Occupancy Adjustment Cuts:
Last night we provided an update on the occupancy adjustment cuts that were proposed by OPWDD and DOH in the State Register earlier this week. This afternoon the NY Alliance and other Provider Associations met with OPWDD to seek more clarity on the nature of the cuts. Below is a summary of the information that was conveyed to us:
- The occupancy adjustment changes will be effectuated using three distinct changes that will be implemented as of 10/1/20:
- Elimination of Occupancy Factor Adjustment for Supervised IRA and ICF – This change will eliminate the adjustment that is applied at the end of the rate calculation related to occupancy, which typically ranges from between 2-5%. You can calculate the approximate impact of this action by looking at the dollar amount that is applied to your vacancy rate on your individual agency rate sheet.
- Retainer Day Reduction – Your retainer days that are allocated to your agency based on the certified beds will be reduced by 50%. Effectively, this will reduce the number of retainer days per bed from 14 to 7 for each individual, but will allow providers to continue to “pool” these days together.
- Therapeutic Leave Day Reduction – Similar to the retainer day reduction, allowable therapeutic leave days will be reduced by 50%.This will establish a maximum cap of 96 days per year/per person for this adjustment.
- These targeted cuts are being proposed by OPWDD as a means to reduce spending to allowable levels within the agency’s budget. As many people know, a 2% across the board reduction was being contemplated as part of the 7/1/20 rate rebase and these cuts are representative of a targeted approach by OPWDD to achieve the same level of State share savings as the across the board cut.
- In addition to the cuts described above, there is a possibility that further cuts will be imposed by the State as a means to balance the State Budget as a result of the loss of revenue associated with the Covid-19 pandemic. The nature and magnitude of those additional cuts will be made more clear as the State’s financial outlook solidifies and as federal actions are known.
- ICF State Plan Amendment – Last year there was an administrative screen announced that would limit costs into the methodology to 15%. This action is proposed for 7/1/20 but will not likely be implemented until 10/1/20.
- Additional details about the proposed 1915c waiver amendment associated with the IRA occupancy/vacancy/retainer reduction, including the opportunity to provide public comment, is available here.
ACCES VR Orientation Sessions:
- Please note that until further notice, all ACCES-VR Orientation Sessions have been cancelled. Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors are available via email or telephone. Please do not come to the District Office. No in-person meetings are being held at this time.
- ACCES-VR is accepting applications for services and should be submitted to ACCESVRAPPLICATIONS@nysed.gov along with an email address and phone number.
OPWDD Webinar Announcement:
- OPWDD will be hosting a webinar titled, “IRMA COVID-19 ‘Coronavirus’ Data Entry” on June 4, 2020 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Event registration is available here.
