Participant and Circle Resources

Information about portal features relevant to Participants and their Circles of Support.

Billing Changes Effective Thurs., December 12, 2024

In early November, we attended a Fiscal Intermediary Contract Webinar presented by OPWDD. As a result of the webinar, we chose to update our date of service definition.

As of December 12, 2024, the date of service is defined as the date the Fiscal Intermediary reimburses the person or their representative - rather than the date the service takes place.

What is changing?
  1. All direct-paid or reimbursed dollar-based expenses (IDGS, OTPS, FRR, Over PRA, and Existing IDGS) paid after December 12, 2024, will have their Date of Service calculated based on the date the Fiscal Intermediary reimburses the expense.

    i.e. an October Mileage reimbursement for IDGS: Transportation paid on December 15th will be shown in December on the budget summary and claimed to Medicaid on December 15th.

  2. Presently, Housing Subsidy is the only expense pre-paid by ISS. The Housing Subsidy date of service will continue to be the month the Housing Subsidy covers.

    i.e. a January rent payment, paid on December 23rd will be shown in January on the budget summary and claimed to OPWDD on January’s voucher

  3. If, in the future, ISS were to prepay or pre-reimburse any other type of expense, the date of service would be the date of the receipt of the good or service.
What is not changing?

To meet the mandate of “timely vouchering for reimbursement” and “good judgment and business practices”, ISS will continue to expect the request for payment or reimbursement no later than the last day of the month following the date the service takes place.

i.e. for a good or service that occurred in the month of October, ISS expects a request for payment or reimbursement no later than the last day of November.

Self-Hired Staff and Brokerage is NOT affected. For these services, the Date of Service will continue to be the date on which the staff or broker provided the service directly to or on behalf of the participant. To ensure timely payment and timely filing of claims, Brokers must submit their invoice to ISS for payment no later than the last day of the month following their service.

We will continue to process reimbursement requests in the order they are received. We will continue to require the information regarding when the service took place.

i.e. We need to know the dates the Family Reimbursed Respite took place, so we can confirm there is no overlap with other services such as Self Hired Com Hab

There is currently no change in the documentation required. There is currently no change in how you upload expenses or the information required when uploading expenses.

How does this benefit me?
  1. By carefully aligning our policies and practices with the rules and expectations of OPWDD, ISS is ensuring our ability to continue to provide the best possible person-centered experience for our stakeholders.

  2. This change allows extra flexibility to resolve documentation and budget challenges. Since ISS’s timely filing timeframe begins upon request to reimburse an expense, there is additional time available to resolve any concerns around backup documentation, budgetary efficacy, or other challenges. This should limit the expenses that are denied or unable to be reimbursed.
What will I see differently?

Reimbursement requests for services delivered in the September - November timeframe paid after December 12, 2024, will appear in the month of payment, which is December.

i.e. An October Family Reimbursed Respite expense paid on December 15th will show on the budget summary in the month of December, not October as before.

The net result will be an approximately 2-month shift forward in how reimbursements are displayed on the budget summary. We expect concerns around the exhaustion of budget lines due to this shift should be limited as next year's expenses will continue to be dated based on the date paid.

If there is a specific challenge caused by this change, please reach out to your SDC to discuss. We will do our best to reach a favorable resolution.

 

Created 12/31/24.

Budget Summaries

Budget Summaries

Introducing the Dynamic Budget Summary

Budget Summaries

Housing Subsidy Changes Effective 11/01/22

The following describes how the budget line of Housing Subsidy and the new Housing section of the Budget Summary display for participants who have a budget template version "10/01/2022" or later and are approved for a Housing Subsidy.

With this budget template version, there are three notable housing implications:

The result of the greater rent allowance plus the Housing Admin Fee minus the HSPSAFA results in the amount charged to the PRA not exceeding what would have been charged to the PRA in previous budget template versions.

On the Budget Summary for affected participants, starting in the month that the new budget takes effect, the previous budget line, Housing Subsidy, under State Funds will be nullified, and four new budget lines will show up under a new subsection called Housing. This subsection also has a subsummary line. These four new budget lines and the subsummary are:

The Housing Admin Fee will be charged and displayed for each month in which qualifying criteria are met. Select the fee in the Budget Summary to view details on the specific criteria met for a given month.

The HSPSAFA - Fee line will be credited and displayed for each month in which the Housing Admin Fee has been charged.

The HSPSAFA - Rent line will be credited and displayed for each month in which Rent has been charged.

housingsubsidysamplebudsum.png

Updated 02/09/23.

Budget Summaries

11/01/22 Template Housing Training Session

Originally occurred on 2/17/2023

Examples Used in Presentation:

Example 1 (Timestamp 6:58):

image-1676668559571.png

Example 2 (Timestamp 11:25):

image-1676668566099.png

Chat Log:

Anything in the chat log was part of the conversation had during the meeting. To ensure you get the most up to date and accurate information, please reach out to your Self-Direction Coordinator.

10:14:19 From myra : where is the non-pra money coming from?
10:16:59 From stephh ramunto : Does this raise in the rent money come from the updated budget? Or is it the new max for all participants
10:19:56 From Carolyn Wember : Will the non-PRA funds be added to people's housing budgets every year, going forward? Or is this just a one-time "gift" from NYS?
10:22:56 From Kathleen Marafino : Will the slides be available to us?
10:23:22 From Jon Rosenfeld : what is the maximum amount you Queens ?
10:23:41 From John Innis : In this example, the 64 is the diff b/t new & old max subsidy?
10:23:55 From doreenjohann : When will these new amounts to housing subsidies be implemented into existing budgets?
10:23:56 From Gage Mags to SDC Department Zoom(Direct Message) : I have it
10:24:27 From Gage Mags : max for queens is 2054 for a one bedroom
10:24:29 From valerie declara : Will these lines auto caculate as we enter info ?
10:24:36 From Donna Austin : where can I get the budget template?
10:24:44 From Gage Mags : i have the new housing subside in fromt of me
10:24:46 From Amy Beyer : What is the new maximum for 3 persons living together?
10:24:47 From Gage Mags : lol
10:24:53 From Caryn Reid : Do we send them to REVIEW?
10:25:28 From Gage Mags : amy to my knowledge that depends who is on the lease, i can't know better than that, my apologies.
10:25:34 From John O'Sullivan : It auto populates
10:25:36 From Kim Warga : Replying to "where can I get the ..."Please request a fresh, blank template for your SD liaison.
10:25:59 From Trish Calandra : $2642
10:26:01 From Amy Beyer : Yes along Island. Thanks
10:26:04 From Gage Mags : the screenshare is using Suffolk county numbers
10:26:19 From HPF-ADMIN : How long is it currently taking for ISS to review a full budget review with housing and how long for OPWDD to review?
10:26:56 From Gage Mags : which ones are taking a week?
10:27:42 From michael b : how long does a rent increase take to process ?
10:27:46 From Alan sobel : 😨
10:28:00 From Roger McCaffrey : Replying to "What is the new maxi..." Remember that its no always the # of person, if 3 persons live in a 2BR apt, the subsidy will be based on the 2BR standard, but it will be divided by 3
10:28:10 From myra : if the HUD rates increase, will the housing rates in sd increase?
10:28:15 From Judith Gleason : How does the family hold the apartment while waiting for approval?
10:28:24 From Chantel Paige : What is the maximum for a one bedroom in Hudson Valley?
10:28:30 From Carolyn Wember : Any experience with Brooklyn DDRO yet?
10:28:35 From Kelsey Mowery : Is active ssi for housing subsidy
10:28:58 From Chantel Paige : Reacted to "How does the family ..." with 👍
10:29:15 From Chaunikah Atkins : Where can we get the rent amounts per County?
10:29:21 From Cindy Godoy : is what ISS receives based on how many of these items they did?
10:29:40 From Jeanne Johnson : Replying to "how long does a rent..."It can depend information provided and requested back by each DDRO
10:29:46 From Susan Platkin : Is the list of FI responsibilities available online?If not can you send it.
10:29:46 From regina santo : does admin fee get approved by participant/broker?
10:30:58 From Gage Mags : lol i have that too
10:31:03 From Roger McCaffrey : Any comment on this 30-day "hold" period when a housing subsidy is decreased?
10:31:22 From Kelsey Mowery : Do you lose your housing subsidy if there is an interruption in ssi
10:31:38 From Gage Mags : i havbe that list
10:31:46 From Trish Calandra : https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmrs/FY2022_code/select_Geography.odn
10:31:49 From Gage Mags : it super exists
10:32:03 From Trish Calandra : This is the quarry form for HUD FMR
10:32:07 From Jeanne Johnson : Replying to "is what ISS receives..." It is a monthly rate not per item
10:32:10 From Trish Calandra : Querry
10:32:19 From Linda Askenazi : Can you change apartments if you already have a subsidy and not wait?
10:33:26 From Chantel Paige : Replying to "https://www.huduser...." Thank you Trish!!!
10:33:28 From JR : Replying to "https://www.huduser...." very useful. thanks
10:34:10 From Nicole : The list of tasks on the screen are mostly done by the brokers but payment is being sent to the FIs. Will that money be passed along to the us in anyway since we are providing the service?
10:34:25 From Judith Gleason : When does the FI send transition $$.? Is it only used as a reimbursement after the indidvidual is in the apartment?
10:35:29 From Victor LaPoma : Can you explain what your going to do with the first and last item on your list? Prepare QA Cklist? Help person find an apartment?
10:36:08 From Helene Just : What is the amount of the transition stipen?
10:36:22 From Jeanne Johnson : Replying to "When does the FI sen..." It is based on the date of move
10:36:23 From Kim Warga : Replying to "What is the amount o..." $3,000
10:36:25 From valerie declara : No concern if broker and fi do same actions?
10:37:00 From valerie declara : Not duplication of service?
10:37:01 From Cindy Godoy : So the individual can request that ISS assist with these tasks
10:37:10 From regina santo : so we should contact fi with issues regrading housing ie landlord issues, appropriate payments for services?
10:37:39 From Helene Just : What if your wages fluctuate and money goes up and down?
10:38:53 From Susan Platkin : This is a very broad list. Is ISS planning to actually assist people with identifying and choosing a housing unit?
10:39:33 From Susan Platkin : Maybe something for the future, when families are no longer around
10:39:38 From Gage Mags : ✋
10:39:57 From Susan Platkin : Understood, thanks
10:40:00 From Jeanne Johnson to SDC Department Zoom(Direct Message) : maybe mention Housing Navigation
10:40:21 From Karen : What services on this list does ISS plan on being responsible for?
10:40:27 From Gage Mags : may i unmute my microphone to ask my question?
10:40:53 From Melinda Mercado : Not so much
10:40:55 From Roger McCaffrey : Thoughts on funding housing nav, thru the SD budget?
10:41:17 From SPANISH ISAAC ASKENAZI : What's the maximum for a studio in Westchester
10:41:25 From michael b : is it a full budget amendment when there is a rent increase?
10:41:30 From Victor LaPoma : Yes, Thank you for the presentation!
10:41:52 From Trish Calandra : Housing navigators are not RE agents tho everyone, we can help you find links and contacts but we do not have apartments/houses lined up just to clarify 😊 We help provide education and sustainable long term planning
10:42:08 From Cynthia Alcozer, ACMENY : Reacted to "Housing navigators a..." with 👍
10:42:24 From doreenjohann : What is the maximum housing subsidy for two bedroom apartment?
10:42:29 From Chantel Paige : Reacted to "Housing navigators a..." with 👍
10:42:46 From Jeanne Johnson : Replying to "Thoughts on funding ..." OTPS - unless the navigator is a broker or staff person with the individual
10:42:56 From Dawn Tortora-Morici : Very informative presentation. Thank you!
10:43:29 From regina santo : think im feeling a little uncomfortable with billing off my budget without knowing what service was provided we are used to having close scrutiny with billing services
10:43:37 From Jeanne Johnson : Replying to "Housing navigators a..." Thank you Trish
10:43:41 From Trish Calandra : Yes we need advocacy and more parents need to get involved
10:43:42 From valerie declara : SANYS
10:43:51 From leslie feinberg : Reacted to "Yes we need advocacy..." with 👍🏼
10:44:19 From Roger McCaffrey : Replying to "What is the maximum ..." For Nass/Suff it is $2,065
10:44:27 From Charles Jackson : NY Alliance can push for legislators to consider Gage's question
10:44:32 From Jeanne Johnson : Replying to "What is the maximum ..." https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmrs/FY2022_code/select_Geography.odn
10:44:42 From valerie declara : SO TRUE about the most calls but that needs to be families and parents— elected officials listed (a bit ) to people more not agencies
10:44:44 From Trish Calandra : Not the FI that is the only advocate, we need more families and yes join SANYS and NY Alliance, SOYAN
10:44:57 From leslie feinberg : Reacted to "Not the FI that is t..." with 👍🏼
10:45:03 From valerie declara : We as families should advocate more
10:45:18 From Jeanne Johnson : Replying to "think im feeling a l..." This is not coming from the PRA budget funds - it is a separate funding source
10:45:37 From Karen : Reacted to "Not the FI that is t..." with 👍🏼
10:46:39 From Cynthia Alcozer, ACMENY : Is the adm fee non PRA fund affiliated to the CIN number in any type or form?
10:46:44 From Carolyn Wember : Housing Navigation absolutely needs to be added as a separate SD service.
10:46:53 From Cynthia Alcozer, ACMENY : Reacted to "Housing Navigation a..." with 👍
10:47:06 From Jeanne Johnson to SDC Department Zoom(Direct Message) : JR is also raising his had
10:47:16 From leslie feinberg : Reacted to "Housing Navigation a..." with 👍
10:47:22 From SPANISH ISAAC ASKENAZI : What is the maximum for a studio in Westchester
10:47:29 From HPF-ADMIN : Do you know of any centralized entity where we can post a need for a housing partnership / room mate.
10:47:46 From JR to SDC Department Zoom(Direct Message) : Question
10:47:53 From Jeanne Johnson : Replying to "What is the maximum ..." The HUD subsidy webpage - https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmrs/FY2022_code/select_Geography.odn
10:49:23 From Jeanne Johnson : Replying to "Do you know of any c..." Not at this time.
10:49:24 From Gage Mags : Max for studio/one bedroom in Westchester is 1566 a month.
10:52:40 From Edna : To the 29 year old Gentleman who struggling with Apt Re; appropriate living arrangements, perhaps try submitting a Petition to local Counsel Persons, Legislators and Congress. Don't give up the fight and good luck.
10:52:41 From Trish Calandra : https://nyhrc.org Great information here too
10:53:09 From Christina Forseth : Can you elaborate on the role of a housing navigator? Are they paid through the budget? Thank you
10:53:19 From Charles Jackson : Send me questions to address to the NY Alliance, as I sit on their Policy & Review committee cjackson@issny.org
10:53:23 From Gage Mags : giving up the fight means i don't have a place to live, I'm here for the long haul to be sure. thank you all for your support.
10:53:36 From leslie feinberg : Reacted to "Send me questions to..." with 👍🏼
10:54:09 From JR : Replying to "Send me questions to..." thanks "Charles " ?
10:54:26 From Gage Mags : If I man, here is a link to a little known resource you all may benefit from knowing about. It helped me save for a future without jeopardizing my services, It's called an ABLE Account. https://www.mynyable.org/
10:54:35 From leslie feinberg : OPWDD does not advocate! We do! SOYAN.ORG
10:55:07 From Carolyn Wember : Reacted to "OPWDD does not advoc..." with 👍
10:55:30 From Envisioned Lives : Reacted to "OPWDD does not advoc…" with 👍
10:55:33 From Trish Calandra : As a Housing Navigator (HN) our role is to assist and guide participants, families and the professionals involved create a long-term sustainable housing plan. This can include education and implementation of entitlements, OPWDD services and regulations, shared and independent living.
While HN’s may become aware of affordable opportunities our role is not that of Real Estate persons in locating an apartment or securing housing. For the LI Region below are affordable and educational resources for housing: Long Island Housing Partnership: http://www.lihp.org, Community Development Corporation of LI (CDCLI) : https://www.cdcli.org, Suffolk County Housing Authority Agencies: https://www.affordablehousing.com/housing-authority-suffolk-county-ny/, Nassau County Housing Authority Agencies: https://www.affordablehousing.com/housing-authority-nassau-county-ny/ 
10:55:54 From denise horsford : Amen to the last parent's comments!
10:55:57 From doreenjohann : Where will the recording of this meeting be posted?
10:57:01 From leslie feinberg : Reacted to "If I man, here is a ..." with 👍🏼
10:57:34 From Christina Forseth : Reacted to "As a Housing Navig..." with 👍
10:57:41 From regina santo : great information thanks for sharing!!
10:58:22 From Carolyn Wember : The ABLE National Resource Center is a great resource for ABLE accounts.
10:58:22 From Envisioned Lives : Tap into your Care Manager or their supervisor for assistance with the able account
10:58:30 From Lisa Krebs Borgen : Agreed that we all have to advocate together. There is strength in numbers. There is feedback for a housing issue that is due by the end of next week. Strongly recommend sending in your opinion. Trish or Leslie, do you have a place for people to get info?
10:58:37 From HPF-ADMIN : PS you can change a 529 college plan to an able account
10:59:00 From Susan Platkin : This was excellent, thanks very much!
10:59:07 From Gage Mags : oh no
10:59:20 From Roger McCaffrey : Thanks to everyone at ISS...
10:59:45 From John Innis : Thanks, all.
10:59:48 From Lisa Krebs Borgen : Thanks so much Mary!
10:59:54 From Trisha Davison : thank you so much for this!!!! Have a great weekend.
11:00:03 From Donna Febo : Thank you ISS Team. Thank you Mary!
11:00:24 From leslie feinberg : Thanks Mary and ISS for sharing this info and hosting this info session
11:00:26 From bree dj : Thank You I!
11:00:31 From Envisioned Lives : This was a great information session. I have to excuse myself at this time. Thank you
11:00:49 From bree dj : Thank You Mary!
11:00:56 From Carolyn Wember : Thanks for doing this, Mary -- much appreciated!
11:01:35 From Broker Zoom : thank you Mary, great job!
11:01:43 From leslie feinberg : @Lisa Krebs Borgen...SOYAN is working on a FOFILLS response...and hope to collaborate with Trish soon
11:02:09 From T M : What about queens??
11:02:39 From Trish Calandra : Thank you all at ISS, this is so helpful
11:02:47 From Donna Ehrenberg : thank you
11:02:53 From Jeanne Johnson to SDC Department Zoom(Direct Message) : Affordable housing link - https://hcr.ny.gov/find-affordable-housing
11:03:00 From Dawn Tortora-Morici : Thank you!
11:03:11 From Melinda Mercado : Thank you
11:03:19 From Judith Gleason : Thank You!!
11:04:14 From Deepak Trivedi : Thank You !!
11:04:31 From Zoom user : Thank you!
11:04:33 From Zoom user : Thank you

Class Review and Approval

Things to Note for Class Approval:

Class review and approval process can take up to 30 days from time of request.

If a class provider is also providing other Self-Direction Services (Clinician, Support Broker, Community Habilitation, SEMP, Respite) this must be disclosed during the initial request for approval.

Class Approval Requirements:

When reviewing Classes/Memberships/IDD Transition/Camps/Coaching for Advocates, ISS requires the following things:

For Direct Billing:

For Direct Billing, we need the following:

If a class has already been attended/paid for:

This is not advised but, if a class has already been attended or paid for we need the following documentation as soon as possible:

Updated 04/06/23.

Contract to Direct Bill and Contract to Direct Invoice Process

To streamline communications and reduce the frequency of class, membership, and service confirmation emails and calls, we’ve updated the Contract to Direct Bill and Contract to Direct Invoice process. Below is an outline of the updated procedure:

Service or Item Request: When a participant expresses interest in signing up for a class, membership, or service, the participant or their COS representative will contact the Self-Direction Coordinator (SDC) and complete either the IDGS Service Request Form or Budget Line Justification Form (for item/service purchases). The form should indicate whether direct invoicing with the vendor is preferred.

Approval Process: The SDC will submit the request to the Approvals Committee for review.

Approval Notification: If the vendor is approved, the participant/COS representative will be notified, and they may proceed with purchasing the service/item. Please wait for approval before purchasing to ensure reimbursement through the Self-Direction Budget. In addition to having the appropriate forms completed and approved, the Life Plan will need to be updated by the Care Manager to justify the specific expense or line item.

Direct Billing Setup:

Final Documentation: The SDC will send the completed contracts to the Approvals Committee to document the participant’s choice for direct billing with the vendor.

No Monthly Follow-ups: Once the participant’s choice is recorded in Harmonics, the SDC will no longer need to request monthly attendance or service usage confirmation from the participant/COS representative. However, it remains essential for the participant/COS representative to review the Monthly Budget Summary to ensure vendor invoicing aligns with the participant’s usage.

We believe these updates will reduce administrative burdens and allow participants/COS representatives to focus on effectively self-directing services.

 

Created 01/31/25.

Group Jobs for Circle of Support

Group Jobs for Circle of Support

Group Jobs Intro Video for Circle of Support

 

Created 05/22/24.

Group Jobs for Circle of Support

Approving a group shift

The process of approving a group shift is very similar to reviewing a regular shift. When reviewing a group shift, you will be looking at the same shift details to make your decision whether to approve or return the shift.  See Reviewing A Shift for more information.

Here are a few things that are different for a group shift:

  1. There is a dropdown at the top of the shift details which allows you to navigate between shift participants to view their individual shift details.
    • You can only select the participant(s) that you are the approver for.  You can see the names of the other participants, but you cannot click into their individual shift details.
    • If you are the approver for more than one participant in the shift, you will have to review the shift for each participant individually.
  2. After you approve a shift, a green checkmark will be added to indicate that no action is needed. However, the shift's status will remain "Pending Circle Review" until it has been reviewed for all participants. 
  3. There is an approval bar below the shift status that indicates the current approval status for all participants in the shift.
  4. If one of the circle approvers or ISS decides to return a shift, all previous approvals will be rescinded and the shift will need to be re-approved by all involved circle approvers.

The cost for a group shift is split between the number of participants.  For more information, please contact your Self-Direction coordinator.

 

Updated 05/10/24.

Group Jobs for Circle of Support

Why is the shift I already approved still showing as pending circle review?

Why is the shift I have already approved still showing as pending circle review in My Staff Work?

Two reasons:

  1. It is still waiting for other circle approvers to review the shift.  In this case, the shift will be marked with a green checkmark.
  2. The shift was resubmitted after being returned by the other circle or ISS and being corrected by the staff. This shift needs to be reviewed.

 

Updated 05/10/24.

Inviting New Participants and their Circle of Support to the Portal

Hello Participants and Circle of Support!

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.

Each participant and primary contact will have a Dashboard, which shows all their information in one place. This information will include all paperwork submitted to ISS by or on behalf of the participant (i.e. time sheets, expenses), the year to date budget summaries, approved budgets, and a place for the Broker to complete the Staff Action Plan so that it is uploaded to our system. In order for us to update staff time sheets (which removes the need for a separate billing sheet!), we need brokers to create staff action plans in our portal and send us the signed copy.

We are so excited for you to see and explore the 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.

We have created the following videos to assist you with logging into the Portal and learning how to navigate it.  Please take the time to watch the videos.

How to Log In

Introducing the New ISS Portal

Please take the time to sign in and explore the Portal.

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.

If you have technical issues, please email our Web Support Team (websupport@issny.org) directly.

Thank you so much!

Updated 08/30/21

Job Seekers (Resumes for Participants and Circles)

Beginning Monday, April 24, 2023, we will no longer be sending out resume and job posting eblasts through Constant Contact. Instead, resumes will be available through our website at https://www.issny.org/job-seekers/ on a password-protected page.

On the Job Seekers page, you will see three boxes:

New Applicant, Current Support Staff, and Participants/Circles of Support. Click on the heading of the box you are interested in and you will see specific and relevant information explaining a little about Self-Direction.

Here is a brief explanation of each category:

New Applicant – This is for those interested in seeking employment and have never been a Support Staff through ISS. On this page, it gives details about Self-Direction and gives the applicant a link to UKG to complete an application and upload a resume. Once submitted, the resume will be posted on the resume page. We will no longer be accepting resumes for new applicants through our opportunities@issny.org email.

Current Support Staff – This is for staff who currently work for Participants through ISS and want to explore additional employment. On this page, the current Support Staff will see a link to an email address to submit their current resume. Once submitted, it will be confirmed they are able to work and the resume will be posted on the resume page.

Participants/Circles of Support – This is for our Participants and their Circles. This page has links to the password-protected resume page and the hiring form. Once on the resume page, you will see resumes listed by applicant location and includes the date submitted and if the applicant is a current Support Staff. For the password, please reach out to your Self-Direction Coordinator.

Overall, the advantage of this new process is that you can visit our website to view resumes any time without having to subscribe. For applicants, it gives them all the needed information about Self-Direction and the necessary links.

Additionally, for Participants and Circles, if the applicant has never been hired before, having them complete the application and submit their resume is one less step needed to be completed for the hiring process. With this new method, we will no longer be accepting job ads. If you have an opening, please go on the website and view resumes.

jobseekers.png

Updated 04/20/23.

Monthly Summary Notes

This section explains how to submit and view Monthly Summary Notes through the portal.

Monthly Summary Notes

Submitting Monthly Summary Notes

A Monthly Summary Note must be submitted for each Budget Group (ComHab and SEMP) for each month that support staff has worked a ComHab or SEMP job for a participant. For example, if a participant has staff working Job Developer and ComHab during July 2020, two different Monthly Summary Notes will need to be submitted for that month, one for SEMP (Job Developer) and one for ComHab.

A Monthly Summary Note for a given month can be submitted no earlier than the last day of that month. For example, a Monthly Summary Note for September 2020 can be submitted anytime on or after September 30, 2020, but not before.

Step By Step Instructions

To submit Monthly Summary Notes, first navigate to the Plan Docs section of the participant for whom you are submitting.

From the home page,

  1. Select the participant.

    SelectParticipant.png
  2. Select the Documents tab.

    SelectDocuments.png
  3. Select the Plan Docs tab.

    SelectPlanDocuments.png
  4. Click + Monthly Summary Notes.
  5. Fill in Month/Year and Budget Group.
    • Month/Year must be in the form MM/YYYY.
    • Budget Group is either ComHab or SEMP.
  6. Click View Draft to view a draft of the Monthly Summary Note.
    MSNForm_pg1.png
  7. Click Next to complete the form.
  8. Fill in all required fields.
    • Only one Monthly Summary Note per month per Budget Group is allowed.

    MSNForm_pg2.png
  9. Click Submit when done.

The participant's SD Coordinator will receive an email notification to review the Monthly Summary Note.

The person who submitted the Monthly Summary Note will receive a confirmation email when the SD Coordinator either approves or rejects the Monthly Summary Note. If it is rejected, a new one will need to be submitted.

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 12/7/2023

Monthly Summary Notes

Viewing Monthly Summary Notes

Monthly Summary Notes show under the Plan Docs tab in the Documents section of a participant.

From the home page,

  1. Select a participant.

    SelectParticipant.png
  2. Select the Documents tab.

    SelectDocuments.png
  3. Select the Plan Docs tab.

    SelectPlanDocuments.png
  4. To view one of the listed Monthly Summary Notes, click Download.

What shows on the downloadable PDF?

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.

Monthly Summary Notes

FAQ

Updated 05/10/22.

What are Monthly Summary Notes?

Monthly Summary Notes act as progress indicators of the work being done as part of the participant's Staff Action Plan.

Why are Monthly Summary Notes required?

Monthly Summary Notes are part of the feedback mechanism required by law to be eligible to bill Medicaid.

How often do I need to submit Monthly Summary Notes?

A Monthly Summary Note must be submitted for each Budget Group (ComHab and SEMP) for each month that support staff work a ComHab or SEMP job for a participant. For example, if a participant has support staff who worked hours for Job Developer and ComHab during September 2020, two different Monthly Summary Notes need to be submitted for that month: one for SEMP (Job Developer) and one for ComHab.

When can I submit a Monthly Summary Note?

A Monthly Summary Note for a given month can be submitted no earlier than the last day of that month. For example, a Monthly Summary Note for September 2020 can be submitted anytime on or after September 30, 2020, but not before.

Who can submit Monthly Summary Notes?

The following can submit Monthly Summary Notes, if they have a portal account:

To designate someone as an approver, contact your SD Coordinator.

What is a "Budget Group"?

Budget Group is related to the participant's Budget Summary. Budget Group is what is used to bill Medicaid, and can be the parent to other budget lines. For instance, a number of budget lines are all included under the IDGS Budget Group.

For the purposes of Monthly Summary Notes, the only Budget Groups that apply are ComHab and SEMP.

The Budget Group I'm looking for doesn't show up. What do I do?

The values in the Budget Group dropdown are based on past and currently active support staff for the participant. If, for instance, SEMP does not show up as an option in the dropdown, that means the participant does not currently have a support staff hired into a SEMP job role.

If the Budget Group you are looking for doesn't show as an option, contact ISS People Services at peopleservices@issny.org.

Why is a Budget Group I no longer have still showing?

The values in the Budget Group dropdown are based on past and currently active support staff for the participant.  If you previously had both ComHab and SEMP in your plan and staff working those jobs, you will continue to see both options even if one of them is no longer in your plan.

Both choices must remain active to allow a Monthly Summary Note to be created for any that are due currently as well as might not have been done in the past and are still due.

What is a "Draft" Monthly Summary Note?

The "draft" Monthly Summary Note shows a list of all the activities on the Staff Action Plan that was active during the month/year selected for the Budget Group selected. If multiple Staff Action Plans were active, the activities for each will be shown. If the selected month/year falls before the participant's first Staff Action Plan, activities from the oldest Staff Action Plan on file will be shown.

What shows on the PDF version of the Monthly Summary Note?

The downloadable PDF of the Monthly Summary note shows a list of all the activities on the Staff Action Plan that was active during the month/year selected for the Budget Group selected, as well as the responses provided to each question. If multiple Staff Action Plans were active for the month/year and Budget Group selected, the activities for each will be shown. If the selected month/year falls before the participant's first Staff Action Plan, activities from the oldest Staff Action Plan on file will be shown.