Guest guest Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Our Service Facilitator informed me yesterday that you have to state the exact number of hours each PSW will work each month (on your service facilitation form). The total number of hours for the PSWs may not exceed your budget. I feel this is unreasonable since it does not allow any flexibility of switching hours from one PSW to another when illness, vacation or other circumstances occurs. Our Service Facilitator says that this is a requirement by Access. I believe this will cause myself and other families to underutilitize the funds that are directed to us. Is anyone else having the same issue as me? Does anyone have any ideas on how we can respond to this? Felice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Felice...here is the deal with this... You can always switch around PSW's throughout the month... PSW A may be scheduled for 30 hours and PSW B may be scheduled for 20 hours...but if B gets sick and you want to give A some of B's hours...that is no problem. The time sheets must balance out though...you have 3x's SSI to spend and therefore if PSW A and B are paid at the same rate, as long as your total hours are what you initially established to balance your budget, you have no further accounting to do...BUT if PSW A works at a higher pay rate (you set the rates) you cannot give PSW A some of PSW B's hours at PSW's usual rate because you will go over budget...You will have to either pay him less for those additional hours or pay PSW A at his/her usual rate but reduce the number of hours you can use him... If all pay rates are equal, you have an easier time switching around but you always have flexibility in terms of which support workers you use throughout the month...you DO NOT have to be inflexible if one is sick or unavailable. I just now got off the phone with a representative from Aces$...this info comes directly from him. Ellen Ellen Garber Bronfeld egskb@... Funding through ACCESS Our Service Facilitator informed me yesterday that you have to state the exact number of hours each PSW will work each month (on your service facilitation form). The total number of hours for the PSWs may not exceed your budget. I feel this is unreasonable since it does not allow any flexibility of switching hours from one PSW to another when illness, vacation or other circumstances occurs. Our Service Facilitator says that this is a requirement by Access. I believe this will cause myself and other families to underutilitize the funds that are directed to us. Is anyone else having the same issue as me? Does anyone have any ideas on how we can respond to this? Felice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 It was my understanding that the hours are an estimate. I told my service facilitator to split them between my two PSW's evenly. I know that one of my PSWs will be over slightly and the other will be under slightly in Jan so we'll have to see if it is an issue. I was also told that we would have to send in a new form each month if the hours change at all which seems very cumbersome and a lot more work than needs to happen. I did create an excel spreadsheet to track my hours and it has calculations in it that track the number of hours I can used based on salary. If I work out the kinks I will attach. I'm still making sure everything is calculating correctly. -- Mar -------------- Original message -------------- From: felice61@... Our Service Facilitator informed me yesterday that you have to state the exact number of hours each PSW will work each month (on your service facilitation form). The total number of hours for the PSWs may not exceed your budget. I feel this is unreasonable since it does not allow any flexibility of switching hours from one PSW to another when illness, vacation or other circumstances occurs. Our Service Facilitator says that this is a requirement by Access. I believe this will cause myself and other families to underutilitize the funds that are directed to us. Is anyone else having the same issue as me? Does anyone have any ideas on how we can respond to this? Felice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 What Ellen is saying is exactly what I was told from the rep with Acess.? Plus I know from experience.? I have had four people signed up as PSW but one quit so I have been able to have the three remaining take the additional hours until I find a replacement and get that person signed up. Jill Re: Funding through ACCESS Felice...here is the deal with this... You can always switch around PSW's throughout the month... PSW A may be scheduled for 30 hours and PSW B may be scheduled for 20 hours...but if B gets sick and you want to give A some of B's hours...that is no problem. The time sheets must balance out though...you have 3x's SSI to spend and therefore if PSW A and B are paid at the same rate, as long as your total hours are what you initially established to balance your budget, you have no further accounting to do...BUT if PSW A works at a higher pay rate (you set the rates) you cannot give PSW A some of PSW B's hours at PSW's usual rate because you will go over budget...You will have to either pay him less for those additional hours or pay PSW A at his/her usual rate but reduce the number of hours you can use him... If all pay rates are equal, you have an easier time switching around but you always have flexibility in terms of which support workers you use throughout the month...you DO NOT have to be inflexible if one is sick or unavailable. I just now got off the phone with a representative from Aces$...this info comes directly from him. Ellen Ellen Garber Bronfeld egskb@... Funding through ACCESS Our Service Facilitator informed me yesterday that you have to state the exact number of hours each PSW will work each month (on your service facilitation form). The total number of hours for the PSWs may not exceed your budget. I feel this is unreasonable since it does not allow any flexibility of switching hours from one PSW to another when illness, vacation or other circumstances occurs. Our Service Facilitator says that this is a requirement by Access. I believe this will cause myself and other families to underutilitize the funds that are directed to us. Is anyone else having the same issue as me? Does anyone have any ideas on how we can respond to this? Felice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 That is so interesting. I have been doing it the way you are talking about since July (using estimates and making sure I keep within the budget). I was told yesterday that it has all changed and the flexibility is gone (by my service faciliatator, not access). I am not the only one who was told about the " new " way. I am going to call access directly right now. Maybe the service faciliatator has given me incorrect information. --------- Funding through ACCESS Our Service Facilitator informed me yesterday that you have to state the exact number of hours each PSW will work each month (on your service facilitation form). The total number of hours for the PSWs may not exceed your budget. I feel this is unreasonable since it does not allow any flexibility of switching hours from one PSW to another when illness, vacation or other circumstances occurs. Our Service Facilitator says that this is a requirement by Access. I believe this will cause myself and other families to underutilitize the funds that are directed to us. Is anyone else having the same issue as me? Does anyone have any ideas on how we can respond to this? Felice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 I have been doing it the way Ellen suggested until now but I too was told yesterday that they must now have exact numbers for each psw. I told them it was ridiculous and they just responded that Acces now requires that. I will refuse to do so since clearly it limits our flexiblity and I do not understand why Access is legislating how our funds will be distributed. My understanding is they work for us and the state so I don't think they can just limit of ability to collect our funds. . I plan on taking it up with Clearbrook further and anyone else you can suggest. I would encourage others to also complain and refuse to abide by this absurd new rules. felice61@... wrote: That is so interesting. I have been doing it the way you are talking about since July (using estimates and making sure I keep within the budget). I was told yesterday that it has all changed and the flexibility is gone (by my service faciliatator, not access). I am not the only one who was told about the " new " way. I am going to call access directly right now. Maybe the service faciliatator has given me incorrect information. --------- Funding through ACCESS Our Service Facilitator informed me yesterday that you have to state the exact number of hours each PSW will work each month (on your service facilitation form). The total number of hours for the PSWs may not exceed your budget. I feel this is unreasonable since it does not allow any flexibility of switching hours from one PSW to another when illness, vacation or other circumstances occurs. Our Service Facilitator says that this is a requirement by Access. I believe this will cause myself and other families to underutilitize the funds that are directed to us. Is anyone else having the same issue as me? Does anyone have any ideas on how we can respond to this? Felice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Way to go Leah!!! This is something that we should all complain about...to our state legislators as well...if the system isn't working they need to know. Ellen Ellen Garber Bronfeld egskb@... Funding through ACCESS Our Service Facilitator informed me yesterday that you have to state the exact number of hours each PSW will work each month (on your service facilitation form). The total number of hours for the PSWs may not exceed your budget. I feel this is unreasonable since it does not allow any flexibility of switching hours from one PSW to another when illness, vacation or other circumstances occurs. Our Service Facilitator says that this is a requirement by Access. I believe this will cause myself and other families to underutilitize the funds that are directed to us. Is anyone else having the same issue as me? Does anyone have any ideas on how we can respond to this? Felice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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