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 Codehttps://cdb.illinois.gov/business/codes/illinoisaccessibilitycode.html , and the Illinois Information Technology Accessibility Act http://dhs.illinois.gov/iitaa.
Ensure program accessibility to all students with disabilities including students who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or DeafBlind.
Accreditation (Project SEARCH contract only) - 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.
Billing Standards - All Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) must be authorized prior to provision. This includes both potentially eligible and eligible students with a disability. There will either be an Agreement Form for those potentially eligible, or an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) for those that have been found eligible for Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services.
Billings will be submitted by the due date listed. Due date can be found per contract type in Section D. Contract Information.
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
Curricula, or materials being used for Pre-ETS - Annually, prior to funding determinations and the start of services, a copy of the curricula or materials being used to provide transition services under IDEA and the services for Pre-ETS under this TPCA contract will be submitted to IDHS-DRS Transition and Community Rehabilitation Services (TCRS) by email at DHS.CommunityResources@illinois.gov, for review and approval. The IDEA curricula or materials used will determine what Pre-ETS are needed by the student with a disability. The curricula under Pre-ETS will be instructional and will allow for skills progression growth.
Eligibility and Order of Selection - IDHS-DRS staff are exclusively responsible for determination of disability of an individual for the VR program as well as eligibility determination for VR applicants. When IDHS-DRS has an order of selection, IDHS-DRS staff are exclusively responsible for placement of an individual into a category under the order of selection policy. If the student is in a priority category that is closed, but have already begun receiving services, they will be able to continue to receive any of the five Pre-ETS while they wait. If they did not receive services, they will be placed on a wait list and not be able to begin services until their disability priority category is open and an IPE is developed. School personnel may provide IDHS-DRS with diagnostic and evaluative information concerning an individuals' disabling condition and functional capacities, with the understanding that the certification of eligibility is to be made by qualified IDHS-DRS staff.
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.
Quarterly Reviews - IDHS-DRS Contract Advisor will review and reconcile billings quarterly with the Provider. This will allow for tracking utilization and increased fiscal forecasting leading to funding determinations.
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, if applicable
- Individual Plan for Employment (IPE)
- Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
- Work-Based Learning Experiences (WBLE) documentation of hours, wage information, including paycheck stubs, or wage verification and documentation of hours worked.
- All such records required by the executed contract or agreement referenced herein.
Supervision - Provide adequate program supervision and personnel to carry out the contracted program of services.
