Special Assistance Team Division of Aging & Adult Services

1. OST Cluster Meeting December 2016 Special Assistance TeamDivision of Aging & Adult Services

2. Your Special Assistance Team • Chris Urso, Special Assistance Program Administrator • Monica Nealous, Special Assistance Program Assistant • Susan Castle, Special Assistance Program Representative • Charlotte Blake, Special Assistance Program Representative • Angie Phillips, Special Assistance Program Representative • specialassistance@dhhs.nc.gov SA Policy Questions • tempfacpay@dhhs.nc.gov Facility questions related to HB 1030

3. What’s new in Special Assistance? Temporary Financial Assistance for Facilities Licensed to Accept Special Assistance (SA) Payments: • Refer to DAAS Dear County Director Letter HB 1030 AFS 03-2016 dated August 19, 2016. • Facilities started receiving their $34.00 payment for each SA resident effective October 1, 2016. Those payments are being issued monthly and providers who have sent all the necessary paperwork to the Controller’s Office are being paid by the end of each month.

4. Temporary Financial Assistance for Facilities Licensed to Accept Special Assistance (SA) Payments: • NCFAST is pulling on the first day of the month active SA recipients based on living arrangement evidence in the ISC who is which facility. • It is imperative for DSS to have the correct living arrangement facility participant evidence for all SA cases. When an individual moves from one facility to another, not only does the delivery pattern and mailing address need to be update, but the correct living arrangement facility participant must be updated as well. • If a provider contacts DSS regarding the temporary payment and you have verified that the living arrangement case is correct in NCFAST, inform the provider to contact the SA team at the facility listserv address: tempfacpay@dhhs.nc.gov

5. Temporary Financial Assistance for Facilities Licensed to Accept Special Assistance (SA) Payments: • For providers who are not receiving all their payments or receiving payments for individuals not in their facility, we have identified the following problems: • Living arrangement evidence in NCFAST needs to be updated/corrected • The provider has not completed all the necessary paperwork required to receive the payments. They can receive these payments by direct deposit or paper check. Providers received the October payments without the list of recipients for whom they received the payment. • Providers will receive this list with future payments. However, if you receive information from the provider related to this, refer them to the facility listserv address. tempfacpay@dhhs.nc.gov • There are two reports for county staff to use in NCXPTR related to the payments. • DHREJA HB 1030 ELIG BY CNTY/WKR • DHREJA HB 1030 ELIB BY PROVIDER

6. COLA 2017 DAAS has been working closely with NCFAST regarding automatic COLA updates for SA cases. RSDI and VA increase for January 2017 affects all SA cases, except SA/IH. The SA/IH cases are updated in April 2017 when the FPL increases. Effective January 1, 2017, recipients of RSDI and/or SSI will receive a 0.3% monthly increase. Effective January 1, 2017, most recipients of Veteran’s Benefits will receive a 0.3% COLA increase in their monthly benefits.

7. COLA 2017 (cont’d) Effective January 1, 2017, the SSI federal benefit rate (FBR) for an individual will increase to $735.00 per month. DAAS will be providing written guidance to county DSS staff regarding reports, automatic update, cases that are not updated, etc. soon. Always evaluate for Medicaid as Passalong when a SA case terminates and the individual continues to remain in the adult care home. Social Security income increased only due to the COLA, should always be eligible for Medicaid Passalongas long as they remain in a facility. See MA –2110.

8. Facility License Updates for 2017 Each facility licensed to receive SA benefits, must submit information to the Department of Health and Service Regulation (DHSR) to obtain an updated license each calendar year. The license certification period is indicated in NCFAST. If the facility’s license is not updated with 12/31/2017 as the “closed” date, this facility may no longer be licensed. A SA case should not be recertifed or approved if the facility is not updated. If not updated, please submit this information to the SA listserv for assistance. Our SA team works with DHSR and the facility with any information needed to assist in updating the information as timely as possible.

9. Payments to a Deceased BeneficiaryIEM -16010.60 Payments to a Deceased Beneficiary provides the following guidance: EBT Cash Card • If the benefits are on an EBT card, obtain the card, and send the EBT card to the clerk of court.  The clerk of court will make the determination to retrieve any funds off the card that are payable to the estate, the county DSS and/or to the facility. • Our Division has been working with the Attorney’s General’s office regarding the Clerk of Court not being able to withdraw the SA funds from the EBT cash card. • The AG’s Office has confirmed that the NC Division of Aging and Adult Services is the only agency that has the authority to authorize recoupment of SA funds, (in limited situations), via the Repay Option when SA funds are deposited onto the EBT Card of a deceased SA recipient. • A COUNTY DSS CAN NOT AND SHOULD NOT USE OR KEY THE REPAY FUNCTION FOR RECOUPMENT OF SPECIAL ASSISTANCE BENEFITS WITHOUT WRITTEN APPROVAL FROM OUR OFFICE. • When this situation occurs, please contact the SA Listserv for more information.

10. Valid FL-2 Requirements for Ongoing Recipients • SA 3100.IV.B • For ongoing cases a new FL-2 must be obtained within 12 months from the date of the last one, before reauthorizing assistance. This could occur during the redetermination process or at any time during the payment review period. • In an effort for NCFAST to issue the correct SA benefits related to FL-2 evidence and notice requirements, our team has been working with NCFAST on an update of SA LOC evidence. SA policy IS NOT CHANGING.

11. Valid FL-2 Requirements for Ongoing Recipients • You will continue to enter the LOC evidence for SA FL-2 in the certification start date field. NCFAST will recognize that a new FL-2 is needed in 365 days if there is no change, however, the SA benefit will not stop or recalculate. • It is the county’s responsible to ensure that all eligibility factors are met, including a valid FL-2. • If the SA continues when there is no valid FL-2 (or any other eligibility factors are not met), the overpayment policy still applies as stated in IEM 16010.80.

12. Special Assistance Policy Monitoring SFY 16-17 Starting in January 2017, our SA team will be completing onsite SA policy monitoring for the following counties: Prior to the monitoring visit, the county director will receive a copy of the monitoring plan, the monitoring tool used for the 2015-2017 monitoring process and a letter requesting available dates.

13. Thanks to each and everyone of you for all the dedicated work you and your staff do everyday for the Special Assistance program. We hope you all have safe travels and from all of us at Special Assistance,