Accessibility - Illinois Department of Human Services-Division of Rehabilitation Services (IDHS-DRS) require compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). All programs offered by the Provider must be accessible to all individuals with disabilities, and the provider must be in compliance with applicable requirements of the ADA Standards for Accessible Design (https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/2010ADAStandards/2010ADAstandards.htm), the Illinois Accessibility Code https://cdb.illinois.gov/business/codes/illinoisaccessibilitycode.html , and the Illinois Information Technology Accessibility Act http://dhs.illinois.gov/iitaa.
Accreditation - Per IDHS-DRS rule 89 Ill., PART 530 CRITERIA FOR THE EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS OF SERVICES IN COMMUNITY REHABILITATION AGENCIES : Sections Listing (ilga.gov) any Community Rehabilitation Program (CRP) doing business with IDHS-DRS must meet and maintain national accreditation standards for all programs and services identified in the contractual agreement.
The Provider must submit a copy of the most recent national accreditation survey report to the Transition and Community Rehabilitation Services (TCRS) Unit, or other designated Unit, within 30 days of receipt.
Assessment - The assessment will be completed with the customer prior to the development of the Individual Plan for Placement (IPP), which is created by the Provider. The intent of the assessment is to determine the customer's needs and develop a plan for services. The following will be contained within the assessment: Determine the vocational goal and services needed by the customer.
- Type of employment, full or part-time.
- Preferred number of hours and earnings requested by the customer.
- Types of benefits sought.
- Shift preference.
- Placement goals and objectives to be utilized under the Individual Placement Plan (IPP).
- Activities needed for job development or job retention.
- Signatures.
Billing Standards - There must be a current and active Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) and Notification of Services (NOS) for services with that Provider from the IDHS-DRS counselor. A Release of Information is required. The NOS must be completed with all information, including a cancellation date when appropriate.
All billings should be reconciled during the quarterly meetings with the IDHS-DRS Contract Advisor. Missed billing for 1st and 2nd quarter, will be submitted no later than the last working day of January. Missed billing for 3rd and 4th quarter will be submitted no later than the 5th working day of July. No reimbursement for billings submitted after those deadlines will be approved.
Conflict Resolution - When a billing is denied by IDHS-DRS, and the Provider wishes to appeal, the following procedure will apply:
The Provider may appeal in writing to the IDHS-DRS supervisor within ten working days of the notice of denial, with a copy to the IDHS-DRS Contract Advisor.
The IDHS-DRS supervisor will review the appeal and submit a written response to the Provider within 10 working days. A copy of this response will include the counselor and IDHS-DRS Contract Advisor.
If the Provider does not agree with the decision rendered by the IDHS-DRS supervisor, or the supervisor does not respond within 10 working days, the Provider must send a written request for further review to the TCRS Manger within 10 working days of receipt of the supervisor's decision. Copies of this request will include the IDHS-DRS Supervisor and IDHS-DRS Contract Advisor,
The Manager of TCRS will be the final level of the appeal. Within 10 working days, the request will be reviewed, and a written decision will be sent to the Provider, IDHS-DRS staff, and IDHS-DRS Contract Advisor.
Contract Paperwork: All initial and Amendment paperwork will be returned within 14 business days. This may include one or more of the following: initial contract signature page, amendment page, Financial Disclosures and Conflicts of Interest, Standard Certifications, and the Taxpayer Identification Page. All documentation will be sent to Office of Contract Administration (OCA) at DHS.OCA.SignaturePages@illinois.gov and to Transition and Community Rehabilitation Services (TCRS) at DHS.CommunityResources@illinois.gov
Final Reconciliation- To be completed once all funds have been expended under the contract or at the end of the fiscal year. This will follow prescribed timeframes communicated annually, or final payment could be delayed, or even denied.
Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Providers - Must demonstrate participation in the Fidelity Review Process and show evidence of receiving a minimum score of 75. IPS is an evidence-based practice based on a 25-item fidelity scale and the following practice principles: Focus on Competitive Employment; Eligibility Based on Client Choice; Integration of Rehabilitation and Mental Health Services; Attention to Client preferences; Personalized Benefits Counseling; Rapid Job Search; Systematic job and Employer Relationship Development; and Time-Unlimited and Individualized Support.
Individual Plan for Placement (IPP) -This is completed by the Provider and is known by many different names but is the Provider's service plan with the customer. The IPP is developed between the Provider and the customer to identify a vocational goal, that is consistent with the IDHS-DRS vocational goal, and to identify services that will be provided to the customer. The IPP should be customer-centered and show evidence of the customer's participation in its development. The IPP will govern services provided to the customer by the Provider. The IPP will be shared with the IDHS-DRS counselor within 10 working days of its development. The customer's vocational goal as stated on the IPP should match that which is stated on the customer's IPE. Any changes to the IPP should be approved by the IDHS-DRS counselor.
Plan amendments are to be developed by the customer, counselor, and provider staff prior to implementation of the changes and provided to the customer and counselor within five working days after the start of services.
The customer's IPP should contain the following:
- Vocational goal (should be consistent with the customer's goal as stated in their IPE).
- Services to be provided by the Provider to the customer to achieve their employment outcome (will include job development/job retention activities).
- What supports will be provided.
- Who will provide those services and supports.
- The start and end date.
- How to identify if goals are being achieved.
- Customer/Guardian comments.
- Customer/guardian and Provider signatures; and
- The date of closure or cancellation will also be noted.
Program Supervision - Provide adequate program supervision and personnel to carry out the contracted program of services.
Provider files - The Provider will keep the following information in the Provider file for a minimum of five years (current year plus four):
Signed copies of all forms and billings,
Notification of Services,
Individual Plan for Employment (IPE)
Individual Plan for Placement (IPP) or Provider Service Plan,
Progress Notes,
Invoice Vouchers, including C-13 Invoice Vouchers,
Records of payments made to individuals for transportation and/or maintenance when authorized by IDHS-DRS. Such records must include a signed cash receipt or canceled check for each payment, and
All such records required by the executed contract or agreement referenced herein.
Safety - The provider must maintain an active safety program to assure that all buildings and programs operated by the provider are safe to all individuals. Safety policies and procedures must follow the National Standards (I. Physical Facilities, Health, and Safety) or 89 IL Admin Code 530.140. Community - based sites must also meet the individual's environmental and safety needs.
Staffing - Will be held at minimum every eight weeks beginning at the time of the referral to a Provider and will continue throughout the life of the case. Staffings will include the customer, IDHS-DRS staff, Provider staff, and others designated by the customer. The staffing can be held in-person, telephonically, or electronically. The Provider is responsible for completing and sending the staffing report to the IDHS-DRS counselor after obtaining the customer's signature. The IDHS-DRS counselor then signs the report and sends it back to the Provider.
Documentation of the staffing, including signatures of those who were in attendance will be kept in the IDHS-DRS and Provider customer files. Documentation of the staffing will be entered into WebCM by IDHS-DRS staff. This will include persons in attendance, customer progress, Provider involvement, and what services will be continued. If additional services are needed by the customer, the IDHS-DRS Counselor must approve prior to services being provided. The purpose of the staffing is to determine customer progress toward vocational goals and to determine if services are to continue with the Provider.
Due to the eight-week staffing timeline beginning with the referral to the Provider for placement services, it is possible under the Milestone contract, for a 15-day and a 45-day Milestone to be achieved prior to the first eight-week timeframe. In those instances, the billing may be approved without a staffing with all required documentation submitted for that Milestone.
Telecommunication and Interpreter Compliance - All agreements which utilize sign language interpreter(s) except schools serving K-12 must adhere to the interpreters for the Deaf Licensure Act of 2007 (225 ILCS443). The Licenses held by interpreters indicate in which environments they can interpret. For specifics, please email: DHS DRSSDHH@illinois.gov
Licenses are issued by the Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission. A listing of licensed interpreters can be found at: https://idhhc.illinois.gov/licensure/directoryhome.html
The Provider is expected to secure an appropriately licensed interpreter for meetings with Provider staff and for job interviews arranged for IDHS-DRS customers. IDHS-DRS will reimburse the Provider for the interpreter expenses that are consistent with the current market rates.
The Provider is expected to pay the sign language interpreter for his or her services. A copy of the interpreter's billing sheet must be submitted to the local office within 10 business days after the date the service is provided. A delay in providing this documentation to the Local IDHS-DRS Office within 10 business days may or may not result in a decision not to provide reimbursement to the Provider.
