Webinar on Consumer Director Employer

• A web site and other resources are being developed as the state shifts employer administrative duties to a private entity.

-

We are sharing the following from the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), Developmental Disability Administration (DDA):

Consumer Directed Employer: What is happening?

You are invited to participate in an informational  webinar on the Consumer Directed Employer project. 

• April 17, 2018
• 10:00 to 11:00 am
• Register at:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4449766828287390209

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Why is this happening?

The IP work force has grown to 35,000 workers and the complexity of managing this workforce has greatly increased.   Time spent by case management, customer service, and other social services staff on the administrative functions of IP management takes away from the amount of time available  to perform assessment, service planning and case management for individuals we serve.

Senate Bill 6199 passed the legislature during the 2018 legislative session; authorizing the Department to contract with a Consumer Directed Employer as the legal employer for IPs. The project will transfer credentialing, payroll and other employer responsibilities from the Aging and Long-Term Support Administration, Developmental Disability Administration and Area Agencies on Aging to the Consumer Directed Employer.  This change is expected to take place no earlier than July 1, 2020.

This change in relationship will allow us to spend more time to support individuals in need of services across our system. Consumers will have more time from our staff while also retaining the right to hire, supervise, and terminate the individual providing their care.

What will the Webinar cover?

•    The functions and expectations of the Consumer Directed Employer
•    What you can expect to happen now and in the future
•    The timeline and steps needed to implement this change
•    How you can stay informed and involved

Where can I find more information?

Webinars will be held regularly to provide more information and progress reports.  In addition, a web page is being created where information will be available.  Focus groups and stakeholder meetings to be scheduled around the state over the next 3 months. 

Ire over Consumer Directed Employer bill

Advocates: High cost; no accountability; and no help for parent providers

-

There has been a lot attention this week paid to SB 6199, a bill requested by the Department of Social and Health Services that makes costly administrative changes to in-home care services available to Medicaid eligible older adults and people with developmental disabilities.

It creates a Consumer Directed Employer (CDE) for individual providers. This new entity would act as the legal employer of individual providers, thus clarifying that they are not state employees. The CDE would perform administrative functions related to providing personal care, respite care, and other services to individuals with functional disabilities.

The person receiving services of an individual provider would become the managing employer with the authority to select, hire, schedule, supervise, and dismiss an individual provider.

The bill also establishes a rate-setting board and a process to set labor rates for payments to individual providers and an administrative rate to be paid to the CDE.

SB 6199 is controversial, in part, because of the high cost: Almost $30 million over the next four years. Early supporters were not anticipating such a high fiscal note. It also would allow SEIU to negotiate a contract that requires individual providers to pay union dues.

The bill comes at a time when family members providing care say they are under increasing stress and in some cases are reporting significant reduction in service hours.

The Arc of Washington and the Washington State Developmental Disability Council are concerned that there isn't accountability built into the bill; the administrative changes are vague; and the bill does nothing to address the needs of family providers.

For instance, there are significant problems with IPOne - the payroll system - that would not be fixed. There are privacy concerns about Electronic Visit Verification that would not be addressed. There are no consumers included on the proposed rate setting board. At a fundamental level, the bill fails to recognize the role of parent providers.

SB 6199 is scheduled for a public hearing Feb. 20 in the House Committee on Health Care & Wellness at 8:00 am.

• Here is its latest bill report. It includes amendments that passed off the floor in the Senate, as well as a summary of testimony. 

• You can comment on SB 6199 here.

• Here’s a link to a Seattle Times article on the bill’s passage in the Senate.

Available video links:

Feb 6, 2018 Ways & Means at 10:00 AM
Feb 5, 2018 Ways & Means at 10:00 AM
Jan 29, 2018 Health & Long Term Care at 10:00 AM
Jan 25, 2018 Health & Long Term Care at 10:00 AM
Feb 20, 2018 Health Care & Wellness at 08:00 AM