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“Sub-Service 87- COVID-19, Related” should be included on waiver related expenditures and time activities during the Governor’s Emergency Executive Order 20-12 which expires June 14, 2021.
The Waiver and Modification website lists all of the modifications which are currently in effect, and those that have expired. The department has flexibility to keep the remaining waivers in effect for no more than 60 days after the end of the peacetime emergency.
Questions regarding the waiver and modifications sub-service code should be directed to the SIS Help Desk.
SSIS users are invited to join Eric Kratt, SSIS Training Lead, Tuesday, May 25 @ 9:00 a.m. as he shares what’s ahead in SSIS v21.2. Registration is required and will remain open until the morning of the event.
The Supporting Youth and Families through the Pandemic Act provides additional supports and flexibility for youth aging out of foster care during the pandemic. On March 9, 2021, the federal Administration for Children and Families released Program Instruction, ACYF-CB-PI-21-04, providing information on the law.
Expenditures for youth continuing or re-entering an EFC-SILS program should be coded in accordance to the Temporary changes allow youth to remain in/re-enter foster care during the pandemic, published on April 2, 2021.
Agencies can make payments to eligible youth remaining in or re-entering foster care under: BRASS Service 180, 181 and/or 188.
Agencies will also add county sub-service code 87 (COVID-19 related) for all youth re-entering during the pandemic, or remaining in care past age 21.
Payments coded to BRASS 180, 181, and 188 will continue to get errors on the Child Foster Care Report due to age restrictions. (If youth are eligible for Title IV-E reimbursement, there will be various proofing messages on the Child Foster Care Report due to age restrictions in SSIS. (See bulletin)
If the youth turns 21 during any part of the month during this waiver, the worker must split the payment for the month.
Example:
Youth turns age 21 on March 17th, 2021. The agency, however, chose to pay rent the entire month of March.
First Rent payment
Payment Dates of Service- March 1, 2021 to March 16, 2021.
BRASS 188 selected on payment
Do not use Sub-Service code on Payment.
Payment will claim on Child Foster Care Report if Youth is eligible for Title IV-E.
Counts on Child Counts for Title IV-E.
Second Rent (Split) Payment
Payment Dates of Service- March 17, 2021 to March 31, 2021
BRASS 188 selected on payment
County Sub-Service 87 - COVID-19 Related- selected on payment.
Payment will generate two proofing messages (See bulletin)
Worker should exclude the payment from the Child Foster Care Report
DHS Financial Operations Division will report this using a different method.
If payments have already been made for youth that turn 21 during any given month, an Adjustment Reversal and Correcting entry is needed. Follow steps above to split the payments.
Quarter 1, 2021 expenditures and child counts have been submitted for Title IV-E reimbursement if the youth remained/reentered Out of Home Placement, and qualifies for Title IV-E Reimbursement past the age of 21. SSIS Fiscal Staff have worked in conjunction with Title IV-E Staff and the Financial Operations Division to report these expenditures and child counts using a different method of reporting. If the youth does not qualify for Title IV-E Reimbursement, the expenditures may be eligible for CHAFEE Funding and will be reviewed by using the sub-service code of “87-COVID-19, Related”. Those details are not yet determined.
Please contact the SSIS Help Desk if you have any questions related to how to create payments in SSIS, in accordance to this waiver.
If you have any questions related to policy, please contact Nic Vogel; Foster Care Unit
If you have questions related to reporting expenditures, please contact Sheena Lossing; Financial Operations Division
Children’s Mental Health Targeted Case Management
In order for a worker to serve clients as a case manager and claim CMH TCM for the purposes of case management, the worker must be an employee of the agency:
Mn. Stats. 256B.0625, subd. 20 Mental health case management. (a) To the extent authorized by rule of the state agency, medical assistance covers case management services to persons with serious and persistent mental illness and children with severe emotional disturbance. Services provided under this section must meet the relevant standards in sections 245.461 to 245.4887, the Comprehensive Adult and Children's Mental Health Acts, Minnesota Rules, parts 9520.0900 to 9520.0926, and 9505.0322, excluding subpart 10.
Mn. Stats. 245.4871, subd. 4 Case management service provider. (a) "Case management service provider" means a case manager or case manager associate employed by the county or other entity authorized by the county board to provide case management services
A non-employee intern can work in SSIS and contribute but their time would not be included in the SEAGER report or other reports effecting rate methodology, and would not generate a CMH-TCM claim.
Child Welfare Targeted Case Management
Claiming CW-TCM does not occur when the case manager is not an employee of the agency, for reasons two-fold:
MN statute, 256F.10, subd. 5, case managers need to be employed by and authorized by the certified CW-TCM provider.
Reports that establish the rate methodology (SSTS –social services time study, TCM-CSR - client statistical report), only include time for the case manager set up in SSIS as an employee of the county/tribe. Non-employees cannot participate. It is set up this way to ensure only eligible time is included in the cost pool report submitted to the State.
So, workers not considered an employee, not on county payroll, would be coded with one of the following below, for example, volunteer.
- Volunteer
- Contractor
- Collaborative Worker
- External Case Manager
A non-employee intern can work in SSIS and contribute but their time would not be included in the SEAGER report or other reports effecting rate methodology, and would not generate a CW-TCM claim.
The SSIS Adult Maltreatment Module version 3 has been posted to the SSIS Adult Protection Worker Training Page as well as to the SSIS Worker Documentation Page of the SSIS Resource Page.
In this updated version:
- Additional attention was paid to spelling, grammar, and overall formatting.
- Screen shots were updated to reflect current view.
- The module has grown from 68 pages to 83 pages.
- FAQ’s were moved from the appendix of version 2 into the body of the document.
- FAQ’s were also moved from the currently existing SSIS Release Information and FAQ document and appropriately placed throughout the current version.
- Enhancements were added in relation to SSIS Releases 20.2 through 21.2.
Please reach out to the SSIS Help Desk if you have questions related to this document.
SSIS v21.2 will be released statewide May 26, 2021. Release schedules, notes, and additional information can be found on the SSIS Resources page.
Interested in being a pilot agency for an upcoming release? Contact Lisa Litchfield for details.
Emergency Background Studies
Instructions with the steps and information entities need to submit an emergency background study are available on NETStudy 2. Frequently asked questions about emergency background studies are also available on the background studies COVID-19 webpage.
Adoption-only background studies and emergency background studies for foster care
This information was originally released in the February 2021 Permanency Support Issue of the CSP Update.
When a child foster care provider is planning to adopt a child under guardianship of the commissioner, but their foster care home study was approved using emergency background studies, adoption-only background studies can be completed on each prospective adoptive parent and all required household members to fulfill background study requirements for adoption and Northstar Adoption Assistance eligibility. This option is only currently available to foster families who are adopting a child under guardianship of the commissioner and whose foster care license was issued using emergency background studies.
Adoption-only background studies have different procedures than child foster care and emergency background studies. Adoption-only background studies are completed using hard fingerprint cards, where fingerprints are taken manually, not electronically, and processed via the former NETStudy system (not NETStudy 2.0). Gemalto Thales fingerprinting sites cannot be used for fingerprint requests for adoption-only background studies, as those locations are for electronic fingerprinting for NETStudy 2.0.
If pursuing this option, agencies should provide fingerprint authorization forms to prospective adoptive parents and all required household members, and direct them to take the form to a location that will complete hard fingerprint cards, such as a local law enforcement or sheriff’s office. The agency who completed the foster care home study for a family must complete a home study update upon receiving the adoption-only background study results.
When submitting Adoption Placement Agreements (APA) to DHS staff in this situation, results from both types of background studies (emergency and adoption-only) must be submitted with the APA.
If you have questions about this option, contact Kathleen Hiniker, permanency unit supervisor, at kathleen.a.hiniker@state.mn.us.
Family First Prevention Services Act
The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) requires that all staff working in a Title IV-E Group Children’s Residential Facility (CRF) receive fingerprint-based “Adam Walsh” background checks in order to meet Title IV-E child safety requirements.
To assist counties and initiative tribes with claiming Title IV-E reimbursements for these placements, we will periodically update the list of facilities that have met the background checks safety requirements.
Click here for an updated list of facilities in compliance
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