ATTENTION PSWs: Time Sheet Due Date Adjusted by State, Now Due Early (December 19th)

The following notice was emailed to all Personal Support Workers working with INW customers on 12/13/2016:

The state has announced that it is shortening the time you have for submitting your time sheets by one day in the next payroll cycle, due to the changeover between TNT and PPL as state fiscal intermediary. In order to receive payment on time, you must have your time sheets in no later than Monday, December 19th, 2016. Brokerage processing time has been cut as well, pretty much eliminating our flexibility on late submissions.

 

 

 

P.S. – If you haven’t followed up on requests to turn your paperwork in to PPL, please do so now. We continue to be concerned about the low number of PSWs who are considered “good to go” in PPL’s system. If you’re not set up properly in the system, there’s no way to get you paid on time.

Click here for the 2017 PSW Submission and Payment Schedule

 

Very Important Notice to INW Customers and Brokerage Personal Support Workers

writing-1149962_1280By now, Personal Support Workers and those that employ them should have received multiple communications from a variety of sources regarding a major change to the way PSWs will be paid. TNT’s contract with the State of Oregon as the fiscal intermediary is ending on December 31st and the state is transitioning to an outfit called PCG Public Partnerships LLC (known as PPL). This change requires action on your part – whether you are a PSW or if you are the employer of the PSW. We’re told that PPL has been reaching out to all affected parties via mail, via phone, and when possible via email.

 
If you do not respond to requests from PPL, you/your Personal Support worker will not be paid for services until you do. Once you’ve completed and submitted the paperwork, you should contact PPL to ensure they have received it and labelled it “good to go”. If you don’t take this extra step to confirm with them,  there is a strong chance you/your Personal Support Worker will not be paid for services in a timely manner.
 

What To Do

 

  • Are you a PSW or Employer who has received a packet from PPL? Great. Fill it out and return it.
  • Did you receive a packet and now have questions? Call their customer service line and get help.
  • Do you find the whole thing confusing and need more hands-on help? Attend one of the just-posted information sessions in Portland, Oregon City, or Beaverton. See below.
  • Haven’t received a packet at all? Call PPL and request one. Return it quickly to avoid delay in payment in January. Or attend an information session where they’ll print one for you and help you fill it out. At present, we do not have print capability in PPL’s system. We’re hoping for that soon, but have no promised date.

Here’s what you can’t do: nothing.

 

To date, this transition has been quite bumpy. While all transitions bring challenges, such a small number of people are currently properly enrolled with PPL that we are growing very concerned. We want to be sure Personal Support Workers are paid on time for the work performed for our shared customers.

 

Current data from PPL as of this posting shows that just 5% of Personal Support Workers supporting INW’s customers are up and running in their system. There are about 9% who are currently “in process”. In terms of Employers, right now 13% are complete in PPL’s system, with another 4%  in the pipeline.  Data changes daily, so we’re crossing our fingers these numbers grow considerably in the days to come.
 
If you haven’t received a packet or if you’re not sure if you’re all set, call their customer service line directly or plan to attend one of the newly-scheduled PPL Information Sessions where you can complete all your paperwork with help from one of their staff.
 
Please do not ignore this call to action. Click here to download a copy of the scheduled sessions.
 
Date
City
Location
Hours of Operation
Tuesday, Dec 13
Beaverton
Beaverton Activities Center
15200 SW Allen Blvd
Beaverton, OR 97005
9 am – 5pm
Wednesday, Dec 14
Oregon City
Clackamas Community College
McCloghlin Hall
19600 Molalla Ave
Oregon City, OR  97220
12 – 6:30pm
Thursday, Dec 15
Portland
Courtyard Portland Airport Location 11550 NE Airport Way
Portland, OR 97220
*accessible via Red Line/Cascade Station Max lines
*parking on site
12 – 7pm
Friday, Dec 16
Portland
Courtyard Portland Airport Location 11550 NE Airport Way
Portland, OR 97220
*accessible via Red Line/Cascade Station Max lines
*parking on site
12 – 7pm
 

Oregon I/DD Services Director Releases Statement on Proposed 2017 Budget Cuts and Investments

Lilia TenintyOregon Office of Developmental Disabilities Services Director Lilia Teninty released a statement today regarding budget cuts and investments in Governor Brown’s recently-released state budget for 2017 – 2019 related to the intellectual and developmental disabilities community:

Dec. 5, 2016

To: All ODDS Staff and Stakeholders

On December 1, Governor Kate Brown published her proposed budget for the 2017-2019 biennium. The governor noted she had tough decisions to make under difficult circumstances, including a $1.7 billion budget gap. Her budget fills the shortfall with a combination of new revenue, program cuts and efficiencies.

The governor’s budget for DHS is nearly $11.3 billion total funds, a 6 percent increase over the current biennium. It includes investments to balance the DHS budget in a long-term sustainable manner to meet the needs of Oregon’s most vulnerable residents. It also includes reductions that impact DHS.

The Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities system

The Oregon Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) program strives to support choices of individuals with disabilities and their families within communities by promoting and providing services that are person-centered, self-directed, flexible, community-inclusive, and culturally appropriate.

The I/DD system has many critical partners including Community Developmental Disabilities Programs (CDDPs), Brokerages, providers, families, and self-advocates, which support individuals with I/DD to live full lives in their communities. Oregon no longer has institutional settings for persons with developmental disabilities, so all individuals are served in the community. Most of these services are administered under Medicaid waivers and the Community First Choice Option (the K-Plan). The Stabilization and Crisis Unit (SACU) is also part of this program.

With the implementation of the K-Plan, the I/DD program has experienced and continues to experience increases in caseload and cost per case for individuals served. The 2017-19 Governor’s budget for Office of Developmental Disabilities Services (ODDS) is $2.7 billion total funds ($893.9 million General Fund).

Governor’s proposed 2017-2019 budget

In order to fully fund increased caseloads and costs, certain tradeoffs had to occur. While continuing to protect eligibility requirements for children and adults to qualify for services, the budget makes some reductions.

  • Community Developmental Disability Programs and Brokerages. Thirty-four CDDPs and 14 Support Services Brokerages provide case management services to approximately 26,000 individuals with I/DD. CDDPs serve as a front door to the I/DD System, responsible for eligibility determinations and re-determinations, protective service investigations, and on-site reviews of foster homes for children and adults. Since implementation of the K-Plan, case management entities have been serving rapidly growing number of individuals with I/DD enrolling into the system and have experienced increasing workloads. This budget reduces equity funding from 95 to 91 percent.
  • Family-to-Family Network program. With the K-Plan, services are available to all eligible children and adults in Oregon. Families take advantage of the Family-to-Family Network to learn about and access other local resources and unpaid supports. This program would be eliminated in this budget.
  • Regional programs. Funding provided to regional programs has been eliminated. These programs are funded by the state but the functions were determined by local CDDPs, ranging from provider training and capacity building to crisis placement, depending on the needs of the area.

The budget also makes significant investments in DD programs.

  • Rate increase to support Direct Support Professionals. To address the need to develop a stable and well-trained workforce, the budget funds increasing the rate structure for non-bargained, agency services with a $22.3 million General Fund increase. This can help reduce the staff turnover rate and help attract and retain qualified workers, increasing safety for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
  • Fairview Trust Fund. The budget expends the $6 million Fairview Housing Trust Fund on services dedicated to individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Related investments.

  • Background Check Unit. Additional staff will help eliminate a backlog of background checks for I/DD Personal Support Workers, agency DSPs and other DHS programs, helping meet required staffing levels while maintaining health, safety and financial wellness of Oregonians.
  • Technology improvements. The budget adds $14 million General Fund for two important technology programs. One of those, the Centralized Abuse Management System, will replace a patchwork of solutions for records related to abuse reporting for our programs and others within DHS.

Whenever we are faced with budget cuts — even as we have increases in other areas — it causes a lot of uncertainty and worry. Governor Brown says that state government will tighten its belt and live within its means, but not without painful cuts to critical programs at a level she finds unavoidable and unacceptable. She has presented this budget “ … as the starting place for a broader conversation with Oregonians and legislators about how best to align our resources with our shared values and vision for moving Oregon forward.”

In January, the Legislature will take up the state budget. There will be many opportunities to provide input to Legislators throughout the session. I look forward to working with advocates for the DD system throughout this process and I will provide you with information as the process unfolds.

Lilia Teninty, Director
Office of Developmental Disabilities Services