Benchmarks' Upcoming Events & Webinars

New: Benchmarks' Child Welfare Webinar with Lisa Cauley & Team

Date: Thursday, May 11, 2023

Time: 8:00 am thru 9:00 am

New: Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar with Jay Ludlam

Date: Friday, May 19, 2023

Time: 8:30 am thru 9:30 am

New: Benchmarks' Foster, Adoption, Residential Webinar

Date: Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Time: 9:00 am thru 10:00 am

Save the Date! Benchmarks --Destination 2023--

Date: October 11, 12, & 13

Location: Cherokee Convention Center, 123 Harrah's Service Dr, Cherokee, NC 28719

(More information will be shared SOON!)

Benchmarks' Collection of Past Updates

Implementation of Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Request for Applications

The purpose of this Request for Applications (RFA), is to advance the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ ongoing plan to expand supported employment services and to improve and increase CIE outcomes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in North Carolina. Eligible applicants include non-profit, not-for-profit, for profit, or other government agencies and must include in their team individuals with demonstrated experience providing employment and career services to individuals with (I/DD).

Questions are due: Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Applications are due: Friday, June 9, 2023

Anticipated notice of award: Saturday, July 1, 2023

Visit the DMH/DD/SUS Grant Opportunity website for more information.

Clarification of Individual Placement and Support Services Billing in Conjunction with Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services Milestones

To help beneficiaries with disabilities maximize opportunities for employment, including career advancement, the North Carolina Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS) offers vocational rehabilitation services that include:

· Job search and placement assistance

· Job retention services and vocational recovery

· Follow along support

To ensure the provision of vocational rehabilitation services, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires DVRS and NC Medicaid to have an interagency agreement. As a result, LME/MC contracted Individual Placement and Support (IPS) providers must refer beneficiaries to DVRS for eligibility determination of employment services when initiating services.

If the beneficiary is determined eligible for vocational rehabilitation services, the IPS provider and DVRS will collaborate with the beneficiary on employment services. IPS providers will bill DVRS for milestone payments for services provided by the Employment Support Professional (ESP).

A Medicaid or state funded beneficiary may receive peer services and benefits counseling during the vocational rehabilitation milestones. IPS providers should bill H2023U4 for Medicaid and YP630 for State-Funds for services provided by the Employment Peer Mentor (EPM) and Benefits Counselor (BC).

LME/MCOs are responsible for ensuring that billing during vocational rehabilitation milestones reflect only services provided by the EPM and BC.

For questions about Medicaid (b)(3) IPS, please contact Stephanie Wilson at 919-527-6604 or stephanie.wilson@dhhs.nc.gov. For questions regarding State-Funded IPS, please contact Nicole Ness at 984-236-5058 or nicole.ness@dhhs.nc.gov.

Previous bulletins can be accessed at: ncdhhs.gov/divisions/mhddsas/joint-communication-bulletins.

Division of Child and Family Well-Being

Established in 2022, the Division of Child and Family Well-Being (DCFW) brings together complementary NC Department of Health and Human services to support North Carolina’s children growing up safe, healthy, and thriving in nurturing and resilient families and communities. Across NCDHHS, we aim to make a positive impact on the lives of the people we serve and to ensure that programs and services reach those who need them the most. The Division of Child and Family Well-Being is charged with working to meet the health, social and emotional needs of children, youth, and families in NC and identifies children’s mental health as a main priority. The Division works to coordinate whole child and family well-being by:

· Enhancing how children and families access programs that support their well-being: Coordination across programs serving children and families allows more families to access programs across mental, social, and health services.

· Coordinating increased investments to improve child health and well-being: The investments will be informed by data with a focus on closing equity gaps in child well-being.

· Elevating the value of our teams supporting child and family well-being: We are inspired by our team members who passionately work to improve the lives of children and families in North Carolina. Our commitment is to create a thriving culture where we celebrate our positive impact on child and family well-being.

To learn more about the Division of Child and Family Well-Being visit: https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/division-child-and-family-well-being

Schools play a critical role in supporting the health of students by providing convenient access to behavioral health supports for youth. This is particularly important in North Carolina, as more than half of its youth with mental health disorders do not currently receive necessary care and more than half of the state’s counties do not have a child psychiatrist. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, recently released the North Carolina School Behavioral Health Action Plan to address the urgent mental and behavioral health crisis facing youth through key investments in our schools. In addition to highlighting the critical funding needed to hire more school nurses and social workers throughout the state, the plan describes six investments in evidenced-based strategies and pilot programs to support the behavioral health of students. The strategies are designed to increase access to behavioral health supports, provide flexible resources to address local priorities and build partnerships with community providers to meet student needs.

To learn more about the North Carolina School Behavioral Health Action Plan visit: North Carolina School Behavioral Health Action Plan.

NC Medicaid CAP/C Waiver Renewed through 2028

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved the Department of Health and Human Services’ request to renew the NC Medicaid 1915(c) Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Community Alternatives Program for Children (CAP/C) waiver for medically fragile and medically complex individuals between the ages of 0 through 20. The Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver was approved for a five-year period, from March 1, 2023, through Feb. 29, 2028.

The waiver will offer supports for waiver participants and includes three new approved home and community-based services; Attendant Nurse Care, a service that provides skilled nurse care to a waiver participant who has substantial, complex and continuous skill nursing care needs. This service is offered through consumer-directed services; Community Integration services, for an active waiver participant in jeopardy of losing their community placement due to tenancy-related issues; Coordinated Caregiving, supportive services to a live-in caregiver that assist with the acquisition, retention or improvement of skills related to living in the community. A full list of CAP/C waiver supports is on the CAP/C webpage.

CMS approved the Department’s request to increase the number of CAP/C waiver individuals by 500 each year of the waiver renewal period (i.e., year 1: 4000; year 2 - 4500; year 3 - 5000; year 4 - 5500; and year 5 -, 6000).

A transition plan will be shared to help families moving from the Appendix K waiver flexibilities enacted during the COVID-19 public health emergency to the new services in the CAP/C waiver beginning May 2023, and will be completed Nov. 11, 2023. The transition plan will be based on the waiver beneficiary’s annual recertification date. Waiver participants who received their annual recertification before May 11, 2023, will be assigned a specific month to begin their transition to the new CAP/C policies and procedures.

Additional information is available on the CAP/C webpage

NC Medicaid Journey to Modernization

NCDHHS will be replacing the current provider enrollment, credentialing, and data management system with an upscale centralized Provider Data Management/Credentialing Verification Organization (PDM/CVO) modular solution. PDM/CVO is a timesaving, cost-effective, and scalable solution designed to:

Improve the user experience;
reduce administrative burden for providers;
address NC Medicaid program needs; and
align with CMS and national accreditation requirements.

This is a significant milestone for the NC Medicaid provider and stakeholder communities. All NC Medicaid providers will be impacted. As such, the NC Medicaid Provider Operations Stakeholder Engagement team is engaging providers and stakeholders about our “Journey to Modernization” before, during, and after the project’s transition.

We have developed a presentation that offers a high-level overview describing the key features of PDM/CVO and the reason this change is necessary. The presentation also affords our partnering stakeholders the opportunity to absorb the newest information, ask questions on this first leg of the journey, and help us spread the word. For more information, please visit the PDM/CVO webpage: https://medicaid.ncdhhs.gov/providers/provider-data-management-credentialing-verification-organization

We strongly encourage your organization to learn more about these changes as soon as possible. Allow us an opportunity to tell you more by replying to this email or contacting Michael Herrera, NC Medicaid Provider Relations Supervisor, at 919-219-3445 to schedule a presentation. One of our team members will be happy to follow up with you. The sooner the better!

We look forward to hearing from you and thank you for your continued partnership and support of the NC Medicaid program.

Important Note: Session Law 2017-57 authorized the replacement of the current Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) technologies with modular systems. The new system will evolve the singular NCTracks system into modular systems with independent components that stand alone but integrate with other modules. The Electronic Visits Verification (EVV), Encounter Processing System (EPS), and Medicaid Enterprise System (MES) modules already launched. The PDMCVO is the next module that is going live. Other major modules include: Third Party Liability (TPL), Finance Solution (FMM), Member Management (MMM), Decision Support System (DSS), and Care Management Module(CMM). This is not an inclusive list but intended to show you a snap shot. We hope this gives you a grander picture of the improvements happening at NC DHHS.

Attention IDD Providers: National Core Indicators™ (NCI) Staff Stability Survey for 2022 Available

We are encouraging you to complete the National Core Indicators™ (NCI) Staff Stability Survey for IDD Providers (who serve Medicaid beneficiaries). It is vitally important that we hear from you about issues affecting the IDD DSP workforce. Your agency should have already received an email with the survey; the email subject is "NC NCI Staff Stability Survey 2022." Surveys are due in June. If you are an I/DD provider and you have not received the survey link, or if you have any questions, please contact NCISurvey@dhhs.nc.gov.

Joint Communication Bulletins

The NC Division of Health Benefits (DHB) has recently published new Medicaid Bulletin articles:

Providers are encouraged to review this information. All bulletin articles, including those related to COVID-19, are available on DHB's Medicaid Bulletin webpage.

New Taxonomy for Behavioral Analysts to be Added to NCTracks

Beginning April 23, 2023, a new taxonomy code for Behavior Analysts (103K00000X) will be available for provider enrollment. This new taxonomy will be implemented under the existing group Behavioral Health and Social Service Providers with a retroactive effective date of Jan. 1, 2023.

Behavioral Analysts will use this Level II taxonomy code for enrollment and subsequent billing for care. Submission of an active Board-Certified Behavioral Analyst (BCBA) board certification is required for enrollment.

Please see the taxonomy details below:

Payer: Division of Health Benefits (DHB)

Group: Behavioral Health & Social Service Providers

Category: Behavior Analyst – 103K00000X

Specialty: None

Update and Clarification to New Taxonomy for Behavioral Analysts

This communication provides update and clarification to April 6, 2023: “New Taxonomy for Behavioral Analysts to be Added to NC Tracks.”

The new taxonomy, 103K00000X, will not be available for enrollment until the North Carolina Behavior Licensure Board is authorized to begin accepting applications for licensure. This new taxonomy will be implemented under the existing group Behavioral Health and Social Service Providers.

Please see the taxonomy details below:

Payer: Division of Health Benefits (DHB)

Group: Behavioral Health & Social Service Providers

Category: Behavior Analyst – 103K00000X

Specialty: None

Association Notice: 2023 Annual Provider Survey

NCTracks would like to request your assistance in encouraging providers to take the NCTracks Annual Provider Survey for 2023. This survey focuses on the aspects of NCTracks that involve direct customer interaction, such as the call center, provider relations, training and communications, as well as functional areas such as pharmacy prior approval and provider enrollment.

Please include a note in your newsletter or announcements to encourage your providers to take the 2023 Annual Provider Survey. Feedback from the survey is crucial to NCTracks as it helps us to continue to improve our service to providers.

The survey is open to all NCTracks providers, is anonymous unless providers choose to identify themselves, and should take less than 10 minutes to complete. This survey is authorized by the NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and will be open for responses until May 12, 2023.. The survey can be found at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YDBQJHD

We truly appreciate your participation and partnership.

Voluntary Reverification Ended April 30: Draft Reverification Applications Deleted in the NCTracks System

On April 30, 2023 voluntary reverification ended. As a result, any draft reverification applications in the NCTracks system were deleted on May 1, 2023. All providers who did not submit their reverification application prior to May 1 will be placed into a new grouping that will kick off on May 12.

For more information see the Medicaid Bulletin article entitled Provider Reverification Process Update - March 15, 2023.

Providers are encouraged to review this information. All bulletin articles are available on DHB's Medicaid Bulletin webpage.

Makena End of Coverage and Removal from NC Medicaid Preferred Drug List (PDL)

A Message from NCTracks on Behalf of NC Medicaid

On April 6, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Makena® (hydroxyprogesterone caproate injection) and generics for Makena® are no longer FDA-approved.

Per the FDA, approvals of these drugs were withdrawn because the drugs are no longer shown to be effective and the benefits do not outweigh the risks for the indication for which they were approved. The full press release from the FDA can be found here.

Makena and its generics as well as Compounded 17P are no longer covered at point-of-sale or in the Physician Administered Drug Program, effective 4/7/2023. The latest revision of the PDL reflects this removal.

Patients who have questions are encouraged to speak with their healthcare provider for further guidance.

Rowan-Salisbury Schools RFP for Day Treatment Provider

The Rowan-Salisbury School System is seeking a strategic partner to provide Day Treatment services in its middle and high schools. Services will be delivered during the 2023-24 school year, including during holiday and district calendar breaks, with opportunities to extend the following year. For more information, see the Rowan-Salisbury Schools Request for Proposals (RFP).

Hello Fellow Resource Families and Supporting Agencies,

Did you know that there are approximately 400,000 children and teens in foster care in the United States? Over 11,000 of those youth are in care right here in North Carolina with only 6,000 licensed foster homes to meet their needs. We need you!!

Not everyone can foster, but EVERYONE can do something!

There are so many ways to get involved:

- Support Foster Family Alliance of NC by shopping our wish list or donating

- Donate a service to resource families or aging out youth (oil changes, car wash, cleaning, etc.)

- Donate to a foster closet near you

- Volunteer (Become a CASA/GAL, provide meals or transportation, offer your talents to FFA or other organizations supporting the child welfare system)

- Offer childcare, babysitting, or respite

- Get your church, community, neighborhood, school, etc. involved

- Talk to your company/employer about matching donations

- Offer encouragement and support to a resource family in your community

Want to represent foster care and support Foster Family Alliance all at the same time?! Check out our Bonfire Store to purchase t-shirts, sweatshirts, and more!

As always, we are here to listen, support, and share your stories. We are looking for families that are interested in sharing their journey with other resource families. If you are interested in sharing your whole story or a specific part of your journey that you think would help other resource parents, please email Kate Schultz.

Each month in our newsletter, we are going to share resources for both parents and youth. If you are a provider/organization that would like your information shared, please email it to Gaile Osborne or info@ffa-nc.org.

NHeLP Summary of Proposed Access and Managed Care Rules

By Sarah Somers

Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released two proposed rules intended to improve access to care, quality and health outcomes, and address health equity issues. The first, Medicaid Program: Ensuring Access to Services (Access Rule), addresses in Medicaid fee-for-service, managed care, and HCBS program. The second, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Managed Care Access, Finance, and Quality, (Managed Care Rule) is aimed at managed care enrollees in the Medicaid and CHIP programs. Here are some highlights of these proposed regulations.

Read Summary

Celebrating Benchmarks' Project and Vaya!

Vaya Health celebrates National Foster Care Month by spotlighting latest foster care efforts

ASHEVILLE - In recognition of National Foster Care Month, Vaya Health, a managed care organization that oversees publicly funded behavioral health services in 31 North Carolina counties, spotlights its most recent efforts to prioritize the needs of the foster care population.

With a strong commitment to putting children and their families first, Vaya Health has partnered with community-based organizations and behavioral health care providers to develop new programs that address the unique needs of those served by the child welfare system. One such program, called the Pathways to Permanency project, helps ensure that children and youth in foster care have access to the services and supports they need to thrive, both in and outside of their placements.

Vaya collaborated with Benchmarks, a North Carolina non-profit association of human service provider agencies, to identify areas of opportunity for increased support of members and families involved in the child welfare system. From that work, four key areas of focus were established:

'There is a placement crisis': WCNC investigation uncovers shocking secret about kids in foster care

"Oftentimes, we think there is somebody else handling this. There isn't anyone else." The shocking secret about kids in foster care in Mecklenburg County.

WCNC Charlotte investigation uncovered a shocking secret about kids in the foster care system in Charlotte. Some are being forced to sleep at the Youth and Family Services office because there's no place else for them to go.

"It breaks your heart because I just want to keep doing more," Robin Leonard said.

Leonard and her husband, Beau, were licensed foster parents waiting to finalize the adoption of their youngest daughters when a social worker called them about another young girl who needed help.

"There was a child staying at the YFS officer over a weekend," Beau Leonard remembered. "This was about a year ago, and they put out a call to foster families if they could let this child visit their home a couple of times over the weekend to shower and have a break from getting out of the office."

Livingstone College opening new center for youth aging out of foster care

The month of May is recognized as National Foster Care Month. A college in Salisbury kicked off the awareness month by showing its support for young adults aging out of foster care and seeking a higher education. According to the National Foster Youth Institute, 50% of children in foster care will finish high school and less than 5% graduate from a four-year college. Livingstone College has partnered with Home4Me, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to be a voice for teens in foster care, to change this data. Together, they're launching a center for aging out at Livingstone College to support youth with the resources they need to successfully obtain their degree.

Wake County manager proposes $1.8 billion budget focused on safety, education and growth

Wake County is looking at a $1.8 billion fiscal year budget, funding everything from schools and affordable housing, to more EMS workers and expanded behavioral health services. Out of the proposed $1.8 billion budget, 57 percent of that would go straight to education. WakeBrook Behavioral Health and Crisis response facility would get a 39 percent increase in funds to pay for more inpatient treatment, detox and 24/7 crisis stabilization. The proposed budget also adds 15 new positions to Wake County's Child Welfare Program to help recruit foster families and serve more children.

Bill would make it easier for NC parents to regain custody of their kids from foster care

State lawmakers want to make it easier for parents to regain custody of their kids from foster care. A recent NPR report found that North Carolina is one of only 12 states where parents can permanently lose their kids just because they didn't pay child support to the foster care system. Wake County Senator Sydney Batch says a provision in a Senate adoption reform bill would fix that.

During National Foster Care Month Children's Home Society Builds Awareness Of Critical Need for Foster Parents

Each May, Children's Home Society of NC (CHS) celebrates National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to create awareness of issues affecting foster care. This year, CHS is concentrating its efforts toward building awareness of the dire need for foster families by launching a multi-media campaign including a newly developed television commercial.

Upcoming Webinars & Events

New: Monday, May 8, 2023

Money Follows the Person (MFP)-Lunch and Learn

Time: 12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm

New: Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Virtual Meeting of the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Time: 11:00 am thru ?

Watch

New: Tuesday-Thursday, May 9-11, 2023

System of Care Summit 2023: Better Together: Building Systems that Care

Time: 1:00 pm thru 6:00 pm (each day)

New: Thursday, May 11, 2023

Benchmarks' Child Welfare Webinar with Lisa Cauley & Karen McLeod

Time: 8:00 am thru 9:00 am

New: Thursday, May 11, 2023

Increasing Integrated Housing Options for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Time: 4:00 pm thru 5:00 pm

Join

New: Tuesday, May 16, 2023

MTM Services: Leadership Skills to Support Transformational Change

Time: 12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm

New: Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Strategies for Employers to Help Overcome Barriers to Mental Health Care

Time: 2:00 pm thru 3:00 pm

New: Wednesday, May 17, 2023

North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities

Self-Advocate Discussion Series

Time: 1:00 pm thru 2:00 pm

New: Wednesday, May 17, 2023

NC Medicaid Ombudsman

Time: 2:00 pm thru 3:00 pm

New: Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Multiple Dates Available (See picture above)

Free Crisis Intervention Training Opportunity for Children & Youth Providers!

Time: 9:00 am thru 1:00 pm

New: Thursday, May 18, 2023

Adapting Benefit Strategies to Meet Your Whole Workforce

Time: 12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm

New: Thursday, May 18, 2023

DHHS I/DD Stakeholder Workgroup Meeting

Time: 3:00 pm thru 5:00 pm

New: Thursday, May 18, 2023

Tailored Plan 101: Ready, Set, Launch Series

Time: 5:00 pm thru 6:30 pm

New: Thursday, May 18, 2023

Learn how to support the health and well-being of kids in your care

Time: 7:00 pm thru 8:00 pm

Join Here

New: Friday, May 19, 2023

Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar with Jay Ludlam & Karen McLeod

Time: 8:30 am thru 9:30 am

New: Friday, May 19, 2023

NC Assistive Technology Program Adaptive Recreation and Gaming Resource Fair (Free & Open to the Public)

Time: 10:00 am thru 2:00 pm

Location: 112 Dennis Drive, Sanford, NC (Face-to-Face Event)

New: Friday, May 19, 2023

Money Follows the Person (MFP) Roundtable

Time: 12:00 pm thru 2:00 pm

New: Friday, May 19, 2023

Hatch Compliance: Behavioral Health Industry Outlook – The Evolution of Value-based Care

Time: 1:00 pm thru 2:00 pm

New: Monday, May 22, 2023

Joint DMH/DD/SUS and DHB Consumer Webinar

Time: 2:00 pm thru 3:00 pm

New: Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Benchmarks' Foster, Adoption, Residential Committee Webinar

Time: 9:00 am thru 10:00 am

New: Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Learn how to support the health and well-being of kids in your care

Time: 12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm

Join Here

New: Wednesday & Thursday, May 24 & 25, 2023

Face-to-Face Person-Centered Thinking: A 12-Hour Training

Time: 9:00 am thru 4:00 pm (Both Days)

Location: Elliott University Center, 507 Stirling Street, Greensboro, Kirkland Room

Tailored Care Management Educational Offerings

Ongoing Webinar Sessions and Trainings: Some are free, some require a fee, and some are for CMA organizations that have passed the desk review only.

NC AHEC has partnered with the NC Department of Health and Human Services and Division of Health Benefits to equip Tailored Care Management (TCM) candidates with the tools and knowledge to effectively provide care management services to North Carolina’s Tailored Plan beneficiaries through Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities. Find a list of monthly offerings below and join us for one or for all!

See Full Catalog Here