring, BAS will require verification that all the necessary training requirements have been met. To access the course on the MyODP Training & Resource Center, use this link: NOTE: If you have not already done so, you will need to create an account on MyODP and set up a profile as an AAW Employment Provider, prior to beginning the course. Do not view this course as a Guest. Guests cannot access the required quiz or receive a certificate for course completion. Any questions regarding this Administrative Notice can be sent to ra-odpautismwaiver@pa.gov and indicate AAW Employment Services in the subject line. BAS Administrative Notices and training modules are available at Page 5 of 5