Transcript CDSS Policy: Your Questions Answered - THP-Plus

Almost Everything You Ever Wanted to Know:
Clarification and Answers to CDSS Policy Questions
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Legislature passes law
Law is incorporated into Statutes (Welfare and
Institution’s Code) based on subject areas.
The CDSS has adopted regulations in the form of
the Manual of Policies and Procedures (MPP) that
provides program rules based upon the Governing
Statutes
MPP’s are governing laws that are written in a
way that is easy to read and understand. The
MPP is reviewed by Departmental Legal and
regulatory staff, and is subject to public hearings.
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THP-Plus Statutes found in W&I Code 11403.2
and portions of 16522-16522.6 that are
applicable.
 MPP Sections 30-913 to 30-920.
 TILP regulations found in MPP 31-236.
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W&I Code 11400 Definitions
 W&I Code 11401 – 11401.6 Aid Payment
Eligibility
 W&I Code 11402 Eligible Facility
 MPP 45-101 Definitions
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The CDSS, with input from the California Welfare
Director’s Association, and the John Burton
Foundation has produced a Question and Answer All
County Letter to address the most frequently asked
questions received from counties and their providers.
Additional questions have been forwarded to the
CDSS and will be discussed in this presentation.
Any other questions may be asked during this
presentation.
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The CDSS Manual of Policies and Procedures (MPP) 30-915 states
that a county will submit a plan to the CDSS for approval that
includes a description of the oversight, evaluation and monitoring
processes of their Provider’s program, and how it will certify a
provider’s program plan which is a program requirement. Other
plan requirements include: projected caseloads, estimated budget, a
plan for providing reports.
MPP 30-920 also lists the minimum services a Provider must
provide in order to be certified.
MPP 30-920 also requires counties to get a local fire clearance if
required by fire code for homes where a THP-Plus participant will
reside.
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The CDSS has given counties the option to act as their own
providers. However, there has been no formal instruction
provided concerning how a county would develop a THP-Plus
program. The following are suggested processes counties could
follow who plan to act as their own providers:
1. A County should develop an average rate it will pay for each
youth participating. This rate should be less or equal to the
maximum rate counties have been approved for by the CDSS for
the THP-Plus (70 percent of the average group home rate within
the county).
2. The rate consists of both administrative and room and board
costs required for the average participant. A simple Budget
Worksheet can be found at www.thpplus.org website, listed
under templates. It can be used to develop the rate a county will
pay per participant. This Budget Worksheet can also be used to
develop the Estimate a county submits to the CDSS each year.
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Counties should develop a provider plan and may use the
provider plan template found at the thpplus.org website
listed under Templates
The CDSS approves county plans for THP-Plus. If a
county acts as it’s own provider, it would submit a
provider plan to CDSS, who would certify the county’s
THP-Plus program assuming it meets all program
requirements.
Counties would be required to ensure that the
apartment/host family units where THP-Plus participants
are residing meet the local fire clearance codes and
should have the fire clearance available for review by the
CDSS.
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The THP-Plus appropriation is provided yearly in the
Governor’s Budget and goes away on June 30th.
The CDSS develops the THP-Plus Allocation based on
the final Governor’s Budget.
The Allocation is reviewed by the CWDA and, after
negotiation, a final budget is developed.
Counties have various internal processes that they must
follow, including approval by their Boards of
Supervisors, before they can implement their THP-Plus
programs. These can be lengthy processes that eat up
the time the program could be in operation.
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The CDSS surveyed counties in April for the last two
years to find out which counties were overspending,
under spending or would spend all funds.
Funds were moved from under spending to over
spending counties to ensure that all funds were spent.
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The CDSS reimburses counties for the money
they have expended for THP-Plus. The
County’s THP-Plus Budget should only be an
estimate and can change if the yearly
allocation is more/less than anticipated.
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Counties have the ability to submit claims for
reimbursement up to 18 months from the time
the costs were incurred. However, If the claims
are submitted after the beginning of the current
fiscal year (example: 09/10), the reimbursement
will come out of the current year’s allocation, not
the previous year’s allocation.
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The CDSS Assistance Claim is called a cash-based
claim. A County must first pay a provider with county
funds to be able to claim for reimbursement from the
CDSS. A county must follow its own rules for
reimbursement to providers pending a final allocation
from the CDSS each year.
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Provide positive program outcomes that shows the
Legislature and the Governor that the program works.
Make sure that providers invoice timely so that the
county can pay the invoice and be reimbursed by the
CDSS. This reduces the appropriation.
County staff have the same prohibitions as State staff
in lobbying issues. However, providers and THP-Plus
advocacy groups have the ability to lobby the
Legislature about the program.
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OTHER QUESTIONS
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THE END
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