LIGHTLY EDITED FILE
VRS Staff / CP Forum
December 3rd, 2024
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Remote
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (CST)
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>> Lori Thorpe: Good morning!
Welcome!
Hello, everyone.
So good to see you on this Tuesday.
We'll get started in just a minute.
>> Lori Thorpe: Good morning!
Great to have you here.
>> Lori Thorpe: Good morning, and, Meghan, if
you want to go to the next slide, I can kind of go
through some of our first bits here.
So welcome, everyone.
This is our -- every other month, we have a VRS
and community participate meeting.
And so glad you can join us.
And this will be recorded as well.
So if you have colleagues or others who miss this
meeting, they can certainly go back and look at
that at a later time.
So today we are glad to have our ASL interpreters
with us today.
And I see Kathie, so welcome, Kathie.
And they are designated as cohosts.
So they will be at the top of the participant list
as you scroll through.
And you absolutely have the ability to multi-pin.
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And if you don't, and you need it, please email
Janeen Oien at Janeen Oien@state.mn.us.
We also have closed captioning available.
And please, if you would, we'd love to have you
change your Zoom name to your first name and last
name and also the agency where you work.
Go to the participant list, find your own name,
hover above it, and then select "More" and rename
yourself.
And what we do for this is we do use a question
and answer Microsoft format.
And the link is also in chat.
So as you have feedback or any questions that come
into your mind throughout today's session, please
submit those through the Microsoft form that Sara
Sundeen has placed into chat.
So thank you, Sara.
And as always, any technical issues, our guru with
that is Janeen.
So if anything's not working, please reach out to
her, and she is monitoring her email.
So thank you, Janeen.
And with that, I think we will go ahead and get
started.
So we'll look at the agenda.
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And I should have mentioned, my name's Lori
Thorpe.
I'm the VRS director of contracts and
partnerships.
And today --
>> Recording in progress.
>> Lori Thorpe: Thank you for recording it.
And today we're gonna hear about the Minnesota
Statewide Independent Living Council is looking
for new board members.
So Anne Paulson will be discussing that.
We're gonna have Evie Wold and Michelle
Chmielewski talk to us about placement and
retention within VRS services.
And then we'll go through a few reminders,
updates, and then Sara will host some Q&A.
So with that, we shall get started.
Up first, we're gonna hear from Anne Paulson
regarding recruitment for the Statewide
Independent Living Council.
So take it away, Anne.
>> Anne Paulson: Thank you.
This is Anne Paulson.
I'm a program specialist with VRS.
Recently, I was appointed to the Statewide
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Independent Living Council.
And Lori and the team gave me an opportunity to do
a little bit to plug to try to get some more
membership.
I've been on the council for a year.
It's a three-year appointment.
But basically, I want to get some information to
you and hope that people are interested.
It's a pretty unique and interesting experience.
So MNSILC, it's a federally mandated council of
volunteers, appointed by the Governor.
This council works with centers for independent
living.
There's eight statewide.
To help coordinate activities with other entities.
We're always talking about, like, DHS and all the
things happening.
And right now we're seeking new members across
Minnesota.
So the council is comprised of 51% of individuals
with disabilities.
So I just want to make that clear.
Right now, we have for sure three openings,
possibly more.
there's some rotation in the leadership.
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So if you're interested, there's a link here with
lots of great information.
Next slide, please.
So the duties under the -- authorized under the
workforce innovation opportunity act, so we
jointly develop and sign a state plan for
independent living.
That was done.
That's in place for three years now.
But we're gonna monitor, review, and evaluate the
state plan ongoing.
Coordinate activities with other entities.
That's been a really great experience.
I think sometimes when we're in the V.R. world,
not always thinking about the larger disability
community, so that's been really cool.
We meet regularly.
The meetings are mostly virtual with some
in-person opportunities if you want to do that.
Submit to the administrator -- so there is a
national center of independent living too that we
work with and submit reports and things like that
to, and hold hearings and forums to determine
what's necessary to carry out the duties of the
council.
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Next slide, please.
So we also have the following authorities to work
with the Centers for independent living to
coordinate services with public and private
entities, to improve services.
So right now, we just sent out -- we had an RFP.
We ended up choosing somebody off of our equity
select list, which was very cool to do, to do an
assessment of needs statewide.
So we're preparing to do that to look at what the
need are for the centers and individuals that
we're serving throughout the state.
And then we just perform other functions, some
outreach, which I'm doing now.
There's sub committees that you can be a part of.
Youth subcommittee, outreach committees, all kinds
of really great work.
And next slide, please.
Oh, that was it.
So I would love it, if you want to apply, let me
know and I can get you the information as well.
You do have to do a background check with the
Governor's office, but maybe really quick, I'll
make this fast, some things that we have done
recently, not only the statewide plan and we're
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doing that assessment of needs.
We're looking at other areas of advocacy.
One that was recent was when the Tractor Supply
store got rid of its DEIA.
We're doing a lot of information gathering and
going to write a stern letter to Tractor Supply
and why that would impact farmers with
disabilities and whatnot.
So kind of just a look at larger systems and the
impact of them.
And thank you for your time.
>> Lori Thorpe: Great, thank you so much,
Anne.
It's so neat to hear more about the SILC and the
work they do and it is a great opportunity for
anyone interested.
As Anne said, please reach out to her and she can
get you hooked up with the application process.
So thank you, Anne.
Next up, I'm very excited to welcome Evie Wold and
Michelle Chmielewski.
They are two of the VRS's placement specialists.
And they're here today to talk to us about
placement and retention services.
Take it away.
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>> Evie Wold: Thanks, Lori.
Hi, everyone.
My name is Evie Wold.
I am a program specialist in placement with VRS.
And I'm here with Michelle.
>> Michelle Chmielewski: Good morning,
everyone.
Michelle Chmielewski.
Also a program specialist in placement.
>> Evie Wold: So today we wanted to take a few
minutes.
We are placement specialist team and also the
contracts team get a lot of questions as you can
imagine around PBAs.
And a lot of times the questions kind of fall into
certain areas.
So today we want to just cover a couple of those
areas.
We recently rolled out an updated training for our
VRS staff on the placement and follow-up services
process.
And so today, Michelle and I are gonna highlight
just a few of these often brought-up questions.
We'd really like to create more consistency on how
our services are delivered statewide.
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And that ensures that our participants get quality
services no matter which office they work with.
And it also helps our providers know the
expectations no matter which VRS office is making
the referral.
So on the next slide, we'll go -- Michelle can go
into job-seeking skills, which is an area that we
get a lot of questions about and how it fits with
the PBA.
>> Michelle Chmielewski: So let's dig in.
As Evie shared, we've had a lot of questions
recently about job-seeking skills.
And when to use the service.
So it's good to keep in mind that PBAs include
assisting the include in preparing resumes, job
applications, developing interviewing skills,
providing training on how to address business,
perceptual barriers, and prepare to meet the
business expectations.
Means assisting the individual to become
knowledgeable about job duties, personnel
benefits, rates of pay, employment policies and
practices, and the job location prior to job
acceptance.
Those are included in the PBA.
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However, there may be times when a job seeker may
need extensive job-seeking and may -- so a couple
of examples may be when a job seeker needs
extensive support obtaining information to
complete the sample application.
And that information may only be obtained by
extensively researching dates and employer names
with the job seeker.
Another example may be when a job seeker needs
additional assistance obtaining proper
identification to begin work, such as their
Minnesota ID card, or their Social Security card.
And there may be times when a job seeker needs
light touch job-seeking skills training.
That can be utilized outside of a PBA.
A couple of examples.
A college graduate who is independent conducting
their own job search, but would like some
assistance creating or customizing a resume.
A job seeker may need help updating their resume
to get an intermediate job while they're still
working with their V.R. counselor towards their
ultimate job goal.
Next slide.
So we wanted to talk a little bit about the
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placement plan meeting.
Prior to the placement plan meetings, providers,
you should all be receiving the invitation to
placement.
The relevant sections of the V.R. assessment
needs.
And a sample application.
Please review the information thoroughly prior to
the placement plan meeting.
The plan meeting is meant to be a warm welcoming
collaborative, and a time to build rapport with
the participant.
It's not a time to focus on paperwork or to be
considered a hand-off meeting.
During the placement plan meeting, all team
members are invited to share their knowledge,
questions, and to clarify that everyone is working
towards the same goal.
For example, the placement professional may give
input into labor market or job openings in the
goal area.
The job seeker may ask questions about the work
culture of a specific industry.
And the counselor may be clarifying benefit
information.
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Lots of information needs to be shared so that
everyone is on the same page moving forward.
In addition, the process and expectations remain
the same regardless of who is providing the
placement services, whether it's an internal
placement coordinator or one of our providers.
Next slide.
Oh, Evie, you're muted.
>> Evie Wold: Thank you.
Another area we get a lot of questions is
follow-up services.
So we'll talk a little bit about that.
And then how that differs from job coaching.
And when one moves into the other, when job
coaching may be needed.
So for follow-up services, super important part of
the placement process.
Part of all PBAs.
We look for the minimum, really, of two contacts
per month with the individual, probably more at
the beginning, and then possibly going down to
maybe two a month as the person stabilizes in
their job.
We look for those monthly progress reports.
And always keeping that line of communication open
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between the counselor and the placement staff.
The next slide kind of shows a --
A visual of the follow-up and job coaching, gray
area between follow-up and job coaching.
And not every person will need that job coaching.
So we look at the person, what the placement team
knows about the supports they might need
throughout the process, and the position that the
person moves into.
All those factors can really play a part in
whether we're using just general follow-up, or
we're moving into job coaching.
When in doubt, of course, consult.
And as a placement specialist, I'd say sometimes
you just know when the support you provide is
moving towards that job coaching, or that's what
you're starting to provide.
So I just -- for training purposes, you might have
heard this example before, but Sara Sundeen had a
great example about her son, Sam, starting his
first job.
And what is just considered regular follow-up and
what might move into that job coaching.
So that example, Sara's son started his first job.
She helped him with the paperwork, direct deposit,
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made sure he understood all the forms and signed
them.
That's all follow-up services.
So it's something that we make sure every new
worker has in place.
She also talked to him about his uniform, what he
needs to wear, his schedule, does he know how to
access it, does he know how to call in sick or who
to call.
He marks his availability for work and she checks
on him, makes sure that he turns that in, that's
all considered follow-up.
And when he gets home, she asks him, how was his
day.
They may chat about something frustrating or
something exciting, and they work together to kind
of process through that.
That's all follow-up.
If he needed extensive help understanding the new
employee information, if he had issues with
comprehending and it was taking a lot of time,
that could go into job coaching.
If he was working and even with the employer's
support, he had challenges with remembering the
order of how to do his tasks or needed a checklist
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or a visual, setting timers, that moves into the
job coaching realm.
Also maybe if he needed assistance talking with
his employer for extra support or getting an
accommodation.
That can move into the job coaching.
Again, not every person needs job coaching.
But every PBA receives follow-up services.
So like I said earlier, when in doubt, consult.
Talk with the counselor.
So we're happy to provide the support level that
the person needs.
And then on the next slide we also refreshed our
training on PBAs.
That will be available within the next couple
days.
It just got submitted to our communications.
So it takes them a couple days to put it up.
On our community partner site, there is a section
for placement and follow-up services or PBA
services.
All the forms are in there.
The old training is there now.
It'll be, like I said, refreshed in the new couple
days.
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The new training kind of covers more in-depth like
Michelle and I did today on these follow-up
services and these job seeking skills training.
There's nothing new.
It's just a deeper dive into those common question
areas.
There's also an FAQ there, which we're continually
updating that's super helpful.
And then just a side note.
At the last forum, we presented on job-related
services, things like on the job -- or job
tryouts, informational interviews, internships,
those job-related services Sam and Sara and I went
through those.
Just a little note about that.
We got a question during that about informational
interviews and job shadows.
At that training, we stated that site development
and follow-up are not included, and with that
question, it made us think, we should probably
align those.
So we have recently gone in and redone our
guidance, and we'll be putting that -- we made the
changes to the training so informational
interviews and job shadows along with all the
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other services, you can utilize that site
development and follow-up services.
So we -- thank you for asking the question.
We heard you.
And we made that change.
All of those pieces are on our billable services
guide.
So you can access that on the community partners
site as well.
So we're happy to have made that change.
And if we -- if you have any questions, please use
the form and we can answer them now or later, I'm
not sure when we're doing that.
So thank you all.
>> Lori Thorpe: Wonderful.
Thank you so much, Evie and Michelle, for that
great presentation.
And Evie, as she said, we are using that form, so
if you have any questions about what you just
heard from Evie and Michelle, put them into that
form or other things related to placement or
retention or anything at all for that matter.
So next up we have a few just reminders and
updates from VRS.
All righty.
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So you guys are always invited as partners to the
monthly office hours that the community
partnership team sets aside that time.
The next session is Friday, December 13th, from
9:00 to 9:30.
And that is a recurring meeting where you can just
pop in if you have any questions about billing or
how to write up an invoice.
Or, you know, anything at all, you can just pop in
there and several of our community partner
specialists will be there, and they'd love to
answer your questions.
And related to the next topic, our next VRS/CRP
forum, like this one, will be actually on Tuesday,
February 4th, at 10:30 a.m.
And again, that's every other month.
So we'd love to have you back on February 4th.
Now, VRS has an online interest form.
So this is an online form for anyone who would
like to access V.R. services.
And the form, you can find it -- you can Google,
you know, Minnesota VRS, interest form.
It should pop up.
Otherwise you can going to our VRS website.
And then under "counting, training, job skills,"
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there's a link here.
But once the individual fills out that form and
certainly you can help them, a family member can
help them, whoever might be interested, and once
we get that here at VRS, it is forwarded then to
their local office.
And someone at that local office will then reach
out to the individual to set up a time for an
intake and better describe services that we
provide.
So here's a picture of -- it looks a little
convoluted, but I swear, once you click on that
link, it's pretty easy.
So you go to "Counseling, training, and job
skills," and then "Apply."
And then you'll see the online form towards the
bottom there.
And they click on that, it's super easy, it's
fillable and again, it comes right to VRS.
So we're finding that it's really speeding up the
process for getting people in for services as soon
as possible.
Because when they're ready to get on with their
life, they're ready.
So we want to get them while they're hot and
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engage them fully.
Next up, we have invoicing and reporting
reminders.
So I know we've talked about this a lot actually
since April.
But just a reminder that all invoices and reports
must be received within 90 days of the end date on
an authorization.
But ideally, we'd love to have those as soon as
possible from you, our partners.
And so as soon as a service ends, if you're able
to get us that report and invoice, it really helps
us keep our budget in line, get those bills paid
right away while it's still fresh in everyone's
minds.
So thank you so much for your efforts.
Internally and externally with that.
And Meghan, if we could go back a little.
Sorry, thank you.
Another change is VRS staff will no longer be
reaching out to our partners to ask for invoices,
to ask for reports, to ask to be billed.
And we're just gonna really ask that you as our
partners providing those services, that you are
able to just invoice us and send us those progress
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reports without us reaching out.
So thank you again for your efforts there.
And please keep in mind, and we haven't seen a lot
of this, so this is great news, but any invoices
that we receive after 90 days on the end date of
the authorization will not be paid.
So really, we want to pay those, so please, we
just really want and need you to bill us.
And anything we can do, if you're running into
problems with that, or if there's anything we can
do on our end, please reach out to me, and I will
try to be of assistance as will our CP liaisons,
our community partner liaisons.
Okay, Meghan, thank you.
Next up, so under performance-based agreements,
there is that requirement that monthly progress
reports must be submitted to VRS by the tenth day
of the following month for every month that an
individual is under a PBA.
So again, just a reminder that those must be
received.
And it's really important that, as a provider,
you're not saving those up and then sending all
the progress reports when you're gonna invoice.
And so we really need them each month.
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Good.
And next slide.
Okay.
So -- and Evie talked about this too.
But job coaching is an hourly service that can be
used during the retention milestone of a PBA.
And job coaching, there is a required report that
goes along with job coaching, and that's called
the coaching report.
It's found under job coaching, time limited, and
this report is required each time that a job
coaching invoice is -- or it's invoiced, a service
is invoiced to VRS, we do need that report of
exactly what went on, what were the job coaching
aspects, the dates and times that the job coaching
took place.
So that's how we prove to our federal funder that
we're paying for the proper services.
And another requirement that goes along with job
coaching is weekly communication updates with that
referring VRS professional.
So it's just so important that our VRS staff and
partner, that they're talking, that they're
emailing, that they're communicating about how
that job coaching is going.
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And if there's a need for job coaching or we can
start weaning off of the job coaching as women.
Thank you, Meghan.
Next slide.
Okay.
Well, that -- today was kind of a short and sweet
session.
I would say.
I know we're only a half hour in.
But we are allowing plenty of time.
So if there's anything you've heard today or just
any niggling questions you have, we are here.
And Sara is gonna lead us.
>> Sara Sundeen: Thank you, Lori.
Yes, I have gotten a few questions through our
question form.
The first one is for Evie and Michelle and it
says, Sara's son had the support of a parent.
Not all participants have this.
If we, the placement specialist, or the job coach
need to attend orientation to help them understand
the paperwork and fill out paperwork because they
don't have support at home, why doesn't this count
as coaching?
We are helping them learn a skill as part of their
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job, our job and theirs.
I understand all people have to fill out these
forms, but not all people require help.
This is additional time for our placement
providers to spend.
If it's not job coaching, then let's make a
supplemental services with an hourly fee.
>> Evie Wold: I totally agree.
I give that example of Sara's son as a parent.
But really, I wanted to use it to highlight what a
placement professional would be doing with the job
seeker, now employee.
So regular paperwork that goes along with everyone
has to fill out when they start a job, that would
full into follow-up services.
So it a lot more intensive, if they're not
comprehending or it's taking a lot of time, then
that's a conversation with the counselor to see if
it's moving towards job coaching hours.
So thank you for that question.
>> Sara Sundeen: Thank you, Evie.
Another question that's come in is on the monthly
progress report for PBAs.
Could there be a line or section added to the form
for individuals who are getting -- or who are part
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of the Minnesota State Connect 700 program, as the
rules are different, and it can confuse the team?
>> Evie Wold: That's a great question.
I've got it down, and maybe we can look at that
and see if that would be a -- something that would
be helpful to add.
Sounds like it would be.
>> Sara Sundeen: Thank you, Evie.
This question is your update that you gave, Lori,
on the VRS referral form.
But it says, should you be directing a possible
VRS referral to the application online?
In the past, I would direct them to the V.R.
counselor we work with in our area.
So maybe just a little clarification.
>> Lori Thorpe: Sure.
Thank you, Chris.
I know, I'm trying to think, thank you, Chris.
>> Chris McVey: Absolutely.
I'm deputy director for VRS and happy to respond
to that question.
It's really -- it's an option.
We're not driving every single person to the
interest form at this point.
At some point we will.
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We are building the virtual intake unit, which
we've talked about before.
And this is for any individual 18 or older not in
school.
And so, you know, what's great about the interest
form is that and having that person fill out that
form or you as a community partner or family
member helping them fill out that form, it ensures
that it's getting to a team of people that are
ensuring that that also then is getting to that
manager on that team.
And then the follow-up is there to ensure that,
you know, our staff are, you know, nothing's
getting missed along the way and that people are
getting connected to a counselor as quickly as
possible.
So it is still an option.
But if at all possible, utilizing that interest
form really is helping to streamline getting that
person to connect to that local office.
Pretty quickly.
>> Sara Sundeen: Thank you, Chris.
Another question that's come in is about
job-seeking skills training and individuals on
waivered services.
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Is job-seeking skills training still not available
to individuals on waivered services?
Many are not ready to look for work with a PBA
referral.
>> Evie Wold: That I do not know.
I need to check probably with Amanda on that.
So I would be happy to circle back to answer that.
>> Lori Thorpe: Thank you, Evie.
Anyone else have any input on that?
>> Michelle Chmielewski: I'm sorry, could you
repeat that, Sara?
>> Sara Sundeen: The question was, is
job-seeking skills training still not available to
individuals on waivered services?
Many are not ready to look for work with a PBA
referral.
>> This is Chris, and I think I can respond to
that.
You know, we're really looking at that engage,
plan, find, keep.
And, you know, it's what we have for E1MN.
And really we are looking closely at where that
person is in their stage of moving forward with
employment or their interest in competitive
employment.
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And so depending on where the job-seeking
skills -- I mean, we want to get connected as
they're moving from the plan stage into the find
stage.
And that really is a conversation between the VRS
counselor and the county case manager, and then
the community partner if they are connected with
that individual.
Just to say, job-seeking skills, the need for
that, I don't -- without -- I mean, a lot of this
is gonna come down to the individual and where
they're at in their thought about and wanting to
move forward with the process.
And sometimes that job-seeking skills preparation,
they may not -- they may not have other things in
place or considered before moving into that.
So that's really why I just encourage on a case by
case discussion regarding the person saying that
they're interested in job-seeking skills.
>> Lori Thorpe: Thank you, Chris.
Sara?
>> Sara Sundeen: Got it.
The next question is, can you confirm to the group
that community partners need documentation of
disability when a referral is sent.
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>> Michelle Chmielewski: Yes, that should be
included in the invitation to placement.
The relevant sections of the assessment of V.R.
needs.
So, yes, providers do need documentation.
>> Sara Sundeen: Thank you, Michelle.
The next question is, is there still discussion
around restructuring PBA rates?
I haven't heard any updates for many months.
>> Chris McVey: I can take this one.
This is Chris McVey.
And what we are challenged with right now is
regarding our budget.
We are wanting very much to consider that.
But one of the things that we're challenged with
right now is, you know, we are serving a lot of
people.
We are expending a lot of funds and case service
dollars.
And really, it's about -- I know Dee Torgerson and
other leadership in D.E.E.D. really taking a look
at where we're at in terms of our budget.
So at this point it's not on our immediate next
steps to revisit the PBA structure at this time.
And I know that we'll have more information coming
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up in the coming months.
But that's where we're at right now.
That's why we have not been moving forward with a
restructure or reconsideration around the PBA
amounts.
And, again, more information will be coming in the
coming months.
>> Sara Sundeen: Thank you, Chris.
The next question is that job coaching cannot be
done within ten hours, and we're having issues
getting authorizations.
A typical employee takes 30 days to train in, and
even more so with individuals with IDD.
>> Michelle Chmielewski: This is Michelle.
That would be a great time to consult with the
counselor.
We want to make sure that we are providing the
supports that the individual needs.
I think, you know, the ten hours may be just on
that initial authorization.
But if you're talking with a counselor, opening up
that communication, letting, you know, the
counselor know that the person needs additional
support and help, that would be a great place to
have that conversation.
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>> Sara Sundeen: Thank you, Michelle.
>> Chris McVey: I'm sorry, just one last thing.
Michelle, I could not agree with you more.
So often with, especially with those E1MN
individuals and those individuals that have
developmental disabilities, really, it is a
conversation with the VRS counselor, with other
members of that team, to make that determination.
And that certainly as a provider, if you're seeing
that this person truly needs that additional --
those additional hours, do talk to that counselor
well in advance of that ten hours being utilized,
which we know that can be used up pretty quickly.
So, yeah, couldn't agree with you more, Michelle.
Thanks.
>> Sara Sundeen: Thank you, Chris.
Our next question is kind of a two-part question,
so I'm gonna ask the first one first for
clarification.
Lori, this goes -- we're talking about with
monthly progress reports.
But the first question is, is it still policy that
the PBA milestone payments cannot be paid if they
are missing any PBA monthly progress reports?
>> Lori Thorpe: Yes, that is true.
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>> Sara Sundeen: Okay, so if yes, then
clarify, the policy that you stated now, is that
VRS will not be reaching out to request reports.
So if a PBA milestone invoice is submitted, it
might not be paid if any monthly progress reports
are missing?
>> Lori Thorpe: I would say, in that case,
here, I feel like I'm taking it back, but I feel
like that in that case, if there's one report,
and --
Yeah, I think we would reach out.
Quite honestly, and say we're not paying it
because we're missing, you know, November's
report.
And so it's -- it's more the kind of frequent ones
where we're kind of reaching out and we're saying,
please bill us.
We're at day 80.
We're at day 85.
We need to be billed.
That's more what I meant.
So that's a great clarifying question there, Sara,
and whoever submitted that.
So --
We definitely do want to pay.
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Let me be clear.
We want to pay.
So, yeah.
Thank you.
>> Sara Sundeen: All right.
And right now, that is the only -- well, that is
the extent of the questions that have been
submitted.
So if we want to give people just a minute, if
anyone has any more questions, you can put it in
that -- in our question form.
I'll just post that one last time in case people
have questions, we could give them a minute.
>> Lori Thorpe: Thank you.
I just so appreciate these forums, you know, the
chance to come together and hearing the same
message and have our questions answered.
And you bring up good questions.
Sometimes we have to go back and verify.
So appreciate that as well.
>> Sara Sundeen: I think one more question has
come in here.
So --
All right.
One more question here.
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For clarification, once an authorization hits 90
days, techs can go ahead and close authorizations
without confirmation from the vendor?
>> Chris McVey: So this is a great question.
This is Chris McVey.
And as we are looking at -- and this is VRS is
looking at closing authorizations that are 90 days
past the end date of an authorization.
We appreciate when there is knowledge about, you
know, let's say, the provider's made it clear that
they've done the final invoicing.
There might be an extended balance.
That can be canceled.
It's part of how we're managing our budget is to
know what we have available in terms of cash flow.
So we are definitely at VRS taking a really, you
know, strong look and asking our VRS teams to
review authorizations that are open past the end
of 90 days past the end authorization date.
We understand that, you know, in some cases, very
few cases, there is a need to reverse, if we close
an authorization out.
There's a need to reverse that, and that takes
time and our field operations specialists are the
ones that do that.
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But, yes, we are encouraging that we close hots
out that are 90 days past the end date of an
authorization.
For community partners, this is, please, please,
please get your invoices to us as quickly as
possible after the services have concluded.
We know that you need time to write reports and
get the invoices ready.
But really, I mean, there's 30, 60, 90 days past
the end date of that authorization that you have
to submit that to us and we really believe that
that is a reasonable period of time for us to
request that information from you.
Just know that our staff are being directed to
close those authorizations that are the 0 days
past the end date of that authorization.
And again, that is one of the ways that VRS is
managing or has awareness around its available
budget.
So I hope that's clear.
>> Sara Sundeen: Thank you, Chris.
One more question came in.
And I'm gonna just read it verbatim here.
It says people without waivered services have no
opportunity to participate in the phases as in the
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E1MN process.
Is there thinking of adding some services through
V.R. for these people to help prepare for job
search, find?
>> Chris McVey: This is Chris McVey again.
And I appreciate the question.
What I think helpful for us as disability services
practitioners is that, you know, we work with
people with all different types of disabilities.
And you're right.
Many, if not most of the people that VRS serves
are individuals who are not on Medicaid waivers.
And so they're oftentimes just a lot of
preparation that goes on to help that person not
on a Medicaid waiver, prepare for an employment
search, for a job search.
And so I don't see that there are any gaps or
issues with an individual getting support to
prepare for a job search.
But at the same time, we really believe at VRS and
hopefully most of you do too, is that, you know,
the -- there's a lot -- there has been in the past
a lot of preparation work to help somebody prepare
for a job search.
And oftentimes what we find is helping that person
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just initiate a job search is really part of
helping them move forward into finding employment.
Some of the people that we work with, again, not
on Medicaid waivers, will always need support in
job search until they get the job.
And so for me, I don't see that there's any
barriers to individuals not on Medicaid waivers to
have those same experiences and preparations to
enter into the job search.
So that's just my take on it.
>> Lori Thorpe: Yeah, I would agree, questions
Chris, and there again, I think it's that
conversation with the V.R. staff person and
sharing what you as a provider are seeing and vice
versa, and coming to an agreement on what services
are necessary.
And for that individual.
So thank you.
>> Sara Sundeen: Yes.
Another question just came in.
It said, please explain seasonal/permanent jobs
and the billing on PBAs.
>> Lori Thorpe: Evie and Michelle?
>> Evie Wold: Yep, there is a form on the CP
site that talks about closure considerations.
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And we get this question quite a bit.
If the person is fully informed, and happy with
that position as a seasonal position, and they
understand the impact on their benefits and
they -- you know, all the pieces that go into
that, and they choose to take on those seasonal
positions, we can pay a third milestone or closure
at the 90-day mark.
So it's really looking at each person.
If they're fully informed, and they're going in
eyes wide open, and if it's a great fit, then we
can do seasonal employment as a final milestone
payment.
But take a look at that closure considerations
form.
It really walks through, you know, all the
components that need to be in place for the job to
be -- to meet that third milestone, a successful
closure.
>> Sara Sundeen: Thank you, Evie.
That is all the questions that I see, Lori.
>> Lori Thorpe: Great.
Well, thank you, Sara, for moderating that today.
And again -- was just so good to have so many of
you here.
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And we look forward to seeing you again on
February 4th.
So take care, be well.
Bye!
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