The following information was obtained from the July 29 issue of the Texas Register.
Public Notices
HHSC adopted new per diem payment rate for the Truman Smith Children’s Care Center, which is $223.44. HHSC adopted new per diem payment rates for state-owned veterans nursing facilities: Big Spring, $143; Bonham, $143; Floresville, $143; Temple, $143; McAllen, $143; El Paso, $143; and Amarillo, $143.
Finally, HHSC intends to submit to CMS a request to amend the MDCP waiver program. The change would adjust the individual cost limit to ensure that no one loses eligibility. For details about each notice, see the Texas Register.
Proposed Rule
HHSC proposes to amend §360.117, concerning cost sharing in the Medicaid Buy-In program, to exempt adults enrolled in the program who live in a federally declared disaster area from paying premiums for up to three months beginning with the month that the disaster is declared. See the Texas Register for more information.
Adopted Rules
HHSC adopted amendments to §355.101, Introduction; §355.102, General Principles of Allowable and Unallowable Costs; §355.103, Specifications for Allowable and Unallowable Costs; §355.105, General Reporting and Documentation Requirements, Methods, and Procedures; §355.106, Basic Objectives and Criteria for Audit and Desk Review of Cost Reports; §355.107, Notification of Exclusions and Adjustments; and §355.110, Informal Reviews and Formal Appeals, in its Reimbursement Rates chapter. An excerpt:
HHSC, under its authority and responsibility to administer and implement rates, is updating Subchapter A to: 1) incorporate the School Health and Related Services program; 2) accommodate the utilization of a web-based cost reporting system; 3) formalize certain existing practices; 4) standardize the cost at which a purchase must be depreciated; 5) allow for the reporting of certain costs associated with workers’ compensation; and 6) specify the repercussions of submitting an incomplete request for an informal review.
On DADS’s behalf, HHSC proposed amendments to the following sections:
- Nursing Facility Requirements For Licensure And Medicaid Certification – (“References to a pediatric nurse specialist have been deleted because DADS no longer employs such a specialist.”)
- State Aging Plan – (Repeal “adopted because a new section that contains the funding allocation formula for area agencies on aging is adopted elsewhere in this issue of the Texas Register.”)
- Operation Of The Area Agencies On Aging –(Repeal “adopted to remove the rule regarding the process by which a person contracting with an AAA, a subcontractor, appeals an adverse action taken by the AAA against the subcontractor.” )
- State Delivery Systems – (Repeal “adopted because a new section that contains the guidelines to determine the proportion of state money distributed to entities that operate a program under the National Senior Services Corps is adopted elsewhere in this issue of the Texas Register.”)
- Area Agency On Aging Administrative Requirements – (Repeal “adopted because a new section that describes how award funds not spent by an [AAA] are handled and a new section that describes the process for a AAA to request approval to directly provide a service are adopted elsewhere in this issue of the Texas Register.”)
- Implementation Of The Older Americans Act – (“The new sections and amendment prescribe administrative responsibilities of an [AAA] regarding the provision of services and describe the management and oversight functions of DADS regarding AAAs.”)
- National Senior Services Corps Program – (“The new section describes the guidelines used to determine the proportion of state money distributed to entities operating a program under the National Senior Services Corps…” )
- Miscellaneous – (Repeal “adopted to allow DADS the flexibility to develop procedures based on communication technology and other factors at the time a hearing is held.”)
