eTime FAQ

List of answers to frequently asked questions about eTime

Am I eTime Ready?

 

Participants, staff, and jobs that are not eTime ready are indicated as such throughout the portal. Jobs that are NOT eTime ready are correlated with a Staff Action Plan and/or Timesheets that are not yet completed (“Timesheets” here refers to the list of activities made available for a job, which are filled out ).

If you are a support staff, you will still be able to submit time for a job that is not eTime Ready ONLY if a previous Staff Action Plan exists in which the job was eTime Ready.

If you are a circle approver, you should work with your support broker to ensure these issues are resolved a quickly as possible.

If you are a support broker, you should work work with your circle contacts to ensure these issues are resolved as quickly as possible. The action(s) required to make the job eTime Ready is listed on the participant dashboard.

Time for jobs which are not eTime ready will have to be submitted via paper.

Can staff still upload a scan of a paper timesheet using the Timesheet Upload feature?

 

No.

The Timesheet Upload feature will no longer be available as of Friday, June 19, 2020.

Can I still submit paper timesheets by mail?

 

Yes. For the time being, paper timesheets submitted by mail are still accepted.

Will there be training for eTime?

 

A scheduled training session has not been planned for eTime. Rather, documentation, videos, and inline help has been provided throughout the eTime interface.

What is the difference between eTime Entry and eTime Live?

 

eTime Entry is the manual entry of each shift. 

eTime Live provides a more app-like interface, allowing you to “punch” in and out rather than manually typing in dates and times. eTime Live allows you to record your time directly in the portal, in real time.

As of midnight 12/6/2020 you must use eTime Live and punch in and out for each shift's start and end. eTime Entry will no longer be an option for dates 12/7 and beyond except for PTO. Learn more»

Will my personal data be secure in eTime?

 

Yes; your connection to eTime and the rest of the portal uses the https protocol, which encrypts the connection between you and the portal. The data you enter into the portal is stored securely and encrypted.

Will eTime run in the background and drain my battery?

 

No. eTime Entry and eTime Live are both modern portal based websites that you will access via your desktop or mobile browser. Nothing about eTime Entry or eTime Live will be actively accessing your device when not in use. If you remain concerned about battery drain, you may close the browser and log back in later.

How do I access eTime?

 

Go to portal.issny.org to login. After logging in, there are buttons to start an eTime line shift and to view all time.

Do I need to request access to eTime?

 

No. Your existing portal login is adequate. If you are support staff, then you will automatically have access to eTime for use with your active jobs. If you are a primary contact, participant, or circle approver, you will automatically have access to approve shifts via your login.

How can I set up a portal account for me or someone else?

 

Please send an email to websupport@issny.org with your name, email, phone number and role. Someone will get back to you promptly.

I’m having trouble logging in. Help.

 

If you’ve forgotten your password, click the Forgot your password link on the login page (https://portal.issny.org/forgot.php) to reset it.
If you’ve forgotten your login email, contact ISS at websupport@issny.org.

Who can enter and submit time?

 

Support staff must enter and submit their own time. You cannot submit time on behalf of someone else. The electronic signature on the time is linked directly to the currently logged in portal user. This provides security to the staff, the circle, and ISS, as well as helping to prevent fraud.

Can I enter eTime shifts for my staff?

 

No. Support staff must enter and submit their own time. You cannot submit time on behalf of someone else. The electronic signature on the shift is linked directly to the portal user that is currently logged in. This provides security to the staff, the circle, and ISS, as well as helping to prevent fraud.

What kinds of staff/services can submit time with eTime?

 

Currently, the only services/jobs supported by eTime are ComHab, SEMP (Job Coach and Job Developer), and Respite. Brokerage, IDGS Paid Neighbor, and IDGS Staffing Support are currently not supported by eTime.

How often do I need to record my time with eTime?

 

If using eTime Live, you should be recording your time as you work.

If instead you record your time manually with eTime Entry, you should record your time as close to the time of service as possible.

As of midnight 12/6/2020 you must use eTime Live and punch in and out for each shift's start and end. eTime Entry will no longer be an option for dates 12/7 and beyond except for PTO. Learn more»

I’m not sure which method to choose. What’s the difference?

 

See Method Options for information about each method and when to use each.

I’m performing Virtual Face to Face support. What technologies may I use for service delivery?

 

eTime will include a list of all known acceptable technologies. If your technology is not included in that list, please contact your SDC to make sure the method of delivery is acceptable. If the SDC agrees that the method is acceptable, you may use the Other selection and describe the method. We will periodically add additional newly acceptable technologies to the drop-down list.

How do I submit/enter Time Off/PTO?

Please refer to the page Requesting/Submitting Time Off.

Can I save a shift and come back to finish it later?

Yes. You can save a shift as a draft and return to it later.

To return to it later, staff can click "My Work" in the main menu and they can find it under the "Shifts" Tab.


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Disclaimer: All names displayed in the above screen shots are fictional characters. No identification with actual persons (living or dead) is intended or should be inferred.

Can I make changes to a shift?

Support staff can make changes to a shift if it is a Draft, or if it has been returned to the staff by the circle or ISS for corrections. A shift cannot be edited after it has been submitted to the circle unless the circle rejects it, which returns it to the staff for corrections.

 

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Disclaimer: All names displayed in the above screen shots are fictional characters. No identification with actual persons (living or dead) is intended or should be inferred.









What do I do if one of my staff is unable to enter his/her time into eTime?

 

If the staff is unable to enter their time for some reason, For the time being, they can still record and submit time via a paper timesheet and mail it to ISS.

How do I enter my time if I’m working overnight?

 

If you are working a time frame spanning multiple days, as most notably happens when delivering Respite services overnight, there are two options:

As of midnight 12/6/2020 you must use eTime Live and punch in and out for each shift's start and end. eTime Entry will no longer be an option for dates 12/7 and beyond except for PTO. Learn more»

Who can review and approve time?

 

Both the participant and the primary contact can review and approve time. In addition, any contact associated with the participant and identified as a “web approver” is able to review and approve time. If you would like to add an additional approver, please contact your SD Coordinator.

How do I know if I have time to review? (Participant & Circle)

 

You will receive an email notification when a new shifts are ready for review. Job periods with shifts pending review will also appear in a list on your portal home page.

How do I know if I have time to correct? (Support Staff)

 

You will receive an email notification when a shift has been returned for corrections. Job periods with shifts requiring action will also appear in a list on your portal home page.

I’m support staff. Can I just hand my device to a circle member for approval?

 

No. In order to meet Medicaid billing requirements, we are capturing separate electronic signatures from both the support staff when submitting, and the circle when approving. These electronic signatures are linked to your respective portal logins. Support staff will not be able to access the Approval screen.

What do I do if the Circle is unable to review my eTime shifts?

If, for some reason, the circle is unable to log in to the portal to review and approve the shifts you submitted, you can print off the job period as a paper timesheet, acquire a physical signature from the circle, and mail it in. In submission of this paper timesheet to the ISS Payroll Department, a statement signed by the supervisor must be included as to why the electronic approval could not be completed.

While viewing the job period, click the Download PDF button to print out a copy of the eTime shifts as a paper timesheet.

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Disclaimer: All names displayed in the above screen shots are fictional characters. No identification with actual persons (living or dead) is intended or should be inferred.

Updated 07/24/23.

How can I view my previously worked shifts? (Support staff)

You can view all of your previous time under the "My Work" section in the main menu and use the provided filters to narrow your search. You can also use the "My Work" section to view a list of checks, expenses, and timesheets.

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From the My Work page, select the filter and select the desired status. Picking any option other than "Draft" and "Returned," will display shifts that have been previously worked.

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Disclaimer: All names displayed in the above screen shots are fictional characters. No identification with actual persons (living or dead) is intended or should be inferred.

Updated 07/24/23.

How can I view my staff’s previous time? (Participant and Circle)

There are three ways for the circle to view a support staff's time.

  1. Through the My Staff Work page.
  2. Through the Budget Summary/Budget Drill-Down.
    • This only shows paid time.
  3. Through the Participant Staff Dashboard.
    • From the home page, select a participant, then select the Staff tab across the top, then select a staff person. Timesheets for each job can be found in the bottom section of the screen.
    • This only shows paid time.

Updated 07/24/23.

How can I get copies of eTime/time for my records?

 

Shifts will always be available on the portal. However, you can download a copy of the shifts in a job period for your own records. When viewing a single job period, click the Download button.

Can I upload mileage reimbursement via eTime?

 

Not at this time. This is a future feature. We’ll update you with further details once this feature is available.

When do my shifts need to be submitted and approved to get paid?

The submission deadlines for payment of eTime for each pay period are as follows:

Submitted to circle by 11:59 PM on the Monday after the pay period ends
Approved by circle by 11:59 PM on the Wednesday after the pay period ends
Final deadline for approval is 12:00 PM on the Friday after the pay period ends

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Can I delete a shift?

Yes. See Deleting a Shift for more information.

Should I use Entry or Live?

It is strongly recommended that support staff use eTime Live instead of eTime Entry.

As of midnight 12/6/2020 you must use eTime Live and punch in and out for each shift's start and end. eTime Entry will no longer be an option for dates 12/7 and beyond except for PTO. Learn more»

How do I know that I have been paid? (Support Staff)

To see when and where a shift was paid, click the menu in the top right hand corner and select My Payment History.

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Once clicked, you will be taken to a page displaying all of the shifts that have been paid. To view more details about a check, click on the line containing the check and more details will be displayed. page.png

Updated 07/24/23.

How is my data stored and transported?

Your data is both transmitted and stored using commercial grade encryption. ISS complies with all PHI and PII expectations as a Medicaid biller and as a HIPAA covered entity.

How is my location data used?

The support staff's location data is recorded and used to verify their location at the participant's home when selecting Home during a shift. Only the word "HOME" is sent to the New York State Department of Health EVV API. Your specific location information is not passed on to any outside entities or government agencies.

What if I forget to clock in or clock out?

When a mistake is made by forgetting to start or end a shift, take note of when you actually should have started or ended your shift, and then perform that action as soon as you can. In other words, start your shift as soon as you remember, or end your shift as soon as you remember.

Once you have completed your shift, you will need to request an adjustment to the start time or end time, depending on which action your forgot. It’s also possible that the location captured at your delayed start or end of shift is inconsistent with the location where you really started or ended the shift. For instance, if you remember to end your shift after you get home, the location may need to be corrected. If that is the case, request an adjustment to the starting or ending location as necessary.

See the user story "I Forgot to Clock In/Clock Out" and "Making an Adjustment: Forgot to Clock Out."

What if my time isn't approved by the submission deadline?

Any shifts not approved by the circle approver by the submission deadline will be pushed to be paid the following pay period.

Will the family be notified of my location when they approve my time?

The circle approver will see either the word Home or Community for the start location and for the end location. They will also see if the support staff has requested to override the Home/Community determination made by eTime. The circle approver will not, however, see any location data more specific than Home or Community.

See the user stories "Making an Adjustment".

With whom else will my location information be shared?

The New York State Department of Health EVV API will receive the word Home or Community for the start and end of each verified, billable shift.

ISS may review EVV location override requests to improve our eTime location determinations.

How do I fix incorrectly submitted time?

If a support staff incorrectly submits time, the circle approver should return the shift to the support staff for corrections.

See the user story "Making an Adjustment: Forgot to Clock Out".

If the circle approver approves a shift and later realizes this was a mistake, they should contact the ISS Payroll Department as soon as possible.

Can I (support staff) assist the participant in approving my time?

No.

What if the circle approver doesn’t have a device with which to approve time?

Please contact your participant’s SD Coordinator to explore options that may be available.

What if I accidentally clock in? Can I delete a shift?

Yes. Support staff can still delete a shift. Just make sure that you are deleting a legitimately false shift, as there is no way to go back and capture that time and location after it occurs.

If you accidentally clock in, simply end the shift and then delete it. See the link above for more information.

What if I (circle approver) don’t agree with time or location information collected and determined by EVV?

As the staff supervisor, the circle approver bears the responsibility of validating all aspects of the shift. If something looks wrong with the start or end time, or the start or end location, the approver should return the shift to staff with a note about the suspected error. The staff can then make a correction and re-submit the shift for review.

What if I (support staff) don’t agree with time or location information collected and determined by EVV?

 If you do not agree with the time or location collected or determined by eTime, you can request an EVV Override for start time, end time, start location, and/or end location.

See the user stories "Making an Adjustment."

How do PTO, FAPTO, holidays, and other types of Time Off work with EVV?

EVV has no effect on the various types of Time Off. Since Time Off is not directly billed to Medicaid, it does not need to be electronically verified.

How does Non Face to Face work with EVV?

A Non Face to Face shift is not EVV Required and staff do not specify a location for the shift. There is therefore no need to verify a location, and consequently, the staff's location is not requested or used at any point.

What happens if I don’t allow location services?

If support staff do not allow location services while using eTime Live, their shifts will not be EVV Verified, and will therefore not be billable to Medicaid. Continuous unverified shifts will be a cause for ISS intervention, as ISS may not be able to bill for those shifts.

See Location Services Help for more information.

What if an approver submits a mistake?

If, after approving a shift for payment, the approver realizes that a mistake has been made, they should contact the ISS Payroll Department. If the shift has not yet been paid, the Payroll Department may be able to send the shift back to staff for correction. If it has been paid, then Payroll will evaluate the necessity of an internal correction and proceed accordingly.

Is Virtual Face to Face EVV Required?

Virtual Face to Face is EVV Required for ComHab jobs. However, unlike In Person Face to Face, eTime will not ask for the start and end location of the shift. Instead, the location specified for Participant Location within the Virtual Details will be used as the start and end location for the shift. Additionally, if Home is selected for Participant Location, eTime will NOT request or use the support staff's geolocation to verify the location.