11/25/2013 Update on Provider Payment Changes and Provider Enrollment into the State’s System

Dear Providers,

There continue to be hold-ups on the State’s move to take over payment to providers of brokerage services.

Representatives from the Office of Developmental Disabilities Services promise there’s continued work on a solid plan, but as of right now they have produced no clear plans or feasible timelines. What we do know is this:

  • Payment will not be coming through the State effective January 1st, 2014
  • We will continue to provide your payment until an appropriate plan is developed and agreed upon.

Given the amount of work left to do during implementation, our best guess is a transition several months into the new year at this point.

If you haven’t sent in your Provider Enrollment Agreement, do so now. This is an essential action on your part, regardless of changing timelines.

If you have turned in your PEAA and have received no response back from the State, contact them directly at DD-MH.OHCC@state.or.us. (We initially thought we would be able to send out emails for those who had provider numbers, but the information we have received from the State isn’t in a format that allows us to do so given our limited resources.) Please email the State for assistance on this matter.

Many of you have received requests for W4s, I9s, and Direct Deposit forms. (Oddly, this request also went to Independent Contractors, a designation of providers who do not utilize W4s or I9s in their business practice.) Stranger still, we understand that you’re being told to submit items to brokerages. We have already processed these forms during your initial qualification and we cannot process them a second time. Please send your W9s, I9s, Direct Deposit forms directly to the State at:

            Email:            info.exprs@state.or.us
Mail:               DHS – ITBSU
ATTN: eXPRS User Enrollment
500 Summer Street NE E-12
Salem, OR  97301

Finally, provider organizations who need a provider number should be hearing from the State shortly. We are aware of a transmittal being developed and have heard it should be out within the next week or so.

Unfortunately, the State has not provided a phone number to field your questions. If that changes, we will update you and share the resource. We will continue to update you as we have more clear information. Thank you for your continued patience during this process. Rest assured that your payment will continue to come through us in the interim while these bureaucratic and procedural tangles are dealt with.

 

Tomorrow 11/26/2013: Join Us at the Portland Public Schools Community Transition Resource Fair from 12 – 7

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Join Us at the Portland Public School Transition Resource Fair tomorrow from 12 noon to 7PM. The fair will be held on the Green Thumb campus: 6801 SE 60th Avenue in Portland. INW will be there along with the other metro area brokerages. We’ll also be putting on a couple of presentations related to brokerage services. See you there!

SPEAKERS

  • 1:00- Transition Requirements:  Setting the Stage for successful Movement from High School to Adulthood
  • 1:30- PCC Disabilities
  • 2:00-Portland Public Schools
  • Community Transition Program                    
  • 2:30- Brokerage Service Basics
  • 3:15- Changes to Brokerage Services
  • 4:00- Transition Students and Alumni
  • 4:45- Plan for Work: Work Incentives Planning and Assistance- Plan for Work
  • 5:30- Phame/Club Impact

Meet up with many organizations supporting adults with I/DD in our community, including:

  • PPS Transition Program
  • Student-Run Businesses
  • PCC- Culinary Program
  • PCC- Skills Center
  • PCC-Disability Services
  • Incight
  • Trips Inc.
  • Special Olympics
  • Off the Couch
  • Club Impact
  • Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp
  • PHAME
  • ARC
  • Oregon RISE
  • 211 Info.
  • IEP Partners
  • Safety Zone
  • SPEAC
  • Oregon First
  • Disability Rights of Oregon
  • Autism Society of Oregon
  • FACT Oregon
  • NAMI
  • Vocational Rehabilitation
  • Portland Habilitation Center- PHC
  • CTP Vocational Training
  • DePaul- Project Search
  • Pathways to Independence
  • Independence Northwest
  • Inclusion
  • Mentor Oregon Brokerage
  • UCP Connections
  • Multnomah County Aging and Disabilities
  • Multnomah County DD
  • WIPA Program
  • RideWise
  • Albertina Kerr
  • On the Move

Join INW in December for a Community Forum on the Big Changes Happening in Brokerage Services

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Independence Northwest continues its community outreach on big changes to brokerage and I/DD services in Oregon. Since August, we’ve held many highly successful community forums presenting to over 300 community members – and we’ve got two more scheduled for the month of December!

Join us if you’d like to learn more about the K Plan, the upcoming needs assessment requirement, new options for case management, plans for a new universal ISP, changes to provider payment and rates and much more.

Remember to RSVP by calling our front desk 503.546.2950. You may also email us at larry.deal@independencenw.org. Space is limited, so reserve your space at one of our evening or day sessions today!

Big thanks to all the families, customers, providers and community members who have joined us in the past few weeks. Your questions, comments, concern and input continue to make a difference in the restructure of the I/DD system!

Update for Providers Regarding Provider Numbers and Forthcoming Payment Changes

numbersDear Providers for Customers of Independence Northwest,

I’m writing to give you a general update regarding upcoming changes to provider payments. There’s been a flurry of activity around this topic in recent weeks and here’s the latest as we know it.

As you know, the State of Oregon Office of Developmental Disabilities Services plans to take over payments to brokerage providers in the near future. The deadline has changed multiple times and their current public target is January 1st, 2014.

In preparation for this change, all providers must obtain a Provider Number. In order to receive a Provider Number, you must turn in a Provider Enrollment Application and Agreement (Word or PDF). The Provider Number will allow you to go into the State’s payment system and make your claims. Without this number, you won’t be paid.

Many of you have contacted us via phone, email, on Facebook and in-person concerned because you submitted the required paperwork, yet you’ve heard nothing from the State. Communication and direction has been spotty, for sure.

Here’s how INW can help.

A day ago, the thirteen support services brokerages received a spreadsheet from the Oregon Home Care Commission. This spreadsheet contains the names and contact information for about 3,400 providers statewide. It includes assigned Provider Numbers. We are currently in the process of sorting through the list to determine which providers are attached to Independence Northwest.

  • If your name is on the list, we will email you your Provider Number early next week. (Some providers are getting email notifications with their Provider Number from the Home Care Commission and some aren’t, so you may receive this info twice.)

 

  • If your name is not on the list, we will email you early next week and tell you that the State has not assigned you a Provider Number yet. This may be because you didn’t submit a PEAA or perhaps the State hasn’t processed your PEAA yet. We have no way of knowing which is the case (or if there are other variables), so concerned providers will need to follow up with the State at that point by emailing DD-MH.OHCC@state.or.us. At this time, the State has not provided a direct contact person or phone number. If that changes, we will update you.

We expect to receive updated Provider Number lists from the State from time to time, but don’t yet know what the frequency will be. As we receive those lists, we will update you where applicable.

If you haven’t submitted your Provider Enrollment Application and Agreement, please don’t delay – do it today.  As of right now, less than half of the Personal Support Workers in the State have been assigned Provider Numbers. It’s essential everyone is assigned a number on or before Monday, December 2nd, 2013. We can’t let a bureaucratic change affect payment for essential services to adults with I/DD.

Brokerages will continue payment (at the very least) through the end of 2013. As deadlines shift, we’ll keep you informed. You will continue to send your invoices and time sheets directly to your customer’s Personal Agent, as before.

To Recap:

  •  If you haven’t sent in your Provider Enrollment Agreement, do it now.
  •  If you have turned it in and we send you a notice saying the State hasn’t included you on its list, contact them via email at DD-MH.OHCC@state.or.us.
  • Continue to send your timesheets and invoices directly to us at Independence Northwest. We will notify you when the State is formally taking over payment. Even after the State takes over payment, you’ll still send proof of services to us for review.
  • The State will take over payment to you sometime in the new year. They are planning trainings and support for providers to get acclimated to the eXPRS system. Hold tight, information forthcoming.

We promise to communicate changes with you quickly to ensure as smooth a transition as possible. We are continuing our series of customer and community forums and welcome you to join us. It’s a great place to discuss the changes with other community members and get the latest details. I also encourage you to Like us on Facebook and subscribe to the Independence Northwest Blog to get updates as we have them.

Thank you for the essential work you do for our customers, their families and the community at large.

Best,

Larry Deal
Executive Director

PS – Provider organizations with current eXPRS log in information need not be concerned with this notice. As I currently understand it, provider organizations who are awaiting a Provider Number and eXPRS log-in will be contacted in the next week or so by the State.