Section 1550. Services: day support services, prevocational services and supported employment services.

A. Service descriptions.

1. Day support means training, assistance, and specialized supervision in the acquisition, retention, or improvement of self-help, socialization, and adaptive skills, which typically take place outside the home in which the individual resides. Day support services shall focus on enabling the individual to attain or maintain his maximum functional level.

2. Prevocational services means services aimed at preparing an individual for paid or unpaid employment, but are not job-task oriented. Prevocational services are provided to individuals who are not expected to be able to join the general work force without supports or to participate in a transitional sheltered workshop within one year of beginning waiver services (excluding supported employment programs). The services do not include activities that are specifically job-task oriented but focus on concepts such as accepting supervision, attendance, task completion, problem solving and safety. Compensation, if provided, is less than 50% of the minimum wage.

3. Supported employment services are provided in work settings where persons without disabilities are employed. It is especially designed for individuals with developmental disabilities, including individuals with mental retardation, who face severe impediments to employment due to the nature and complexity of their disabilities, irrespective of age or vocational potential.

a. Supported employment services are available to individuals for whom competitive employment at or above the minimum wage is unlikely without ongoing supports and who because of their disability need ongoing support to perform in a work setting.

b. Supported employment can be provided in one of two models. Individual supported employment shall be defined as intermittent support, usually provided one-on-one by a job coach to an individual in a supported employment position. Group-supported employment shall be defined as continuous support provided by staff to eight or fewer individuals with disabilities in an enclave, work crew, bench work, or entrepreneurial model. The individual's assessment and CSP must clearly reflect the individual's need for training and supports.

B. Criteria.

1. For day support services, individuals must demonstrate the need for functional training, assistance, and specialized supervision offered primarily in settings other than the individual's own residence that allow an opportunity for being productive and contributing members of communities.

2. For prevocational services, the individual must demonstrate the need for support in skills that are aimed toward preparation of paid employment that may be offered in a variety of community settings.

3. For supported employment, the individual shall have demonstrated that competitive employment at or above the minimum wage is unlikely without ongoing supports, and that because of his disability, he needs ongoing support to perform in a work setting.

a. Only job development tasks that specifically include the individual are allowable job search activities under the Day Support waiver supported employment and only after determining this service is not available from DRS.

b. A functional assessment must be conducted to evaluate the individual in his work environment and related community settings.

C. Service types. The amount and type of day support and prevocational services included in the individual's service plan is determined according to the services required for that individual. There are two types of services: center-based, which is provided primarily at one location/building, and noncenter-based, which is provided primarily in community settings. Both types of services may be provided at either intensive or regular levels. For supported employment, the ISP must document the amount of supported employment required by the individual. Service providers are reimbursed only for the amount and type of supported employment included in the individual's ISP.

D. Intensive level criteria. For day support and prevocational services to be authorized at the intensive level, the individual must meet at least one of the following criteria: (i) require physical assistance to meet the basic personal care needs (toileting, feeding, etc); (ii) have extensive disability-related difficulties and require additional, ongoing support to fully participate in programming and to accomplish his service goals; or (iii) require extensive constant supervision to reduce or eliminate behaviors that preclude full participation in the program. In this case, written behavioral objectives are required to address behaviors such as, but not limited to, withdrawal, self-injury, aggression, or self-stimulation.

E. Service units. Day support, prevocational and group models of supported employment (enclaves, work crews, bench work and entrepreneurial model of supported employment) are billed in accordance with the DMAS fee schedule.

F. Service limitations.

1. There must be separate supporting documentation for each service and each must be clearly differentiated in documentation and corresponding billing.

2. The supporting documentation must provide an estimate of the amount of services required by the individual. Service providers are reimbursed only for the amount and type of services included in the individual's approved ISP based on the setting, intensity, and duration of the service to be delivered.

3. Day support, prevocational and group models of supported employment services shall be limited to a total of 780 units per CSP year, or its equivalent under the DMAS fee schedule. If an individual receives a combination of day support, prevocational and/or supported employment services, the combined total shall not exceed 780 units per CSP year, or its equivalent under the DMAS fee schedule.

4. The individual job placement model of supported employment is limited to 40 hours per week.

5. For day support services:

a. Day support cannot be regularly or temporarily provided in an individual's home or other residential setting (e.g., due to inclement weather or individual illness) without prior written approval from DMHMRSAS.

b. Noncenter-based day support services must be separate and distinguishable from other services.

6. For the individual job placement model, reimbursement of supported employment will be limited to actual documented interventions or collateral contacts by the provider, not the amount of time the individual is in the supported employment situation.

G. Provider requirements. In addition to meeting the general conditions and requirements for home and community-based participating providers as specified in 12VAC30-120-217 and 12VAC30-120-219, service providers must meet the following requirements:

1. The provider of day support services must be licensed by DMHMRSAS as a provider of day support services. The provider of prevocational services must be a vendor of extended employment services, long-term employment services, or supported employment services for DRS, or be licensed by DMHMRSAS as a provider of day support services.

2. Supported employment shall be provided only by agencies that are DRS vendors of supported employment services;

3. In addition to any licensing requirements, persons providing day support or prevocational services are required to participate in training in the characteristics of mental retardation and appropriate interventions, training strategies, and support methods for persons with mental retardation and functional limitations prior to providing direct services. All providers of services must pass an objective, standardized test of skills, knowledge, and abilities approved by DMHMRSAS and administered according to DMHMRSAS' defined procedures.

4. Required documentation in the individual's record. The provider agency must maintain records of each individual receiving services. At a minimum these records must contain the following:

a. A functional assessment conducted by the provider to evaluate each individual in the service environment and community settings.

b. An ISP that contains, at a minimum, the following elements:

(1) The individual's strengths, desired outcomes, required or desired supports and training needs;

(2) The individual's goals and, a sequence of measurable objectives to meet the above identified outcomes;

(3) Services to be rendered and the frequency of services to accomplish the above goals and objectives;

(4) A timetable for the accomplishment of the individual's goals and objectives as appropriate;

(5) The estimated duration of the individual's needs for services; and

(6) The provider staff responsible for the overall coordination and integration of the services specified in the ISP.

c. Documentation confirming the individual's attendance and amount of time in services, type of services rendered, and specific information regarding the individual's response to various settings and supports as agreed to in the ISP objectives. An attendance log or similar document must be maintained that indicates the date, type of services rendered, and the number of hours and units provided.

d. Documentation indicating whether day support or prevocational services were center-based or noncenter-based.

e. In instances where staff are required to ride with the individual to and from the service in order to provide needed supports as specified in the ISP, the staff time can be billed as day support, prevocational or supported employment services, provided that the billing for this time does not exceed 25% of the total time spent in the day support, prevocational or supported employment activity for that day. Documentation must be maintained to verify that billing for staff coverage during transportation does not exceed 25% of the total time spent in the service for that day.

f. If intensive day support or prevocational services are requested, there shall be documentation indicating the specific supports and the reasons they are needed. For ongoing intensive services, there must be clear documentation of the ongoing needs and associated staff supports.

g. The ISP goals, objectives, and activities must be reviewed by the provider quarterly and annually, or more often as needed and the results of the review submitted to the case manager. For the annual review and in cases where the ISP is modified, the ISP must be reviewed with the individual or family/caregiver.

h. Copy of the most recently completed DMAS-122 form. The provider must clearly document efforts to obtain the completed DMAS-122 form from the case manager.

i. For prevocational or supported employment services, documentation regarding whether prevocational or supported employment services are available through § 110 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). If the individual is not eligible for services through the IDEA, documentation is required only for lack of DRS funding. When services are provided through these sources, the ISP shall not authorize such services as a waiver expenditure.

j. Prevocational services can only be provided when the individual's compensation is less than 50% of the minimum wage.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 24, Issue 06, eff. December 26, 2007; amended, Virginia Register Volume 25, Issue 20, eff. July 9, 2009.

Statutory Authority

§§ 32.1-324 and 32.1-325 of the Code of Virginia.