The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) issued six information letters:
- Addition of Supported Employment and Employment Assistance to the Deaf-Blind Multiple Disabilities (DBMD) Program and a Change in the Behavior Communication Specialist Service
DADS informed DBMD Providers that it will implement Supported Employment and Employment Assistance services in the DBMD Program, effective September 1. Service codes and rates (per hour) for both services: Supported Employment Service code 37 $28.21 and Employment Assistance Service code 54 $28.21. Download the two-page letter for more information.
- Request for Waiver of Requirement to Deliver Meals Fewer than Five Days a Week
A provider of Title XIX and Title XX Home Delivered Meals may request a waiver of the program requirement to deliver a hot meal five days a week if the provider determines that such a delivery schedule is not feasible for certain individuals within the provider’s contracted service area. Download the two-page letter for more information.
- Assisted Living/Residential Care (AL/RC) and Resource Utilization Groups (RUG) for Attendant Compensation Rate Enhancement Program
DADS informed Community Based Alternatives and Integrated Care Management AL/RC Providers that effective September 1, 2008, it will replace the TILE score with the RUG score and will assign consumers to one of the six reimbursement levels based on their RUG score. Download the three-page letter for more information.
- Addition of Rates for Respite and Adjunct Support Services Provided by Nurses to Individuals Who Receive Ventilator or Tracheostomy Care
DADS informed Medically Dependent Children Program Providers that effective September 1, 2008, it will implement new rates, developed by the Rate Analysis Department of the Health and Human Services Commission, for respite and adjunct support services provided by nurses to individuals who receive ventilator or tracheostomy care. Download the two-page letter for details.
- Changes to Preadmission Screening And Resident Review Process
In a letter to Nursing Facility Providers, DADS informed them of the responsibilities for Preadmission Screening And Resident Reviews (PASARR) effective September 1, 2008.
Nursing facilities must screen all new admissions, regardless of payment source, to determine if the person has mental illness, mental retardation, and/or a related condition. Only those who have any of these diagnoses will require a PASARR Screening form completed before admission. After the TILES to RUGS transition, the old screening form will be replaced. The new form can be found on the TILES to RUGS web page.
Download the two-page letter for more information.
- Home and Community-based Services Providers Rule Amendment Effective Date
DADS informed HCS Providers and Mental Retardation Authorities that it has implemented two new rules in the HSC program, effective September 1, 2008. For details, download the letter.
