Developmental Disabilities Administration
TRANSFORMATION UPDATE
September 2020
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The Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) will be implementing Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) for Personal Supports, in order to meet the requirements of the federal 21st Century Cures Act. EVV refers to technology that electronically verifies that services are delivered at the right time, in the right place, and to the right person. The federal 21st Century Cures Act requires Maryland to use EVV to verify six factors for Personal Supports services: type of service performed, participant receiving the service, date of the service, location of the service, individual providing the service, and time the service begins and ends.
EVV helps ensure people are receiving authorized services with the goal of improving the quality of services by making activities transparent and measurable. EVV also helps the DDA and Medicaid be good stewards of public resources. For providers, EVV allows them to view their service information online, makes reporting more efficient, and reduces the likelihood of billing errors and fraud. For more information, tools, and webinars, visit the EVV website.
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The DDA will be implementing EVV by Region, starting with the Eastern and Western Regions on October 1, 2020. Providers who support multiple regions will transition to EVV at the latest date for the regions in which they operate. For example, an agency that provides Personal Supports in the Eastern Shore and Central Regions would begin using EVV on December 1, 2020. Please find the full list of go-live dates here.
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EVV Implementation by DDA Region
Eastern and Western Regions - October 1, 2020
Southern Maryland Regions - November 1, 2020
Central Maryland Regions - December 1, 2020
DDA Achieves Full Compliance by the CURES Act Deadline - January 1, 2021
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Person Centered Plan (PCP) Review |
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The DDA, Coordinator of Community Services (CCS) Agencies, and Personal Supports Providers are hard at work reviewing and approving the Person Centered Plans (PCPs) for all participants receiving Personal Supports. The DDA will verify that each participant has an active, approved plan prior to their go-live date.
The PCP review process requires close coordination between the participant, families, CCS agencies, providers, and regional offices. To further facilitate this process, the DDA released the Detailed Service Authorization Tool (DSAT) which will be required for any PCPs created on or after September 21st. Please reach out to your DDA regional office if you need assistance with a PCP.
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One-Time Password (OTP) Token |
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A One-Time Password (OTP) token is a small keychain-sized device that generates a six digit code (timestamp). Direct Support Professionals (DSP) may use this device when they call to clock in and clock out of providing Personal Supports and Personal Supports Enhanced services.
OTPs are used when: the participant receiving supports does not have a reliable landline or cellular phone that the DSP can use, more than one participant in the same household receives supports and share a phone, the participant often receives Personal Support services in the community, or the participant does not have a Medicaid number (MA#). OTPs are issued through the CCS.
To ensure accuracy and reduce fraud, the OTP device must remain with the participant at all times. If a participant forgets the device, the DSP can use a manual process to report their time. If a participant loses or breaks their OTP, they should call their CCS to get a new one. For more information, please see EVV At a Glance guide and CCS Guide to Assigning and Managing OTPs.
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An Introduction to EVV Family Webinar |
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Charting the LifeCourse Family Webinar Series Presents:
An Introduction to EVV
Join the DDA’s Director of Family Supports, Mary Anne Kane Breschi, as she facilitates a conversation about how EVV works at home and in the community. This session will begin with a brief presentation by Medicaid on EVV. Next, Mary Anne will interview a Maryland DDA provider and family about their experiences using EVV as part of the DDA’s LTSSMaryland pilot program. They will share tips for all families, as DDA rolls out EVV across the State. There will be a live question and answer session at the end of the webinar.
This webinar will occur twice: September 30 at noon and on October 28 at noon. While the opening presentation on EVV will remain the same, each webinar will feature different family members and providers sharing their experiences.
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Over the last several weeks, we have been busy developing and pooling resources to make the transition to EVV as streamlined as possible for provider agencies. Many provider agencies have been critical partners, helping us identify the types of resources needed to help provider agencies in this transition. Given the number of resources, DDA has established an EVV webpage to house all of the resources you may need, including:
- Toolkits for participants and families, Direct Support Professionals, and providers
- Recorded webinars on Personal Supports and EVV
- At-A-Glance documents to help explain the change to EVV to individuals you support and staff
DON’T FORGET: Provider agency billing staff should sign up for EVV Billing training to ensure billing staff are prepared for the transition and have time to plan for any internal changes your agency may need. Click here to access the billing training schedule and get registered. The Billing sessions are open to your agency Fiscal Manager, Billing Manager, or a Fiscal Staff. This training is not for Direct Support Professionals.
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ePREP is Maryland Medicaid’s Electronic Provider Revalidation Enrollment Portal for provider enrollment, revalidation, information updates, and demographic changes. All DDA certified and licensed providers (except CCS agencies) must register in ePREP to receive DDA Medicaid Waiver payments when LTSSMaryland is implemented.
Nearly all of the DDA’s Personal Support services providers successfully completed the ePREP enrollment process, with the final two currently working through the process. Thank you! All of these providers will begin using the LTSSMaryland system for billing as part of meeting the federal deadline for EVV on January 1, 2021.
Additionally, 93% of all provider sites are currently enrolled with ePREP. If you have not already completed the enrollment process, please reach out to your regional DDA Provider Relations representative for ePREP training and additional guidance:
For ePREP system support (password reset or technical issues), call 1-844-463-7768 or email [email protected].
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Self-Directed Services and EVV |
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EVV is a federal requirement for all DDA Personal Support services. As someone who self-directs, this means that you will need to make sure that your staff are electronically recording the date, time, and place that they provide Personal Support services to you. Nothing will change about the way your services are delivered. You may continue to receive Personal Support services at home and in the community.
The DDA is procuring a new Financial Management Service (FMS), which will help you get ready for this new responsibility. The FMS will establish EVV for people self-directing, including training materials for you and your staff, so that everyone can get up to speed together. More information is coming soon about the new FMS vendor and how it can help you implement EVV.
To learn more about EVV, please see the DDA’s EVV webpage, or visit Applied Self-Direction, a national organization that provides practical information on all aspects of self-direction and also has an EVV resource page.
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Supported Living Transition |
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As part of the move to EVV for Personal Supports, the DDA has identified an opportunity to work with participants already receiving Supported Living or those who meet the criteria for Supported Living to transition into the service under the LTSSMaryland system. There are many benefits with moving forward with Supported Living at the same time as EVV, including:
- Ensuring each person supported through the DDA is in the most appropriate service to meet their needs
- Eliminating the need to participate in EVV if a person begins receiving Supported Living instead of Personal Supports
As we begin to move forward with Supported Living, Regional Offices are working with CCS agencies and providers to identify individuals who meet the criteria for Supported Living. Regional Office staff and CCS staff will work with the individual to verify if Supported Living is the right service, and if so, reflect that in the Person-Centered Plan. Supported Living will begin to go live in November 2020 and will be rolled in regionally. The implementation schedule is as follows:
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Eastern Shore, Western, and Southern - November 1, 2020
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Central - December 1, 2020
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The following criteria is being used to identify current participants receiving Personal Supports for exploration of Supported Living services, the participant:
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Receives more than 83 hours per week of Personal Supports OR lives in a home with another individual receiving Personal Supports through DDA AND
- Lives outside of the family home – in his or her own home or apartment.
Regional Office staff and CCS agencies are working to verify this information for participants already identified as potentially meeting this criteria. Once verification has occurred, the Regional Office will verify that the selected provider of record for the service is set up properly in LTSSMaryland to ensure a smooth transition to the new service.
We believe that making this change at the same time as EVV will better align participants with the most appropriate service to meet their needs and support their goals.
Please use the contact information below to reach your Regional Office Directors should you have questions about this transition.
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Regional Office Contact Information
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STAY CONNECTED TO THE DDA THROUGH FACEBOOK |
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Maryland Department of Health
Developmental Disabilities Administration
201 W. Preston St. | Baltimore, MD 21201
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