Changes to the Consumer Directed Waiver by Gretchen Fox
As you may or may not know, Department of Medical Assistant Services (DMAS) has made some changes to the way things are being run for the Consumer Directed Medicaid Waiver. Do not fret, these changes will be for the better in the long run, but can be a bit overwhelming at the beginning. Roberta and I are here to calm your nerves and answer questions or concerns you may have.
To sum up all the changes, as of September 28, 2006 DMAS will no longer be in charge of the fiscal portion of your waiver, but instead, PPL (Public Partnerships, LLC) will be taking over. They will be able to conduct the fiscal division with many improvements.
First, I would like to assure everyone that we, IEC, are not going anywhere. We will continue to be the Service Facilitators and are here to assist you, the employers. However, PPL does have a toll free number of 1-866-259-3009 or 1-800-360-5899 TTY where people wait to answer questions and will walk you through the new process, as well. This is for employers/consumers AND employees/personal assistants. Do not hesitate to contact them.
Yes, there are changes to all paperwork including new hire packets, timesheets (which you will be able to fax in!), and Notice of Discontinued Employment. Other changes include that taxes will be taken out of attendants’ paychecks and employers/recipients will also complete tax forms. Again, they can be intimidating at first, but really are not so bad.
The forms and changes may seem very strict from what we are used to, but PPL has the very good intention of keeping things organized, proper, and professional. Once we all get used to the paperwork and what forms to complete, the process will become second hand. So let us all keep a positive attitude, an open mind, and a pen ready to fill out the forms.
From Summer 2006 Newsletter
by Gretchen Fox
