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POLICY 1000 – FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1000.01 Purpose

1000.02 Philosophy

1000.03 Procedures Applicable to the Family

1000.04  Responsibilities of the County Board

1000.01        PURPOSE

This policy establishes guidelines for the implementation of a Family Support Services Program (F.S.S.P.) for the Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCBDD). These guidelines are written in compliance with Section 5126.11 of the Ohio Revised Code. Compliance with change in applicable rules and laws shall supersede written policies until such time that the policy can be amended to reflect necessary changes.

A.   Principle – A Family Support Services Program assists a family who keeps at home a family member with developmental disabilities. The program promotes the unity of the family by assisting it to meet the special needs of the individual with developmental disabilities. It also assists the individual to maximize self-sufficiency and prevent inappropriate institutionalization. The objectives of the Family Support Services Program are:

1. To enable individuals with developmental disabilities to return to their families from an institution under the jurisdictionof the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities;

2. To enable individuals found to be subject to institutionalization by court order under Section 5123.76 of the Ohio Revised Code to remain with their families with the aid of reimbursable services;

3.  To provide reimbursable services to families of eligible minors and adults living at home who may or may not be currently receiving services from the County Board.

4.  To further the unity of the family by enabling the family to meet the special needs of the individual and to live as much like other families as possible. 

B.   Applicability – This policy does not apply to services that are funded under the state Medicaid plan as home and community-based waiver services.

1000.02        PHILOSOPHY

A.  All individuals with developmental disabilities have a right to live in a stable home, enjoy membership in a family, have access to the array and quantity of supports needed to enable them to participate in the life of their communities to the degree they choose, and experience enduring relationships with brothers, sisters, other family members, and friends committed to their welfare.

B.  Reimbursable services and supports through the Family Support Services Program shall be tailored to the unique needs of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families and shall be defined in accordance with Section 5126.11 of the Ohio Revised Code.

  • Family Support Servicesshould:
  • Seek and nurture partnerships between family members, other supportive people, and the professionals who serve both these individuals and their families;
  • Build on the unique strengths and characteristics of each family;
  • Utilize the resources in each family’s social network and home community; and
  • Respect the beliefs, values and structures of each family.

1000.03        PROCEDURES APPLICABLE TO THE FAMILY

  1. FAMILY ELIGIBILITY

“Family” means parent(s), brother(s), sister(s), spouse, son(s), daughter(s), grandparent(s), aunt(s), uncle(s), cousin(s), or guardian(s) of the individual with developmental disabilities and includes the individual with developmental disabilities. “Family” also means person(s) acting in a role similar to those specified in this paragraph even though no legal or blood relationship exists, if the individual with developmental disabilities lives with the person(s) and is dependent on the personto the extent that if the supports were withdrawn another living arrangement would have to be found. The person(s) shall verify the relationship by signature.

  1. Planned Service. A family shall be eligible for reimbursement of Family Support Services if:
  2. They are residents of Clermont County.
  3. It includes a family member who resides at home and has been determined eligible for the County Board according to Section 5126.01 of the Ohio Revised Code.
  4. Emergency Service. The following families shall be considered eligible for reimbursement according to the County Board Policy on emergencies in accordance with Section 5126.042 of the Ohio Revised Code.
  5. A family that includes an individual living at home who is eligible for the County Board according to Section 5126.01 of the Ohio Revised Code; and
  6. Other families that include an individual living at home with a developmental disability who is not receiving services from the County Board, but is determined by the Superintendent or Designee of the County Board as eligible for Family Support Services.
  7. All individuals certified by the Superintendent of the County Board as eligible for temporary emergency respite care shall be considered eligible for temporary emergency respite care for not more than five days to permit the determination of eligibility for family support services.
  8. If resources are not available, the County Board/Designee shall place the family on a waiting list for Family Support Services in accordance with 5126.042 of the Ohio Revised Code.
  9. FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES REIMBURSABLE SERVICES

Services that are reimbursable under the Family Support Service Program are:

  1. Respite Care in or out of the home; “Respite Care” means appropriate, short-term, temporary care that is provided to a person with developmental disabilities to sustain the family structure or to meet planned emergency needs of the Family. 
  2. Counseling, supervision, training and education of the individual, the individual’s caregivers and members of the individual’s family that aid the family in providing proper care for the individual, provide for the special needs of the family, and assist in all aspects of the individual’s daily living;
  3. Special Diets, purchase or lease of special equipment, or modifications of the home, if such diets, equipment, or modifications are necessary to improve or facilitate the care and living environment of the individual;
  4. Providing support necessary for the individual’s continued skill development, including such services as development of interventions to cope with unique problems that may occur within the complexity of the family, enrollment of the individual in special summer programs, provision of appropriate leisure activities, and other social skills development activities, including licensed day care and camps;
  5. Reimbursement for transportation for individuals age eighteen and older for employment, volunteering, and community integration.
  6. Any other services that are consistent with the purposes specified in paragraph 1000.01 (A) of this Policy.

C.   OBTAINING SERVICES

1.  The request for services shall be initiated by a family. The family’s request for Family Support Services shall be honored if funds and services are available and if the requirements of Section 5126.11 of the Ohio Revised Code are met.

(a) Family Support Services may be provided in a county other that the one in which the reimbursing County Board is located.  The reimbursing County Board is responsible for determining that Providers meet the requirements referenced in 5126.11 of the Ohio Revised Code.

(b) Family Support Services may be provided by agencies or persons other than the County Board including, but not limited to, generic agencies or service Providers in the community.

(c) The County Board may contract with another agency to administer all or a portion of the Family Support Services Program.  The County Board shall ensure that any contract agency administering Family Support Services adheres to the statues and Board Policy governing the program.

2.  The family may request a list of certified respite care providers from the County Board/Designee before deciding on a provider or the family may recommend a provider to the County Board/Designee.

3.  To be assured of reimbursement, the family shall obtain the estimated cost and prior approval of the expenditure from the County Board/Designee before agreeing to services.

4.  The County Board/Designee shall respond to an eligible family’s request for reimbursement within seven working days after receiving the request. The request shall be reviewed based only on the following criteria:

  • The family is eligible according to Section 1000.03, Paragraph (A) Family Eligibility section.
  • Funds are available according to the County Board’s plan and administrative procedures which include guidelines on expenditures developed by the County Board; and
  • The requested service is directly related to improving the living environment or facilitating the care of the individual who has a developmental disability; and
  • Compliance with the requirements of Section 5126.11 of the Ohio Revised Code.

5.  Reimbursement/payment for services shall be made by the County Board/Designee using one of the following procedures:

  • Upon approval of the request for Family Support Services, the County Board/Designee shall give the family a voucher in the amount of the approved service provider payment. The family shall present the voucher and the family’s share of the cost of the service to the provider when the service has been received or at such time as mutually agreed. The provider shall redeem the voucher through the County Board/Designee. The County Board/Designee shall redeem the voucher within forty-five days after the provider submits it: or
  • Upon approval of the request for Family Support Services, the County Board/Designee shall give the family a voucher for the amount of approved reimbursement. The family shall present a receipt for approved incurred cost to the County Board/Designee. The County Board/Designee shall reimburse the family within forty-five days after the family submits the receipt: or

(c) The County Board may develop a reimbursement/ service provider payment system that meets County Auditor requirements and is responsive to family needs.

6.  At the time of the initial application, the Family Support Services Coordinator shall inform the family of their informal complaint resolution and due process rights under Rule 5123-4-04 of the Ohio Administrative Code. This information shall be presented in the native language of the family or other mode of communication used by the family unless it is clearly not feasible.

D.   REIMBURSEMENT

  1. Maximum Annual Reimbursement

The maximum annual reimbursement is allotted for each eligible individual with developmental disability and shall be determined through the Family Support Services component of the County Board’s Annual Budget. The plan shall allow for flexibility in tailoring the level of reimbursement to the unique needs of the individual and their respective family/families. Individuals are allotted funding limits annually depending on: 1) the funding received by the County Board for the given calendar year for Family Support Services and 2) the number of families signed up for the program. Special considerations are given to families with more than one eligible family member with developmental disabilities. Each year until funds are exhausted, an Individual age six (6) and older is eligible for Family Support Services. 

  • Family Reimbursement

The total reimbursements paid to an individual with developmental disability and their family/families shall not exceed the maximum annual reimbursement for the eligible individual.  When an eligible adult individual with developmental disability splits time between family members’ households, or an eligible minor with developmental disability is subject to a shared custody agreement or court order, the maximum annual reimbursement shall be split evenly between the family members’ households.

E.   ESTABLISHING FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM REIMBURSEMENT AS LAST DOLLAR RESOURCE

  1. The Family Support Services Program Coordinator shall work with families to determine any other financial resources available to them which would reimburse either in part or in whole for requested services and shall assist the family to contact those resources.
  2. In no case shall funds allocated for Family Support Services Program be used to take the place of other financial resources available to the family.
  3. Individuals who are enrolled on a home and community-based services waiver (Level 1, Individual Options or Self-Empowered Life Funding) are not eligible to receive Family Support Services funding.

1000.04        RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COUNTY BOARD 

  1. The County Board shall consider the following objectives in establishing procedures for carrying out a family support services program:
  2. Enabling individuals to return to their families from an institution under the jurisdiction of the Department of Developmental Disabilities;
  3. Enabling individuals found to be subject to institutionalization by court order under section 5123.71 of the Ohio Revised code to remain with their families with the aid of payments provided under this section;
  4. Providing services to eligible children and adults currently residing in the community;
  5. Providing services to individuals with developmental disabilities who are not receiving other services from the Board.
  6. If the County Board refuses to approve a service, an appeal may be made in accordance with Board Policy 200.
  7. The Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities may contract with another organization for all administrative services necessary to operate the Family Support Services Program.
  8. The County Board of DD shall monitor administration of the Family Support Services Program in a manner set forth in the contract between the Board and the organization referenced in this policy as designee.
  9. Table of Organization is as follows:

Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities

Clermont County Board of DD Superintendent

Family Support Services Coordinator/Southwestern Ohio Council of Government (Designee)