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Policy Update
HCBS ARPA Funding Update
HFS last week issued an update for Supportive Living providers on payment of the $26/day HCBS ARPA funding for the 4/1/21-3/31/22 dates of service.
· HFS finished paying adjustments to claims over the summer. If anyone has questions regarding fee-for-service billing, please send them to HFS.LTC@illinois.gov.
· To learn more about the payment status for each MCO, click here.
Illinois Submits Waiver Request to USDA FNS
This month the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) submitted a request to the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services (USDA FNS) to allow residents of the Supportive Living Program communities to continue to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) under the existing retailer arrangement. Since the inception of the Supportive Living Program, our residents have been eligible SNAP beneficiaries and our communities have served as authorized meal service providers. However, absent regulatory action by USDA FNS, the SLP participation in the program will terminate at the end of December. AALC in partnership with the Pritzker administration and the Ilinois Congressional Delegation have been working tirelessly to find a way to protect SNAP for SLP residents. AALC will continue to advocate rigorously on behalf of our members and will provide updates about the pending waiver request.
HFS Issues Public Notice on Statewide Transition Plan
HFS issued a Provider Notice last week that includes responses to public comments received for the final Statewide Transition Plan related to federal CMS community setting rules. We ask that you print this notice and post in an area accessible to residents and families. To view the Notice, click here.
Annual Training on HCBS Community Setting Requirements
CMS had a call with states last week regarding their heightened scrutiny visits and noted a pattern of provider staff not being familiar with federal HCBS community setting requirements. HFS will be sharing slides that the Bureau of Waiver Management staff put together on this topic and person centered planning. To view the slides from the HFS 2017 person centered planning training, click here. HFS wants applicable staff to complete training on these topics annually.
Revised LTC Guidance
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) earlier this month released updated Interim Guidance for LTC sector. Please remember that revised guidance is specifically intended for facilities as defined in the Nursing Home Care Act (210 ILCS 45), Intermediate Care Facilities for the Developmentally Disabled (ICF/DD), StateOperated Developmental Centers (SODC), Medically Complex/Developmentally Disabled Facilities (MC/DD), and Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs facilities and does not apply to SLP communities. To read the Guidance, click here.
Please continue to report your positive COVID tests to HFS. This impacts PPE requirements when HFS staff are in your building and in cases of large outbreaks, HFS may reschedule on-site reviews.
Cost Reports:
Access 2022 Cost Reports and Instructions by clicking here.
SLP Rates Analysis
The SLP rates will decrease again in January once the staffing incentive floor ends and then through 2023 as the transition from RUG-IV to PDPM continues. If the case mix doesn’t change then the end of the 85% floor will have the greatest impact on the January 1, 2023, rate calculations. To learn move, click here.
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