Caseload Management and Budgeting

1. Caseload Management and Budgeting Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

2. Caseload management • Many different services • Variety of clients and situations • Can be quite overwhelming • Counselor must learn this most important aspect of case management Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

3. Federal & state VR guidelines • 90 day max for client contact • 60 day max for eligibility • 10 day max for information releases • 24 business hours to return phone calls • Structure your work around these timeframes Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

4. Client contact – 60-90 days • How to do it: • Use your information system (IRIS) • Print a report of clients with no case narrative greater than 60 days • R11 (case narrative) “Aging” • A feature available on USOR IRIS program Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

5. Reasons for contact • Best practice guidelines • Able to foster supportive relationships • Counselor can be there for client when needs support • Learn if client has found employment • May lose successful closures if counselor doesn’t stay in contact with clients Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

6. Contact management tips • Keep “aging” list by your phone • When you have a minute, start at top of list • Make calls, make notations • (NH= not home; LM=Left message, etc) • Make narrative in case file • This will start the 90 days over • Keep trying to call those you missed • If # disconnected, write a letter Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

7. 60 days to determine eligibility • “As soon as there is sufficient information” • Review medical records or other records as soon as they are received. • Will result in timely services to clients • Check regularly on your “02” status (new applicant clients) Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

8. Use your information system (IRIS) • Click on “aged” tab to provide a list of all clients in Status 02 • Find out how many days they have been in 02 • If client is not making scheduled appointments and not making progress toward providing needed info - • Consider sending a “30 day closure letter” Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

9. 10 days for information release • When counselor receives request for information • Time limit allowed by USOR policy • To release information that client requests be sent to other professionals • Examples: • Therapists wanting psych reports • Social Security • Therapist progress report Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

10. 24 business hoursto return phone calls • Shows respect and willingness to help • Has to be done sooner or later Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

11. Case narrative documentation • Answers and clarifies questions – • Serves to keep client moving in right direction • Note agreements you have made with client • Client progress or decline toward restoration, training or employment, etc. Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

12. Keep up documentation daily • Document before your memory gets stale • “post it” notes in the file make for weak and shallow case narratives • Do it right away and get it over with • “If it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen.” • When a client calls I can pull up the last contact narrative, can see what happened. Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

13. Paperwork flow control • Spacing daily appointments • Work on paperwork throughout the day • Do narratives after each appointment • 2-3 appointments in morning and 2-3 in afternoon • Works fine for my caseload of around 170 Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

14. Use Available Program Helps • Groupwise calendar system (on computer) • Daily task list associated with each day • Tasks can be scheduled months in advance • Example- • New applicants – prompt yourself to send a 30 day extension letter after 50 days • If eligibility has been completed, delete the prompt – otherwise you will not overlook someone Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

15. Case Management Forms/Helps • One form I use to help organize student clients • Helps track clients in college training • Can be organized by school, etc. • Helps track what paperwork has been received / completed for each client for quarter, semester • EG, Pell worksheet, registration, authorizations Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

16. Case management letters • High volume demand times • Such as beginning of school semester • Send notice letters to each client in school • Tell them all appointments and paperwork for school must be completed by certain date • Usually one week before school starts • Results in better preparation by clients • Less stress for me Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

17. Managing a Caseload Budget • Chapter 12 of Case Service Manual • 1. Ensure that contractors perform in accordance with the terms, conditions and specification of the contracts or purchase orders. • 2. Provide specific oversight to guard against fraud, waste and abuse. • 3. Conduct a cost or price analysis in connection with every procurement action. • 4. Attempt to obtain the most economical purchase Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

18. Comparable Benefits • Before State can provide any VR services, but determine whether “comparable benefits” are available • Must be aware of community resources • 211 – community services booklet Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

19. Client Major Expenses • Write letters to doctors, dentists requesting pro bono services • Request hospital indigent care • When counselor has exhausted all possible comparable benefits, then request through VR • Requires substantial time and paperwork Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

20. Resources for Medications • Variety of medication programs • (www.phrma.org/patients/ • www.PPARx.org • www.medicineprogram.com • www.rxassist.org/default.cfm • www.needymeds.com • www.merckhelps.com and • www.health.utah.gov/rxconnectutah Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

21. Health care expense tip (Utah) • Send letters to all clients when PCN (Primary Care Network) has open enrollment • I will pay $50 annual fee if client unable • Limitation: client not eligible for PCN if in school full time Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

22. Training • Greatest portion of counselor’s budget • Tuition, fees, books, etc • Pell Grant policy: Client must apply for Pell grant if training program is eligible • Use “Pell Worksheet” – to outline appropriate expenditures of Pell • Often client must use portion of Pell toward schooling costs • Examples: $1000 toward computer or car repair Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

23. Budget Program Helps • Budget information system allows counselor to check caseload budget • (Click “Utilities” then “budget” to see total amounts allotted over past few years) • (Press Ctrl + U to see current budget amount and expenditures) • Compare what you have spent for this year in comparison to last year at this point in time. Dave Teeples, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation