Broker Resources

Information specific to brokers.

Staff Action Plans

How to create, sign, and submit a Staff Action Plan.

Staff Action Plans

Creating your First Staff Action Plan

Updated 2/13/2024

 

 

Staff Action Plans

Signing your First Staff Action Plan

Updated 2/13/2024


Staff Action Plans

Uploading your Signed Staff Action Plan

Updated 2/13/2024


Staff Action Plans

Staff Action Plan Upload Guide


This document outlines the process for finalizing and signing a Staff Action Plan.
  1. From the Dashboard for a Participant, select the Staff Action Plan tab.
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  2. Click the Draft Plan button. 3ue2.png
  3. Finalize the plan
    1. Select an option for Care Coordination Organization.
    2. Fill in Review Date and Distribution Date.
    3. Click Finalize. 0bY3.png
    4. Add broker signature
      1. Sign or type a signature for Broker Signature
      2. Click Save Signature.HOq4.png
    5. Get Participant Signature:

      There are two options for this: an electronic signature, or print and sign.
      1. Option 1: Electronic Signature
        • If the Participant has login credentials to the portal and are present, they can enter their credentials in the form fields to validate.
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      2. Option 2: Print and Sign
          1. If the participant does not have login credentials to the portal or is not present, select Rather print and sign?
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          2. Click Print & Sign.
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          3. Click Approve.5wV8.png
          4. Click Download PDF to Sign.zW59.png
          5. Print the PDF.
          6. Have the Participant or Advocate sign the printed plan.


    6. Upload the Signed Plan
      1. Scan the singed plan.
      2. From the Current Staff Action Plan page in the portal, click Upload Signed Plan.
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      3. Drag and drop or click to select the scanned document.
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    7. Download Signed Plan
      1. To download the signed plan that was uploaded, click Download Signed Plan.dq912.png
        •  

 

Staff Action Plans

Staff Action Plan Q&A - Acronyms


Acronyms
Staff Action Plans

Staff Action Plan Q&A - The Portal


Brokers will be prompted to change their password upon logging into the new portal. Will participants/designees also have this option?

Is there a place on the portal to view specific budget line breakdowns, for example the fringe rate or amount of staff hours approved?

Do we need to reach out to the SDC to open up the SAPs for editing?

Can we sign into the portal during/after the LP meeting to write the SAP right away?

Staff Action Plans

Staff Action Plan Q&A - Goals


How many goals should an LP/SAP Plan have?


How should I proceed if there are too many VOs? Some LPs have 10 or more.


Does this mean that we can limit the goals on the timesheets?


When it comes to the “type” of PAG, do we need to be concerned about what is billable and what is not?


What is the frequency of the PAG?


What should I do if a PAG is assigned to more than one type of staff, for example CH and SEMP?


Are brokers required to input SEMP and Respite goals? They were automatically generated in the HP.

Is there still specific verbiage required for SEMP?

What service should a respite goal be assigned to?

If a person has FRR in their budget, does this need to be reflected in the SAP?

Staff Action Plans

Staff Action Plan Q&A - SAP Specifics


Who needs a Staff Action Plan?

Do we have to create a new SAP every time a new staff is hired?

The demo SAP from the state including a lot of detailed instruction. Is it okay if the staff action details are a bit shorter?

What should the review and distribution dates be?

Is the verbiage different from the HP to the SAP?

If we have already provided an SAP to ISS, on our own template, do we need to go back and enter it into Harmonix?

The OPWDD SAP template does not require a participant/designee signature. Will ISS’ require this?

Does the SAP need signatures before it is finalized?

If I am the primary contact for the person I broker for, how should I sign?

How do we get the participant/designee signature?

Once they document is signed by all parties, how do we send it to the SDC?

 


Updated 04/21/23.

Staff Action Plans

Staff Action Plan Q&A - Timesheets/MSNs


Will each staff type still have their own timesheet?

How will the information from the SAP translate to the timesheets/MSN?

How will the timesheets and MSNs be generated now?

If a behavior, nursing, or other plan is referenced in the SAP, how will that translate onto the timesheet?

If we haven’t completed an SAP yet, where can we find the current timesheet/MSN?

Staff Action Plans

Staff Action Plan Q&A - Other


Some Life Plans had multiple meetings, were rescheduled, or never written. What should we do in these situations?

When should I receive the Life Plan, and from who?

SAP Timesheets

How to create, edit, view, and submit SAP Timesheets for Support Staff to use.

SAP Timesheets

Unlock and Download your Timesheets


SAP Timesheets

Create SAP (Broker)


Timesheets can only be created for service types that are in a participant’s budget. If an
outcome exists in the Staff Action Plan for a service type not in the budget, the timesheet
will have a status of “Not In Budget” and no action can be taken against it.

If a Respite outcome exists in the Staff Action Plan and Respite is in the budget, the Respite
timesheet will be created automatically and cannot be edited. It will, however, still need to
be approved before it can be used.

  1. To create a timesheet, begin with a finalized and approved Staff Action Plan and
    navigate to the timesheets section.

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  2. Click Create on the timesheet tile you would like to create.
  3. Select the goals/outcomes to be included on the timesheet.
  4. Click Create.

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  5. Expand the attached outcomes to edit the text of the Actions as needed.

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  6. Click Save when done. nwz4.png

  7. To navigate back to all timesheets, click Back to All Timesheets. 

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SAP Timesheets

View SAP


  1. From the timesheets section, click View on the tile of the timesheet you wish to view.

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  2. Click the entries in the Goals section to expand and view the actions associated with each valued outcome.


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  3. Close the card window when done.


SAP Timesheets

Edit SAP (Broker)

 


Only Draft timesheets can be edited. To edit a timesheet, follow the steps below.

  1. From the timesheets section, click Edit on the tile of the timesheet you wish to edit.

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  2. Modify the checkbox selections if necessary to change which goals/outcomes are included on the timesheet.
  3. Click Edit.

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  4. Expand the attached outcomes to edit the text of the Actions as needed.
  5. Click Save when done.
  6. To navigate back to all timesheets, click Back to All Timesheets.

SAP Timesheets

Submit SAP (Broker)


After the broker has finished creating/editing a timesheet, it must be submitted to the SD Coordinator for approval.

  1. From the timehseets section, click Submit on the tile of the timesheet you wish to submit.

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  2. The SD Coordinator will receive an email notification to review the submitted timesheet.
SAP Timesheets

Retract SAP (Broker)


To retract a submitted timesheet, do the following.

  1. From the timesheet section, click Retract on the tile of the timesheet you wish to
    retract.

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  2. The SD Coordinator will receive an email notification that the timesheet has been
    retracted. No action needs to be taken by the SD Coordinator.

You can now edit and/or resubmit the timesheet.

SAP Timesheets

Download SAP


A timesheet can be downloaded anytime after it is created. However, by default, it will be marked with a “Draft” watermark and is not authorized for use. Once a timesheet is approved and has a status of Complete, the watermark is removed and the timesheet is ready to use.

There are three ways to download a timesheet:

Edit Timesheet Page (Draft timesheets only)
  1. From the timesheet section, click Edit on the tile of the timesheet you wish to
    download.
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  2. Click Edit.

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  3. Click Download.
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View Timesheet window (all statuses)
  1. From the timesheet section, click View on the tile of the timesheet you wish to download.

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  2. Click Download Timesheet.
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Download button (Completed timesheets only)
  1. From the timesheet section, click Download.qnc6.png

 

SAP Timesheets

Approve SAP (SD Coordinator)


Approving a timesheet sets the status to Complete and removes the watermark, thus authorizing it for use.

To review a timesheet, refer to the VIEW and DOWNLOAD sections of this guide.

The following set of actions must be performed in Harmonix:

  1. To begin, navigate to the Participant Detail layout of the participant in question and select the Plans tab.
  2. From the timesheet section, click Approve on the tile of the timesheet you wish to approve.
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  3. The broker will receive an email notification that the timesheet has been approved and is ready to use.
SAP Timesheets

Reject SAP (SD Coordinator)


Rejecting a timesheet sets the status back to Draft. The broker can then edit the timesheet, make any necessary changes, and resubmit the timesheet. 

To review a timesheet, refer to the VIEW and DOWNLOAD sections of this guide. 

The following set of actions must be performed in Harmonix:

  1. To begin, navigate to the Participant Detail layout of the participant in question and select the Plans tab.
  2. From the timesheet section, click Reject on the tile of the timesheet you wish to decline. 

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  3. The broker will receive an email notification that the timesheet has been rejected. Contact the SD Coordinator for information on why the timesheet was rejected and what needs to change.
SAP Timesheets

Revoke SAP (SD Coordinator)


Revoking a timesheet changes the status from Complete to Draft, allowing the broker to make changes and resubmit.

The following set of actions must be performed in Harmonix:

  1. To begin, navigate to the Participant Detail layout of the participant in question and select the Plans tab.
  2. From the timesheet section, click Revoke on the tile of the timesheet you wish to revoke.

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  3. The broker will receive an email notification that the timesheet has been revoked. The timesheet is no longer valid to use. Contact the SD Coordinator for information on why the timesheet was revoked. 
SAP Timesheets

Timesheet Statuses


Timesheet Statuses

There are five (5) timesheet statuses:

SAP Timesheets

Outcome Combinations


There are three Service Types (ComHab, Respite and SEMP) and three Outcome Types (Goal, Support and Task), for a total of nine different combinations.

SAP Timesheets

The Five Possible Timesheet Types


There are five (5) timesheet types. Every staff position must be on one of these five:

Hourly Rates

Hourly rates are NOT associated with individual timesheets. Two staff persons can use the same timesheet and be paid at different rates. It is therefore not necessary to have separate timesheets for different rates for the same position.


2See the "ComHab - {Special}" page of this guide for details.

 

 

ComHab - [Default] vs. ComHab - {Special}

ComHab - [Default] (CH) is the most common type of ComHab and for most participants, it is the only type of ComHab in the budget. In some cases, a broker may submit a ComHab position in the budget whose role is functionally different than CH. In these cases, ComHab - {Special} (CHS) is used. See the "ComHab - {Special}" section below for more information on CHS timesheets.

 

Respite Timesheets

For scenarios in which Respite timesheets are allowed (namely, when Respite is in the participant's budget and at least one non-Task outcome has been created for Respite) the Respite timesheet is automatically created and submitted for approval and will therefore have a status of Pending Approval. Respite timesheets cannot be edited.

 

SAP Timesheets

ComHab - {Special}


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What is ComHab - {Special} (CHS)?

While reviewing an approved budget, an SD Coordinator may determine that a functionally different ComHab position was submitted by the broker. In this case, the SD Coordinator will create a job code for “ComHab - {Special}" (CHS). The most common type of CHS is “ComHab - Overnight”. While still ComHab, the job itself is functionally different than ComHab - [Default].


What do I do if I have a CHS timesheet but only need ComHab - [Default]?

If a CHS tile appears, but you believe only ComHab - [Default] is needed, contact the SD Coordinator to adjust the job codes accordingly and remove the CHS timesheet.

 

What do I do if I need to create a CHS timesheet but only have ComHab - [Default]?

If a CHS tile does NOT appear (only ComHab - [Default] appears), but you believe a CHS is needed, contact the SD Coordinator to adjust the job codes accordingly and add a CHS timesheet.

 

What do I do if I need more than one CHS timesheet?

Only one CHS timesheet is allowed. In the event that there are more than one supplementary ComHab positions (ex. “ComHab - [Default]” AND “ComHab - Overnight” AND an additional CHS), create one CHS timesheet and include the outcomes and support actions for both CHS positions on the single timesheet. The Support Staff using the CHS timesheet will record on the timesheet which of the included outcomes and support actions they complete.

 

SAP Timesheets

Outcome Types & Timesheets


When creating or editing a timesheet, only goals/outcomes for the Service Type of the selected timesheet appear. Additionally, outcomes of type "Task" do not appear. Only outcomes of type "Goal" and "Support" can be added to a timesheet.

SAP Timesheets

FAQ


Why isn't the timesheet tile I want showing up?

There are two reasons why a timesheet tile does not show up:

  1. An outcome for that Service Type does not exist in the Staff Action Plan, or
  2. All outcomes for that Service Type in the Staff Action Plan are of type "Task" and tasks cannot be attached to a timesheet.
Why doesn't the Timesheet tab appear? Why is the timesheet button greyed out?

Possible reasons for this are:

Can I have the same outcome on multiple timesheets?

Yes. Any outcome can be on any number of different timesheets.

Broker Meeting Minutes

How to upload and view Broker Meeting Minutes in the portal.

Broker Meeting Minutes

Broker Meeting Minutes Upload Guide


Download PDF

Broker Meeting Minutes

Upload Broker Meeting Minutes (Brokers Only)

 


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  1. From the home page, click Submit Broker Minutes.

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  2. Complete the form. Click Submit when done.
    *Uploaded files must be PDFs.
    *The SD Coordinator will need to approve the uploaded document. Until it is
    approved, it will have a status of “Pending”.

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  3. Close the window when finished

 

Broker Meeting Minutes

View Broker Meeting Minutes


  1. From the home page, select the participant from the list.xO81.png
  2. Select the Documents tab across the top.Eox2.png

  3. Select the Plan Documents tab. Owc4.png
  4. Broker Meeting Minutes are listed under their category heading.
  5. Click Download to download the file.

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Inviting New Brokers to the Portal

Hello Brokers!

Welcome aboard! We are excited to have you with us! Below is information on our Portal. This information will include an explanation of the portal, its use, what you should be doing in the portal, and how to login.

The Portal has three different levels of access to the same data: read only access, approver level access for day to day operational control (such as approval of timesheets and expenses), and setup access for SD Plan setup and adjustments (broker level access).

Each broker will have a dashboard for all the people he or she supports, which shows all the information in one place. This information will include the submitted timesheets for staff, the year to date budget summaries, approved budgets, and a place to complete the Staff Action Plan so that it is uploaded to our system and then can generate timesheets and other documentation.

The Participant or their family will have access to all of the same things as the broker, in addition to being able to sign off on documentation.

We are so excited for you to see this Portal and all that it has to offer. We are confident that it will benefit everyone involved! The Portal will be able to provide information on how much has been spent out on each budget line, as well as how much is remaining. You will be able to access that information whenever you would need to, and it will be more accurate than the year to date reports of the past.

Here's where we need your help:

Verify / Approve Contacts:

In order to assist everyone in the best way possible, we need to verify that the Portal has all the correct contact information. We need you to verify and/or correct the contact information for each of the three main contacts: participant, primary contact, and broker. We are asking for your assistance in making sure we have the correct contact information for each person that you support. Correct email addresses are absolutely crucial to ensure the Portal can function in the best way possible. Once you have acknowledged the accuracy of the participant and primary contact information, we will automatically invite them to the Portal.

Populate Participant Staff Action Plans:

We're providing you with the ability to populate the Staff Actions Plan, both Outcomes and Safeguards, for each participant. Upon completion, we will create and send to you a formatted and complete PDF that you can send to the Care Manager. In addition, we will use this information to create new integrated time and billing sheets for support staff.

How do you log in?

Simply point your browser to: https://portal.issny.org/

If this is your first time logging in, your temporary credentials will be emailed to you.

Please take the time to sign into the Portal and update the contact information. If you have technical issues, please email our Web Support Team (websupport@issny.org) directly.

Thank you so much!


Updated 08/30/21