February 3, 2017
Division of Developmental Disabilities
Updates from the Division for SC Agencies
Forwarded email from DDD Communication. Please read.
From: DDD Communications
Subject: Division Update
Hello Division Constituents and Community Partners,
Recently, we have received a number of questions related to the Department’s new Fiscal Intermediary as well as the Division’s policy on training for self-directed employees (SDEs). I want to take this opportunity to provide an update on these important issues.
As you may know, the Department announced its intention to procure a Department-wide fiscal intermediary several years ago. This information was shared widely in Division and Department communications and presentations with stakeholders. As part of the procurement process, the Department chose to use a Fiscal/Employer Agent service delivery model similar to the one successfully utilized for many years in the Personal Preference Program administered by the Division of Disability Services (DDS). While this decision would represent a change from the model that individuals were using through the division’s current fiscal intermediary – Easter Seals – the choice was based on several factors, including input from families who were self-directing in both models and felt that the Personal Preference Program’s model was closer to “true self-direction.”
A competitive bid and rigorous review resulted in the selection of Public Consulting Group’s Public Partnerships, LLC (PPL) as the new Department-wide fiscal intermediary. PPL provides fiscal management services for self-directed programs in 23 states and the District of Columbia, and comes with a great deal of experience operating in the Fiscal/Employer Agent service delivery model. The transition from Easter Seals to PPL is expected to take up to five months. During this transition, families will receive guidance from PPL and the Division and the new FI services will become routine. There should not be an interruption in service during this time. A timeline is in development and will be shared with stakeholders as soon as it is complete.
Some families have shared their concerns regarding the Division’s policy to mandate training for SDEs as this shift into the new fiscal intermediary occurs. The Division has been actively engaged in a discussion with this group of families for over a year about this training, and we have made several adjustments to the initial training requirements based on these discussions. Specifically, the Division has extended the amount of time that SDEs will have to complete trainings, offered print versions of online courses, agreed to pay for both the training itself as well as the SDEs time while they attend the training, and waived the continuing education requirements. While we greatly value the importance of SDEs as an option in our service delivery system, we have an obligation to ensure that all service providers are well-trained so as to ensure the health and safety of individuals with developmental disabilities in our system.
Two additional changes that go hand-in-hand with the above reforms are: (1) families no longer will be subject to a $15 per-hour payment cap, giving them the discretion to pay SDEs a higher hourly rate; and (2) family members, other than the parent, legal guardian, or spouse of the program participants, may be hired as SDEs. Both of these changes have been requested by families for many years and will support the continuity of care and the retention of SDEs in the long-term.
These reforms will provide consumers and families with the comfort of knowing that SDEs have a strong foundation of health and safety training and the individual and family will have direct control over hiring and directing its employees. These changes will also allow consumers with SDEs to enroll in the Supports Program within the Comprehensive Medicaid Waiver, which offers greater personal choice and expanded options in services and supports.
For more detailed information, I’ve attached a helpful Frequently Asked Questions document, which also is posted on the Division’s website. I hope this helps to clarify some of the misinformation that has been circulating regarding these important issues.
Thank you.
Liz Shea
Elizabeth M. Shea
Assistant Commissioner
New Jersey Department of Human Services
Division of Developmental Disabilities
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