STATE OF WASHINGTON
center31912900STATE OF WASHINGTONDEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICESAging and Long-Term Support AdministrationHome and Community Services Division18859501941195HCS MANAGEMENT BULLETIN00HCS MANAGEMENT BULLETINPO Box 45600, Olympia, WA 98504-5600H20-016 Policy & ProcedureMarch 16, 2020Amended March 18, 2020Amended October 15, 2020 TO:Home and Community Services (HCS) Division Regional Administrators Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) Regional AdministratorsArea Agency on Aging (AAA) DirectorsFROM:Bea Rector, Director, Home and Community Services DivisionShannon Manion, Director, Division of Field Services, Developmental Disabilities Administration37033206350SUBJECT:Temporary Policy Changes for Long-Term Care Worker Qualifications Related to COVID-19 PURPOSE:To notify staff of temporary changes in policy related to provider qualifications for Long-Term Care workers and personal care providers BACKGROUND:The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused the temporary closure of Home Care Aide training and testing locations across the state. The closure of these sites has limited the ability of Long-Term Care workers to complete required trainings and certification testing necessary to provide services to DSHS clients. Certification can only be awarded after training and testing have been successfully completed. Additionally, multiple locations where individuals have their fingerprints taken as part of the background check process for Long-Term Care workers have temporarily closed due to COVID-19. In order to maintain the viability of the Washington Long-Term Care workforce, the Department has temporarily revised the provider qualification requirements for all Long-Term Care workers providing services to DSHS clients. These policy changes apply to all Long-Term Care workers contracted with the Department as:Individual Providers (IPs);Companion Home Providers;Alternative Living Providers.Long-Term Care workers employed by Home Care Agencies contracted with the Department.Long-Term Care workers employed by Residential Providers contracted with the Department including:Adult Family Homes,Assisted Living Facilities, Enhanced Services Facilities, Supported Living Agencies, State Operated Community Residential, Group Training Homes, Group Homes, Licensed Staffed Residential, Group Care Facilities.Long-Term Care workers can be hired and provide services in a provisionary status, pending their completion of required training, certification, and federal fingerprint results as specified in this MB.WHAT’S NEW, CHANGED, OR CLARIFIED:Until further notice, the following changes are effective as of March 13, 2020: Background ChecksLong-Term Care workers may provide services without completing a national fingerprint-based background check if the worker cannot provide fingerprints due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Name and Date of Birth background checks are still required before providing services.Long-Term Care workers who have already provided fingerprints as part of the background check process may continue providing services until they are determined be to be ineligible should the background check results be delayed due to COVID-19. Long-Term Care workers required to complete a national fingerprint-based background check should provide their fingerprints as soon as feasibly possible.Training:The requirement that Long-Term Care workers complete basic training, population specific trainings, and specialty trainings within 120 days of being hired or first being authorized to provide services is temporarily suspended. Until further notice, Long-Term Care workers may continue providing services without completing previously required basic, population specific, and specialty trainings.Continuing Education: The requirement that Long-Term Care workers complete yearly Continuing Education is temporarily suspended. Until further notice, Long-Term Care workers may continue providing services without completing previously required Continuing Education hours/credits. Workers are encouraged to complete online courses if they can, and will receive payment for this time according to current policy. Certification:The requirement that a person hired as a Long-Term Care worker must be certified as a Home Care Aide within two hundred calendar days after the date of being hired is temporarily suspended. The requirement that a person hired as a Long-Term Care worker must be annually re-certified as a Home Care Aide is also temporarily suspended. Until further notice, Long-Term Care workers may continue providing services without a Home Care Aide certification beyond two hundred calendar days after being hired. Additionally, until further notice Long-Term Care workers may continue providing services without re-certifying their Home Care Aide certification. Limited Service Providers and Respite Providers During the temporary suspension, Limited Service Providers and Respite Providers may work more than 20 hours per month or more than 300 respite hours in a calendar year and will be exempt from the requirements to become a certified home care aide and to obtain continuing education training. Once the suspension is lifted, the Limited Service Providers and Respite Providers must resume working 20 hours or less per month to keep their Limited Service Provider status.All training, testing and certification requirements should be met as soon as feasibly possible once these temporary changes are lifted. The Training Partnership and Community Residential Services Training will continue to offer on-line continuing education courses to allow caregivers to access training and stay up-to-date on their CE requirements. Additionally, the Training Partnership and Community Residential Services Training are working to develop additional online options for basic trainings. Payments to Providers:The Department, AAA, or Department designee will not deny payment for services for any contracted providers within the scope of this Management Bulletin due solely to a:Failure to obtain a fingerprint based background check;Failure to complete basic, population specific, or specialty trainings; orFailure to obtain initial certification as a Home Care Aide.The Department, AAA, or Department designee does maintain the right to deny payment if in addition to the above circumstances there are other instances of non-compliance with applicable laws, rules, and contractual requirements. Provider Qualifications Remaining in Place:To continue providing personal care or direct support services to DSHS clients Long-Term Care Workers must:Be 18 years of ageComplete, and be found eligible, under the State Name and Date of Birth Background checkComplete the Orientation and Safety training: these trainings can be accessed online at or at ACTION:Effective March 13, 2020Case Managers shall continue authorizing services to Individual Providers, Companion Home providers, and Alternative Living providers even if any of the following circumstances apply:They have not completed a fingerprint based background check;They have not completed basic, population specific, or specialty trainings;They have not obtained initial certification as a Home Care Aide.They have not completed continuing education requirements. Case Managers shall continue authorizing services to Home Care Agencies and Residential Providers even if they have employees working as Long-Term Care workers with the following circumstances:The employee has not completed a fingerprint based background check;The employee has not completed basic, population specific, or specialty trainings;The employee has not obtained initial certification as a Home Care Aide.The employee has not completed continuing education requirements.Case Managers must continue to follow policy if there is a concern that the client’s health and safety is at risk or authorized services are not being delivered.Long-Term Care Workers contracted directly with the Department (Individual Providers, Companion Home Providers, Alternative Living Providers):Long-Term Care workers that had their authorizations closed and/or contracts terminated between February 29, 2020 and March 13, 2020 due solely to non-compliance with the training, certification, continuing education, and/or fingerprint background check provider qualifications waived under this Management Bulletin are eligible to re-contract, if necessary, and continue providing services immediately. Additionally, Long-Term Care workers that had their authorizations closed and/or contracts terminated prior to February 29, 2020 due solely to non-compliance with the training, certification, continuing education, and/or fingerprint background check provider qualifications waived under this Management Bulletin are eligible to re-contract, if necessary, and resume providing services as long as they meet all other applicable provider qualifications.Long-Term Care workers employed by Home Care Agency and Residential Providers contracted with the Department:Long-Term Care workers who became ineligible to work between February 29, 2020 and March 13, 2020 due solely to non-compliance with the training, certification, continuing education, and/or fingerprint background check provider qualifications waived under this Management Bulletin are eligible to provide services immediately. Additionally, Long-Term Care workers who became ineligible to work prior to February 29, 2020 due solely to non-compliance with the training, certification, continuing education, and/or fingerprint background check provider qualifications waived under this Management Bulletin are eligible to resume providing services as long as they meet all other applicable provider qualifications.Case Managers must not send Planned Action Notices and/or Stop Work Notices to client/providers solely due to:Failure to obtain a fingerprint based background check;Failure to complete basic, population specific, or specialty trainings;Failure to obtain initial certification as a Home Care Aide.Failure to complete continuing education. AAA Contract Managers will consider this MB for the timeframe it is in place when monitoring Home Care Agency contract compliance in the future. No overpayments will be submitted related to the waived requirements included in this Management Bulletin for Long-Term Care worker qualifications from February 29, 2020 until this MB is rescinded. RELATED REFERENCES:ATTACHMENT(S):CONTACT(S):IP Contracting and Background Checks:Stacy Graff, Individual Provider and Administrative Hearing Program Managerstacy.graff@dshs.(360) 725-2533Training:Training Unit Help Line: 360-725-2550Adora Brouillard, Training Unit Manager Phone: 360-725-2538adora.brouillard@dshs.Jackie Fry, Training Program ManagerPhone: 360-725-2534jacqueline.fry@dshs. Brad McFadden, Training Partnership Program ManagerPhone: 360-725-2563 bradley.mcfadden@dshs.Paul Riedel, Training Program ManagerPhone: 360-725-2546paul.riedel@dshs. DDA:Jaime Bond, State Plan Services Unit ManagerPhone: 360-407-1567Jaime.bond@dshs.Sarah Blanchette, Community Residential Services Training Program ManagerPhone: 360-791-0644Sarah.Blanchette@dshs.Valerie Kindschy, CRS Program ManagerPhone: 360-407-1550Valerie.Kindschy@dshs. ................
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