|
FCS enrollees across the state face financial obstacles to obtaining and maintaining places to call home, especially when transitioning out of inpatient settings. In the coming weeks, FCS enrollees with behavioral health treatment needs will have access to funding that aims to bolster housing and health outcomes for FCS supportive housing enrollees.
The Foundational Community Supports Transition Assistance Program – or FCS TAP – will launch as a flexible funding resource in support of FCS supportive housing services. Administered by Amerigroup, this new funding resource will link FCS supportive housing enrollees with timely, short-term flexible funding assistance in support of each enrollee who is experiencing a behavioral health treatment need along their individualized path to long-term housing goal achievement.
FCS TAP offers the FCS supportive housing provider network a pool of flexible funding that can be drawn upon when working with enrollees to lower barriers to affordable housing. Whether an FCS supportive housing enrollee seeks to acquire a state-issued ID, pay an application fee, or get assistance with move-in costs – FCS TAP can cover the cost.
Eligibility
FCS TAP can be accessed by enrollees of FCS supportive housing services across the state seeking to transition into the housing of their choice. If an individual is authorized to receive FCS supportive housing services, eligibility for FCS TAP will be presumed.
Duration
Accessing FCS TAP funds requires an FCS supportive housing participant to be making a housing transition. FCS supportive housing enrollees can access FCS TAP funding one time within 12 months unless justification is provided via ETP request. Certain costs can be covered multiple times, such as the cost of an ID, while others can only be accessed once every 12 months – with an estimated annual cap of $5,000 per FCS supportive housing enrollee.
Allowable Expenditures
FCS TAP will allow providers to automatically cover costs according to established categories listed on an Allowable Expenditures Reference Guide upon the launch of the program. Common financial barriers to affordable housing, such as costs for IDs and other documentation, application fees, credit check fees, and move-in expenses like first/last month’s rent (if one month of rent is under 120% Fair Market Rent value for the area), deposits, and non-refundable fees can be covered by FCS TAP.
Exceptions to Policies, or ETPs, will be used for certain requests related to establishing a home (e.g., home modifications, basic home goods, cleaning supplies, and more). Arrearages and other housing-related expenses will also require an ETP.
Spending FCS TAP funding
An FCS TAP Reference Guide to Allowable Expenditures will be delivered to providers upon launch of the program and will provide vital information concerning how to spend FCS TAP funding on behalf of enrollees. The first crucial step: check ProviderOne before spending FCS TAP funding to ensure Medicaid is active and the corresponding service is billable.
Once Medicaid is confirmed to be active, providers will have the authority to spend up to what is listed on the FCS TAP Allowable Expenditures Guide. If an item does not appear on this list or the price of the listed item is over the amount on the sheet, an ETP must be sent to Amerigroup.
Amerigroup - FCS TAP's third-party administrator
Amerigroup – the third-party administrator for FCS – will administer FCS TAP funding. They will reimburse provider expenditures, deliver payments to providers, communicate with the providers, review ETPs, and maintain FCS TAP system capacity. Reports detailing FCS TAP expenditures will be sent to Amerigroup by providers, with reimbursements coming to providers on a monthly cycle.
Upcoming information sessions
Short-term, flexible funding assistance like FCS TAP encourages the development of individualized solutions to housing instability. We look forward to sharing more information about this program with providers during the following information sessions:
As FCS TAP launches, we look towards providers for feedback. We also acknowledge that FCS TAP is a differently shaped program than others, and some components remain ambiguous. We hope that FCS providers are comfortable with doing things differently, responding creatively, and learning how to make FCS TAP an effective funding resource for FCS supportive housing enrollees – together.
The Supportive Housing Medicaid Academy experience prepares community based providers to enroll your agency in your state’s Medicaid program and to bill covered services in order to maximize billing and draw sustainable funding for services. The Academy training is commonly aligned with a state or territory’s new supportive housing services benefit.
The Medicaid Academy with take place over six weeks with weekly two-hour sessions, starting Tuesday, April 19 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. See the first event on the training side bar for more information and to register or register for all six events here.
|
