Instructions on the AB 855 and SB 873 limit on the number of authorized hours providers in the IHSS and and Waiver Personal Care Services (WPCS) programs are permitted to work in a workweek.  The letter provides information and instructions for implementing new policies that require that IHSS/WPCS providers receive compensation for travel time and wait time under certain circumstances. Included are new and revised forms and notices to be used by counties in implementing the new policies. [Download]

Instructions on the prohibition of using Advance Pay money to pay Individual Providers who have not completed the IHSS provider enrollment process and have not enrolled as IHSS providers, and a review of the time sheet rules.  The Advance Pay option allows eligible IHSS recipients (described in the letter) to get a direct monthly IHSS payment , in order to pay providers at the time services are rendered.  When in Advance Pay the provider’s time sheets must be sent it at the end of each authorized service month.  If the recipient fails to submit the provider’s time sheets, within 90 days from the date of payment, the county shall have the right to change the recipient’s payment delivery method from payment in advance to payment in arrears.  [Download]

Reviews the details of the “before and after” scenarios of Overpayment recoveries, now that counties no longer get a percentage of the recovered funds back into the county coffers. [Download]

The Notice provides the background on why the report was done, and releases the Fraud Integrity report.  (NOTE: The report doesn’t appear on-line at the link provided in the ACIN…but hopefully will soon!) [Download]

SB 1104 required CDSS and county welfare departments to establish a dedicated QA function to conduct routine scheduled reviews of IHSS cases. This report is the first out after conducting the review. 17,621 case reviews, resulting in about 10 percent of QA case reviews resulted in a change in authorized service hours. Not listed in the executive summary is the discovery that 4% of the cases referred for fraud follow up were being underpaid. Overall, although there was a high level of achievement, not all counties did all required reviews, and data was inconsistent, and the review demonstrated that there needs to be improvements in QA data forms, instructions and training.  The review (with the revised forms) does seem to detect “critical incidents” where an IHSS recipient may be at risk. [Download]

 

Implementing the Oster settlement, reducing the 8% IHSS cut down to a 7% cut.  [Download]