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STATE OF NEVADA SERVICE
SPECIFICATIONS REPRESENTATIVE PAYEE SERVICE Any
exception to these Service Specifications must be requested in advance in
writing and approved by the Administrator. SERVICE DEFINITION: This service provides money management and supportive
community case management for seniors, age 60 and over, who are unable to
receive and manage their own funds and have no other suitable person to act on
their behalf. Services include managing the monthly income of qualifying seniors
who need assistance in paying bills and maintaining a personal budget based on
comprehensive client assessment and regular monitoring of his or her status,
plus case coordination with case managers from other agencies. SERVICE CATEGORIES AND UNIT MEASURES: Representative payee services provided by a social worker,
including client assessment, development of service plans, and coordination of
services with other agencies. One unit equals one hour of representative payee service on behalf of a
client. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: A.
Grantees must have authority to handle funds from
benefit sources and comply with all representative payee regulations for those
sources. These sources include, but are not limited to, the Social Security
Administration, Veterans’ Administration, and private pension plans. All
property is to remain in the client’s name. Upon discovery of undisclosed
assets, such as stocks and bonds, reassessment will be made at that time for
continued program eligibility. SPECIFICATIONS: 1.
Required Services: 1.1
Prior to accepting a client for services, an effort will be made to
locate family or friends who are willing and able to serve as payee. The program
will accept clients only in the following circumstances: 1.1.a
No family or appropriate friends willing and able to assist client. 1.1.b
Family/friends have exploited or abused client. 1.2
Management of client income sources will be limited to benefit sources
such as Social Security Administration, Veterans’ Administration, and private
pension plans. 1.3
Services will be provided to clients residing in the community. Residents
of group care facilities will only be served when the program determines that
alternative payees are unavailable or inappropriate. 2.
Service Prohibitions: 2.1
The program is under no obligation to serve clients with violent,
abusive, or erratic behavior. 2.2
Staff shall not transport clients. 2.3
Staff shall not authorize medical care decisions or make personal
decisions on behalf of the client. 3.
Assessment: 3.1
Program staff is required to perform an in-home assessment to determine
whether the client is suitable for service. The in-home assessment must be
completed within 10 working days of referral unless a waiting list is in effect.
In-home assessment documentation must include: 3.1.a
Living situation:
who lives with client, what is the relationship; 3.1.b
Relatives:
name, relationship, address, phone number; 3.1.c
Other agencies
involved in the case: name of
agency, contact person, phone number; 3.1.d
Condition leading
to referral to Representative Payee service and source of referral; 3.1.e
Description of
income sources and amounts; 3.1.f
Description of expenses and amounts; 3.1.g
Client written
consent to participate in the service; and 3.1.h
Other services
the client may need and referral documentation. 3.2
A service plan is to be established with client participation and a copy
of the completed plan is to be provided to the client. The service plan must
include: 3.2.a
A monthly budget
which identifies income, expenses, and amount of money available for personal
use by the client; 3.2.b
How often
personal funds will be distributed to the client; 3.2.c
A statement
advising the client of their rights under the representative payee program;
and 3.2.d
Client and agency
representative signatures. 3.3
Whenever there is a significant change in the client’s monthly budget,
a new service plan will be developed and a copy will be provided to the
client. 4.
Operating Procedures: 4.1
A waiting list is to be established only after all measures for improving
the efficiency of the service delivery system have been examined and, when
feasible, implemented. Grantees are required to establish a waiting list policy
that will be activated in the event that demand for service exceeds the
program's capacity. Waiting list documentation must include at a minimum: 4.1.a
Client’s name,
address, and telephone number; 4.1.b
Date the client
was placed on the waiting list; and 4.1.c
Description of
each client’s need for service. Clients
with the greatest needs are to receive priority consideration. The program must
establish a procedure for updating the continued service needs of clients placed
on the waiting list. 4.2
Program staff will develop and maintain a financial internal control
system to accurately manage the income and expenses of each client. Components
of this system will include: notifying
income sources and payers of the payee agreement, tracking deposits and debits,
ensuring payments are made on time, disbursing personal money to clients in
accordance with the established service plan, and a reconciliation report is
provided to the client on at least a quarterly basis. 4.3
For the protection of durable property purchased for the client by the
payee, property such as televisions, stereos, or appliances will be engraved or
otherwise permanently marked with the client's last name and the last four
digits of their Social Security Number. 4.4
At a minimum, staff assigned to serve as representative payee caseworkers
will contact the client monthly by phone or in-person and document the following
in the case record: 4.4.a
Verify that the
client is receiving personal expense money; 4.4.b
Check on the
status of the client; 4.4.c
Assess need for
continued representative payee services and determine whether less restrictive 4.4.d
Determine whether
an adjustment in the client’s monthly budget is needed. 5.
Special Compliance Requirements: 5.1
The representative payee agency must have sufficient liability coverage
to protect the client assets it manages. 5.2
The representative payee agency must be bonded. 5.3
A background check must be completed on all representative payee
caseworkers every two years. 6.
Quality Improvement: 6.1 Conduct at least one quality assurance review annually. The review must evaluate the quality of service provided by the program and the adequacy of documentation. The results of the review must document any program deficiencies and contain a correction plan.
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