PPL Talks to…Support Coordinators Webinar Series December 16th 2020 NJ

PPL Talks to Support Coordinators Webinar Series December 16th 2020 NJ DIVISION OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES (DDD) SELF DIRECTED OPTION PROGRAM VENDOR FISCAL EMPLOYER AGENT MODEL

Introductions of PPL NJ DDD Account Management www.publicpartnerships.com Kimberly Smith Donna Schierman Account Manager Sr. Account Director Lavinia Romero Account Specialist 2

Welcome to “PPL Talks To Support Coordinators” Agenda Welcome/Introduction CARI Checks – Phase II Pre-Employment Screening 1/1/2021 Minimum Wage Increase Service Detail Report (SDR) E*Invoicing – NEW! Support Broker Authorization Form NJ DDD Specialists SDE Activity Fee Reimbursements – NEW! www.publicpartnerships.com 3

CARI Checks – Phase II August 7th 2017: N.J.S.A. 9:6-8.10f expanded to require Child Abuse Record Information (CARI) background checks for employees of facilities of programs licensed, contracted, or regulated by the Department of Human Services (DHS) to provide community-based services to individuals with developmental disabilities. CARI checks are implemented by Office of Program Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) in two phases. Source: NJ DDD COVID 19 Webinar: 10/15/2020 www.publicpartnerships.com 4

CARI Checks – Phase II Phase I covered prospective employees and required CARI checks for anyone hired on or after July 16th 2018. Phase II requires CARI checks of all existing employees, including all self-directed employees (SDEs) and all support coordination agency staff. Provider agencies, support coordination agencies, and fiscal intermediaries must begin Phase II by October 15th 2020 and should have a record of a completed CARI check on file for every employee/SDE by December 31st 2020. Source: NJ DDD COVID Webinar: 10/15/2020 www.publicpartnerships.com 5

CARI Checks – Phase II Every provider agency, support coordination agency, and FI has/will create a CARI account via Department of Children and Families Online CARI Check Service. Provider agency employees complete the online CARI application on-site or through an email link. SDEs complete the online CARI application through an email link. Employee/SDEs link expires after two weeks. SDEs and DSPs will need to monitor their email. Questions should be directed to the DHS Employment Controls and Compliance Unit (ECCU) Helpdesk: [email protected] www.publicpartnerships.com 6

SDE Pre-Employment Screenings At the onset of the pandemic, timeframes were extended for some mandated pre-employment screenings for self-directed employees (SDEs). Those extensions are still in place; however, all SDEs are required to complete all pre-employment screenings within the extended timeframe. Mandatory pre-employment screenings with temporarily extended timeframes are fingerprinting, drug testing, and CARI check application. www.publicpartnerships.com 7

SDE Pre-Employment Screenings Beginning January 1, 2021, SDEs who have not completed fingerprinting, drug testing and CARI check application within the 120-day grace period from their date of hire will have their employment status and payments suspended. Once all screenings have been completed, payments will be authorized to resume as of the date of screening completion. Back pay will not be issued to SDEs for the period of time in which employment status was suspended. www.publicpartnerships.com 8

Minimum Wage Increase: Direct Support Professional (DSP) On January 1, 2021, pursuant to New Jersey’s Minimum Wage Law, the statewide minimum wage in New Jersey will increase from 11 to 12 per hour Currently, direct support professionals (DSPs) working for DDD-funded provider agencies earn, on average, 12 per hour. Recognizing that DSPs should be paid above minimum wage, work was done to secure a DSP wage increase that will compensate DSPs above the statewide minimum wage for the critical work they do, beginning January 1, 2021. For the first time, supervisor compression is also addressed in the January DSP wage increase. www.publicpartnerships.com 9

Minimum Wage Increase – Direct Support Professional (DSP) As in previous years, the following services will receive rate increases to support additional wages for DSPs and Supervisors. www.publicpartnerships.com 10

Minimum Wage Increase The Division has released a Quick Guide to FFS Rate Increases Effective January 1, 2021 that provides the amount of each rate increase. For additional information, please see the FY2021 DSP Wage Increase FAQs. The above documents can also be found at https://nj.gov/humanservices/ddd/news/news/index.html All providers receiving this increase must pass it through to DSPs and supervisors and demonstrate pass-through upon request. www.publicpartnerships.com 11

Minimum Wage Increase DDD expects to have all systems updated with the new rates in time for the January 1, 2021 effective date. Provider agencies will bill at the new rate for services rendered on and after the effective date. Providers should not have to re-submit claims to receive the increase. Should this change, DDD will alert agencies. www.publicpartnerships.com 12

Minimum Wage Increase – Self Directed Employees (SDEs) Individuals Under Services All individuals enrolled in a fee-for-service program(Supports Program and Community Care Program under Fee-for-Service) will receive an increase in their individual budget to accommodate the rate increases. Self-directed employees (SDE) will not receive an automatic increase because SDE wages are privately negotiated. An individual/family wishing to increase an SDE’s hourly wage should reach out to their support coordinator to discuss. www.publicpartnerships.com 13

Service Detail Report (SDR) Support Coordinators need to ensure that community vendors (Goods & Services, Environmental Modifications, Vehicle Modifications, Single Passenger Rate Transportation) receive an up-to-date Service Detail Report so the vendor is aware of which Fiscal Intermediary (FI) they will be billing. Source: NJ DDD COVID 19 Webinar: 10/15/2020 www.publicpartnerships.com 14

E*Invoicing E*invoicing went Live on November 1st creating an opportunity for vendors to submit payments electronically. Instructions for Vendors: https://www.publicpartnerships.co m/media/kzxdzxmc/nj-ddd vendor -e-invoicing-guide creative-v6.pdf Instructions for Employers: https://www.publicpartnerships.co m/media/fyhdozra/nj-ddd manage ment-e-invoicing-guide creative-v 5.pdf www.publicpartnerships.com 15

Support Broker Authorization Form This form is required if an individual/guardian has hired/will hire either an agency or a self-directed employee to provide DDD-approved Support Brokerage services. Completion and signing of this form grants the fiscal intermediary, Public Partnerships, permission to talk with the Support Brokerage agency or self-directed employee identified below to discuss the individual’s selfdirected services, employees and/or community vendors, as applicable. This form can be found on PPL website at the link below. https://www.publicpartnerships.com/media/o0bknuva/n j-ddd support-brokerage-authorization-form.pdf www.publicpartnerships.com 16

DDD Specialist Initiative! A team of dedicated DDD Specialists is now available to answer questions and provide guidance and support on being an employer through the DDD Self-Directed program. A DDD Specialist will be available for individuals and their Support Coordinator/Support Broker to help streamline communication between Public Partnerships (PPL), the Support Coordinator, Support Broker and the individual. www.publicpartnerships.com 17

DDD Specialist Initiative How a dedicated DDD Specialist can assist: Educate Employers (EORs) about their rights and responsibilities within the program, both during and after enrollment. Work with EORs to support and assist with invoices and other payment issues independently. Improve the on-boarding and enrollment process for new individuals and their SDEs. Provide timely and accurate communication with individuals, families, and Support Coordinators during the enrollment process, and with community providers on any payment issues. Provide First Call Resolution, wherever possible, to assist individuals with pending issues on their initial call/email to PPL. www.publicpartnerships.com 18

Coming Soon! SDE Activity Fees Reimbursements More details to come in our January Webinar www.publicpartnerships.com 19

Please Join Us for Upcoming “PPL Talks to Support Coordinators” Webinars Every third Wednesday January 20th 2021 @ 10:00am February 17th 2021 @ 10:00am March 17th 2021 @ 10:00am Please submit suggested topics for future webinars to: [email protected] www.publicpartnerships.com 20

Important PPL Contacts 1-844-842-5891 (English) 1-844-842-5892 (Spanish) [email protected] Customer Service Hours Mon - Fri 8:00am - 6:00pm EST 1) General inquires related to PPL services a. BetterOnline Portal registration b. Login assistance or training c. Understanding timesheets, payments or Earning Statement d. Payment status e. Enrollment support and status f. Authorization details received by PPL [email protected] 1) Escalations from the Divisions 2) Receives Complaint and Appeal forms [email protected] 1) Receives Referral forms only 1-844-561-5978 (fax) [email protected] [email protected] www.publicpartnerships.com 1-844-231-4793 (fax) 1) Receives program related documents only a. Enrollment forms b. Rate change forms c. Verification of employment d. Vender invoices 1) Inquiries related to training requirements 1) Receives paper timesheets 21

Questions? www.publicpartnerships.com Speak Up! 22

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