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? 

 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. 

 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 

 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? 

 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. 

 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

Introducing the Dynamic Budget Summary
  

 Updated 10/31/25. 

  

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 limit for rent has been increased. 

 A new Housing Admin Fee has been added. OPWDD has defined a set of criteria under which the FI can charge this fee. 

 A new adjustment, the Housing Subsidy Payment Standards and Admin Fee Adjustment (HSPSAFA), has been added to offset the cost of the increased rent allowance and Housing Admin Fee. 

 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: 

 Rent (which is the amount we are authorized to pay for the Housing Subsidy ) 

 HSPSAFA - Rent (the portion of the HSPSAFA offsetting the increased rent allowance) 

 Fee (the cost of the new Housing Admin Fee) 

 HSPSAFA - Fee (the portion of the HSPSAFA offsetting the new Housing Admin Fee) 

 Housing SubSummary from PRA (the sum of all costs under the Housing subsection for a given month that is charged to the PRA) 

 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. 

 

 Updated 02/09/23.

11/01/22 Template Housing Training Session
Originally occurred on 2/17/2023 

 

 Examples Used in Presentation: 

 Example 1 (Timestamp 6:58): 

 

 Example 2 (Timestamp 11:25): 

 

 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

Participant Portal v1.1 - Web Budget Summaries Quick Start Guide
Created 5/11/2018 

 Introduction 

 Welcome to Participant Portal v1.1 with new web-based Budget Summaries! 

 Highlights of what's new: 

 Summaries are now updated nightly. There is no need to wait until Monday for a new summary. 

 Amounts on the summary are accurate as of our most recent processing runs and unprocessed bills and staff time may not be reflected 

 It's now easy to pick a summary and download it by budget year. 

 The stop and start dates of plans within a budget year are clearly indicated by different color blocks for easy viewing, so you can see exactly when a new budget took effect. 

 Overages are highlighted for easy identification with a red box 

   

 View All Budget Summaries 

 On the portal dashboard for the participant, click the  View Summaries button: 

 

   

 Download by Budget Year 

 Choose which summary to download: 

 

 

 Click  Download PDF for the summary you want. 

 The Budget Summary will open in a new tab of your browser, where you can use the browser controls to scroll, zoom, or print the summary. 

 Not that the PDF will be 2 pages long, with Medicaid budget lines on page 1 and State budget lines on page 2. 

 

   

 Multiple Budget Years 

 Color coding is now used to indicate when a budget was amended. The original budget's months are displayed with a white background. Subsequent amended budget months are displayed using different colors, for easy identification of when one budget ended and another began: 

 

 A legend in the upper right-hand corner displays the start date of the new budget (for example, the pink months indicate a budget that started 10/1/2017): 

 

 

 Note the date this was last updated also appears in the upper right-hand corner -- in this case, May 8, 2018. 

 

   

 Budget Funding Start & End Within A Plan 

 A gray hash is used to indicate when a budget line was ended: 

 

   

 Overspent Budget Lines 

 Budget lines that are overspent are surrounded by a red line for easy identification: 

 

   

 IRA 

 If your participant lives in an IRA, the related budget lines and applicable months will have a red triangle at the top, and the start date will be indicated with a thick red vertical line: 

 

   

 Exceptions & Hospital Stays 

 A hospital stay is indicated with a red hash and the start date will be indicated with thick red vertical lines: 

 

 

 This exception example also illustrates budget dollars spent during the hospitalization 

 

   

 Inactive Status 

 When a participant becomes inactive / terminates from the program, a solid gray bar is used to indicate the date the inactivation was effective: 

 

   

 Conclusion 

 The new web-based Budget Summaries are easy to use and are more accurate since the reflect more recent processing. Furthermore, they clearly show funding consumed by budget year. 

   

 Still Need Help? 

 If you still have questions, please reach out to your Self Direction Coordinator. If you are experiencing problems with the website, please email websupport@issny.org. 

  

Budget Summary Drill Down Guide

Accessing Item Detail
There are two avenues by which to find and view timesheet and expense details, as demonstrated by the infographic below: Budget Discovery and Index Discovery. 

  

Budget Discovery (When & Which)
The Budget Discovery method can be used when the when (month, year) and which (budget line) of a timesheet or expense are known. 

 Budget Summary View 

 

 
 Click any linked item to view the Budget Month page. 

 Use the dropdown to change the fiscal year being viewed. 

 Click  Print to print the currently viewed Budget Summary 

 
 Budget Month View 

 The Budget Month view shows the intersection of a given budget line with a given month. It provides summary data and list of all items that contribute to the total of a given Budget Month. 

   

 

 
 Use the dropdowns to quickly navigate between fiscal years, fund types, budget lines, and months without returning to the Budget Summary. *Click Change to refresh the page according to the new dropdown selections. 

 This section provides a summary of information for the given budget line and month. These include: • Month Total - total dollar amount spent on the budget line in the currently Mth Ttl • Total Budget - total dollar amount allocated for the budget line for the fiscal year • Total Spend - total dollar amount spent on the budget line from the start of Ttl Sd • Available Spend - total dollar amount remaining in the budget for the budget line for the fiscal year • Percent Remaining - percent of the budget line’s Total Budget remaining for Pt Rii of Total Budget) 

 Select an item to view the Item Detail page.

Index Discovery (Who & What)
The Index Discovery method can be used when the who (name, payee) and what (timesheet or expense) are known. 

 Document Index View 

 

 
 Navigate to the Document Index page by clicking the Documents tab across the top. 

 Switch between Timesheets and Expenses using the tabs. 

 Use the dropdown to filter timesheets or expenses by Payee. *Click Filter to filter the list after making a dropdown selection. 

 Select an item to view its Item Detail page. 

 Timesheets and expenses are broken down into pages. Use the navigation arrows to move between pages in the list. 

 Notice the total count of items. This is specific to the active tab. • In the example shown, there are 124 timesheets and 226 expenses. Since the Timesheets tab is active, 124 is displayed.

Item Detail
The exact information displayed in the Item Detail will vary based on the type of item. 

 There are 6 (six) different types of items: 

 
 
 Reimbursement Expenses 

 
 Mileage  Expenses 

 
 Brokerage  (previously Contractor Invoice) Expenses 

 Timesheets 

 Correction Expenses 

 
 Adjustments (does not have a detail view) 

 
 Item Detail View 

 

 
 The ID number of the expense or timesheet is listed at the top. 

 Related Links will vary based on the method used to access the Item Detail.

 
 If accessed via the Budget Discovery method, the related links will include the Budget Summary and the Budget Month used to access the item.

 
 In the example shown, clicking the first related link (Budget Month link) would take you to the Budget Month view for OTPS: Utilities for July of the applicable fiscal year. 

 
 

 If accessed via the Index Discovery method, the related links will include a link back to either all timesheets or all expenses, depending on the item type. 

 
 

 Various summary data about the item is listed on the left. The data listed will vary depending on the item type. 

 If accessed via the Budget Discovery method, some lines may appear gray. Lines that belong to the selected Budget Month are shown in black. All other lines are shown in gray. 

 If ISS has added a comment to a line, a memo button will appear on the line. Click the memo button to read the comment. 

 If a line has any supporting document(s) (e.g. receipt), a View button will appear on the line. Click this button to view the image(s). 

 Click View All Images to view all images associated with the item in a carousel.

 
 Click Print for a printer-friendly version of the Item Detail page. 

 
 

 Use the navigation buttons to move between items in the selected Budget Month. *These navigation buttons do not appear when Item Detail is accessed via the Index Discovery method.

Overtime (OT)
How is OT displayed? 

 A timesheet containing OT can be identified only on the Item Detail view. A column titled "OT" will appear, with the number of OT hours listed for each line with OT. 

 

 How does OT affect the budget? 

 OT affects the budget just like any other line on a timesheet.  

 How is OT calculated? 

 OT hours are paid at time and a half, plus fringe. The formula below shows how the cost for a line with OT is calculated, along with an example using the numbers above. 

 Cost = [ (Regular Hours)(Rate)(1 + Fringe Rate) ] + [ (OT Hours)(1.5)(Rate)(1 + Fringe Rate) ] Cost = [ (0.75)(23.00)(1 + 24%) ] + [ (1.00)(1.5)(23.00)(1 + 24%) ] Cost = [ (0.75)(23.00)(1 + 0.24) ] + [ (1.00)(1.5)(23.00)(1 + 0.24) ] Cost = [ (17.25)(1.24) ] + [ (34.50)(1.24) ] Cost = (21.39) + (42.78) Cost = 64.17 

  

Paid Time Off (PTO)
How is PTO displayed? 

 A timesheet containing PTO can be identified on the Budget Month view by a checkmark in the PTO Paid  column. 

 

 A timesheet containing PTO can be identified on the Item Detail view by a checkmark in the PTO column. 

 

 
 Click the checkmark to view detail about the type of PTO. 

 The cost for PTO is always $0.00. See “How does PTO affect the budget?” below for more information 

 
 How does PTO affect the budget? 

 Although the staff person is paid, PTO does not count against the budget, which is why the cost for a PTO line is always $0.00.

Request Documents
Due to the massive number of source documents (multiple millions) associated with the drill down, some of them have not yet been moved to a location readily accessible to the portal. In this event, a Request Documents button will appear rather than the View All Images button. Clicking this button sends a request to the system for those specific documents to be retrieved and made available to the portal. The requested documents will be available in the portal no later than the next day. 

  

FAQ
Why is the Amount Submitted different from the Total Paid?(Reimbursement Expenses) 

 There are two main reasons why Amount Submitted and Total Paid for a Reimbursement Expense may not match. 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 All lines were paid. However, the sum that was submitted is different from the sum that ISS calculated. 

 

 

 Not all lines were paid. Certain lines may not be paid for various reasons. In these cases, click the memo button on the line to see a note about why the line was not paid. 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 Why is the Amount Submitted different from the Total Paid? (Mileage Expenses) 

 There are three main reasons why Amount Submitted and Total Paid for a Mileage Expense may not match. 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 The most common reason is a rounding issue. Lines of a mileage expense are calculated on a per-line basis (miles * rate). The totals of the lines are then summed. You may calculate a slightly different number if you multiply the rate by the sum of the miles. 

 

 

 The rate used on the submitted expense may have been the incorrect rate. 

 

 

 Certain lines may not be paid for various reasons. Click the memo button on the line to see a note about why the line was not paid. 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 Why is Gross Earnings different from the Total Budget Cost (Timesheets) 

 Gross Earnings is the amount paid to the staff person. Total Budget Cost is the amount that was charged to the budget. Gross Earnings does not include fringe, while Total Budget Cost does include fringe, so Total Budget Cost will usually be higher than Gross Earnings. 

 What do the different colored columns in the Budget Summary mean? 

 Each new column color on the Budget Summary denotes an amendment to the budget for that fiscal year. 

 How do I download documents associated with a timesheet or expense? 

 To download documents associated with a timesheet or expense: 

 
 Navigate to the Item Detail for the timesheet or expense. 

 Click View for a specific line, or View All Images to see all images related to a timesheet or expense. 

 Scroll to the bottom of the carousel window and click Download.

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. 

 It is recommended that Classes are submitted for approval prior to paying for services/attending classes. 

 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: 

 Provider Contact Information 

 Location of Program/Service 

 A clear description of what will be occurring during the program or class (i.e. IDD Transition Course Outline) 

 Proof of public advertising (website, Facebook Page, Instagram page, if using flyers an email from the provider detailing how it’s distributed) 

 Proof of public pricing (invoice rates must match public rates) 

 Permits (for Summer Camps running between the months of June and September, seasonal camps) 

 Additional documentation to support the information detailed above; this includes flyers, brochures, websites, emails/letters from providers 

 For Direct Billing: 

 For Direct Billing, we need the following: 

 Completed Contract for Direct Billing, signed and dated by participant/designee and class provider 

 Completed W-9 

 Vendor Information should match between the Contract for Direct Billing and the W-9 

 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: 

 Proof of attendance 

 Invoices/receipts (For approved classes seeking reimbursement please submit as soon as possible) 

 If it isn’t an already approved class please submit aforementioned documents for class review 

 Please note this reimbursement is not guaranteed. It is highly recommended that invoices/reimbursements are submitted before the end of the following month after the date of attendance/service. 

 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: 

 For Approved Epay Vendors: The SDC will send the Contract to Direct Bill (participant contract) to the COS for completion and return. 

 For Non-Epay Vendors: If direct billing is desired, the SDC will send both the Contract to Direct Bill (participant contract) and the Contract to Direct Invoice (vendor contract). The participant/COS representative should complete the Direct Bill contract and have the vendor complete the Direct Invoice contract. Both contracts must be returned to the SDC. 

 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. 

 If there is any discrepancy in vendor invoicing, it is the responsibility of the participant, their Broker (if applicable), and the COS representative to alert the SDC. 

 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 Intro Video for Circle of Support
  

 Created 05/22/24.

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: 

 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. 

 

 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.  

 There is an approval bar below the shift status that indicates the current approval status for all participants in the shift. 

 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.

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: 

 It is still waiting for other circle approvers to review the shift.  In this case, the shift will be marked with a green checkmark. 

 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

ISSNY Reporting and Investigations: Guidance for Participants and Families
Adapted from NYS Justice Center Reporting and Investigations: Guidance for Individuals and Families 

 https://www.justicecenter.ny.gov/investigations-guidance-individuals-and-families 

 https://opwdd.ny.gov/part-624-part-625-handbook 

 All ISSNY support staff receive onboarding training and annual training on Incident Identification and Reporting in the form of a PowerPoint presentation. 

 Support Brokers receive OPWDD PRAISE training which is primarily focused on incident identification and reporting processes. 

 VISION 

 ISSNY QA/CC department adopts the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) model that people with ID/DD shall be protected from abuse, neglect, and mistreatment. This is accomplished by adopting state standards by assuring the highest standards of health, safety and dignity; and by supporting the dedicated men and women who provide services. 

 MISSION 

 To provide person-centered, self-directed & individualized supports to people with DD to assist them in making choices that will lead them to actualize their dreams. The QA/CC departments mission is to maintain participants’ health, safety, and well-being by proactively reinforcing COS members of their responsibilities, strategically providing expertise and guidance towards necessary resources with a person-centered approach. This includes the prevention of mistreatment, and investigation of all allegations of abuse and neglect to ensure appropriate actions are taken. 

 VALUES AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES 

 ISSNY has adopted the OPWDD’s CODE OF ETHICS for New York’s “Direct Support Professionals”, known as, “support staff” in self-direction. ISSNY had adopted the NYS Justice Center’s guiding principles. 

 Integrity 

 ISSNY believes that all people with ID/DD deserve to be treated with respect and that people’s rights should be protected. 

 Quality 

 ISSNY is committed to providing superior services and ensuring the people with ID/DD receive quality care. 

 Accountability 

 ISSNY understands that accountability to the people we serve and to the public is paramount. 

 Education 

 ISSNY believes that communication, COS and Mind Flash Training, and the promotion of best practices are critical to success and to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of ISSNY participants. 

 Collaboration 

 Safe-guarding people with ID/DD is a shared responsibility. ISSNY is successful because it works directly with the participant/service recipient, service-partners such as the participants CCO (Care Coordination Organization), the OPWDD, people who provide direct services, and other providers to prevent abuse and neglect. 

 JURISDICTION 

 ISSNY is under the jurisdiction of the OPWDD. ISSNY is not under the jurisdiction of the NYS Justice Center (JC) because our “setting” is, “non-certified” and “voluntary-operated”. ISSNY is the co-employer of support staff and therefore all support staff are required to adhere to ISSNY’s policies and procedures. ISSNY Support staff are, “custodians” under the jurisdiction of the OPWDD. 

 In some scenarios, ISSNY is mandated by the OPWDD 14 NYCRR Part 624 Handbook, to report incidents to the OPWDD. If an incident is not under ISSNY’s jurisdiction but occurred while the participant was at his or her IRA or in a “certified” setting, ISSNY employees, volunteers and contractors are mandated to report the information to the Justice Center. If a participant involved in an allegation of abuse/neglect resides in a certified site, ISSNY is required to report to the Mental Hygiene Legal Service (MHLS). 

 OUR GOAL 

 ISSNY’s goal is to serve our participants and their families FIRST by preventing mistreatment and ensuring that all allegations of abuse and/or neglect are fully investigated. ISSNY is required under New York State, to investigate, review, and making findings in allegations of abuse and/or neglect by staff- including employees, volunteers, consultants, and contractors - against a participant. ISSNY does not interrogate, arrest, or prosecute participants. 

 This document explains the reporting and investigation process, customized for the SD setting, and how to obtain additional information if you, or your family member is involved in an ISSNY reportable investigation as a victim or a witness. We understand there is an overwhelming amount of information presented at your launch meeting. 

 MAKING A REPORT 

 Who can report an incident (allegation of abuse/neglect or any other incident)? 

 Anyone! Including participant, parent, advocate, person in the community, guardian, support staff, contractor, care manager, support broker, or anyone who witnesses wrong-doing. The reporter can make a report to the ISSNY Quality Assurance/Corporate Compliance (QA/CC) department when they have knowledge or reason to believe that a participant has been abused, neglect, or mistreated. 

 Some people are required to report to the ISSNY QA/CC department. These “mandated reporters” include provider agency staff (support staff) including volunteers, contractors (clinicians, support brokers), interns, human service professionals, who by nature of their job must report allegations of abuse and/or neglect. Once the information is reported to ISSNY QA/CC, the QA/CC department will immediately report to the OPWDD “Incident Management Unit” (IMU). 

 Can I find out who called in a report to the ISSNY QA/CC department? 

 In order to maintain confidentiality, ISSNY cannot release the name(s) of the person(s) who made the report to QA/CC, or the name(s) of any person(s) who cooperated in an investigation. 

 What happens after a report is made? 

 ISSNY receives incidents in a multitude of ways. Once an incident is received, the QA/CC department will determine a few factors. 

 

 Is the participant safe, were immediate protections taken (did the family terminate the staff, does ISSNY People Services (HR) Dept. need to suspend staff). If no immediate protections were taken, the QA/CC department will guide and instruct the COS through immediate protections. 

 Is the incident “reportable” to the OPWDD? 

 Is the incident under ISSNY or the CCO’s jurisdiction for investigation and/or follow up purposes? 

 

 If there is an emergency, ISSNY QA/CC will instruct reporter to hang up and dial 9-1-1. The reporter will then call ISSNY back to complete the report once emergency has been addressed. 

 The QA/CC department will advise the reporter that he or she will receive an email including a “Preliminary Witness Statement” form for completion. The reporter will also be advised that he or she will be contacted by the assigned ISSNY investigator to schedule a face-to-face interview, if the incident is determined to be reportable and under ISSNY auspices. 

 There are several ways to report to ISSNY QA/CC. It is BEST to report via phone. If you’d like to remain anonymous, call the ISSNY Confidential Hotline. Calls can be made to QA/CC at any time. If there is no answer, always leave a message including incident description, date, details, participant name, your name and any protections in place. If you do not receive an immediate response, you can also report via email. Contact Information for reporting: Confidential hotline: 833-477-7287 QA/CC department email: qualityassurance@issny.org Phone: 631-864-2536 extensions: 452, 453, 410, 417, 459; or 845-794-5218 ext. 334 

 INTAKE OF REPORT 

 QA/CC collects the information from the reporter and identifies if it is a reportable or a non-reportable situation. QA/CC also identifies if the situation is under ISSNY or another agency’s jurisdiction. If the investigation is under ISSNY’s auspices, an ISSNY Incident Number is assigned. If not under ISSNY auspices, ISSNY triages the incident to the appropriate agency’s QA department. If an allegation of abuse/neglect is reported against a family member, the incident will immediately be triaged to the Care Coordination Organization (CCO). Confidentiality laws under New York State protect all reporters. 

 PROCEDURE 

 If the incident is under ISSNY auspices and is reportable, the following procedure will take place (Please note this is summarized). 

 

 

 

 Action by: 

 Action: 

 

 

 

 

 Receiver of incident report; QA/CC team 

 Ensure immediate protections are in place 

 

 

 Receiver of incident report 

 Report incident to Assistant Director of Compliance & QA, Corporate Compliance Officer & QA/CC team 

 

 

 Corporate Compliance Officer, Designee, or Assigned QA/CC Investigator 

 Notify ISSNY Senior Management & People Services (HR) Director, via email; noting if staff suspension is required, as per incident classification/OPWDD – IMU directive 

 

 

 People Services (HR) Department 

 

 Notify the staff of their suspension, as well as notify the affected families/COS teams, via phone & email 

   

 (Note: suspensions are only made if deemed necessary; however, staff suspension is required for all allegations of physical and sexual abuse) 

 

 

 

 Assigned QA/CC Investigator 

 Notify OPWDD – IMU Incident Compliance Officer (ICO) & the Participant, or their primary contact/legal guardian, via phone 

 

 

 Assigned QA/CC Investigator 

 Notify the Participant’s Circle of Support (COS), via email 

 

 

 Assigned QA/CC Investigator 

 Send OPWDD 148 form to the Participant, or their primary contact/legal guardian, via email & certified mail 

 

 

 Corporate Compliance Officer or Designee 

 Send introduction to investigator letter to staff, via email & certified mail 

 

 

 Assigned QA/CC Investigator 

 Conduct unbiased incident investigation 

 

 

 Corporate Compliance Officer, Designee, or Assigned QA/CC Investigator 

 Review, revise, and finalize the investigatory report 

 

 

 Senior Management & People Services (HR) Director 

 Review/approve the investigatory report 

 

 

 Assigned QA/CC Investigator 

 Upload final report to the OPWDD – IRMA database (within 30-days of incident discovery, barring any extenuating circumstances) 

 

 

 Assigned QA/CC Investigator 

 Notify the Participant’s Circle of Support (COS) of the investigatory findings, via email 

 

 

 Corporate Compliance Officer, Designee, or Assigned QA/CC Investigator 

 Send letter of determination (LOD) to target staff, for allegations of abuse/neglect ONLY, via email & certified mail 

 

 

 Corporate Compliance Officer, Designee, or Assigned QA/CC Investigator 

 Review investigatory findings at incident review committee (IRC) meeting & formally close the incident, with approval from IRC 

 

 

 

 What are the different types of classifications that ISSNY is mandated to investigate? 

 ABUSE 

 Abuse can be physical, sexual, or psychological. If physical or sexual , ISSNY is mandated to suspend staff and work with the COS to complete an immediate law enforcement notification. There are several additional abuse categories: deliberate inappropriate use of restraints, aversive conditioning, obstruction of reports of a reportable incident, and unlawful use or administration of a controlled substance . 

 NEGLECT 

 Neglect is the failure to provide supervision, adequate food, clothing, shelter, health care, or access to education. In our Self-Directed setting, neglect means a variety of things. If a support staff, “runs errands” and leaves the participant home, leaves the participant unsupervised for any duration of time when the plan states otherwise, if support staff orders a drink containing alcohol during his or her shift, etc. an allegation of neglect will be filed. 

 SIGNIFICANT INCIDENTS 

 A significant incident has the potential to result in harm to the health, safety, or welfare of a participant/service recipient. Categories of significant incidents are as follows: conduct between service recipients, seclusion, unauthorized use of time out, medication error with adverse effect, inappropriate use of restraints, mistreatment, missing person, unauthorized absence, chocking with known risk, choking with no known risk, self-abusive behavior with injury, injury with hospital admission, theft or financial exploitation, other significant incident . 

 * Please note that some classifications do not “fit” our self-directed model. The OPWDD regulations were originally written to reflect a certified setting. 

 Senior Notable Occurrences 

 Death, sensitive situation. 

 Minor Notable Occurrences: 

 Injury (beyond first-aid), theft or financial exploitation. 

 DURING THE INVESTIGATION 

 Who can be interviewed during an investigation? 

 Investigators will interview participants who may be victims or witnesses, and other people who witnessed or may otherwise have information about an incident. Investigators interview “subject” or “target” (e.g., employee, volunteer, intern, consultant, contractor) who are alleged to have committed the act of abuse and/or neglect, or mistreatment. 

 What can I expect if I am interviewed as a victim or a witness? 

 The purpose of the interview is to learn what you know about what happened. You will be notified of the location, date, and time of the interview. Your interview is voluntary and you may take breaks during the interview. You should let the investigator know if you need an accessibility accommodation during the interview or if you need clarification during the interview. 

 As part of the investigative process, investigators collect materials and documents. Investigators may ask to see personal items if they are needed to complete the investigation. This includes but is not limited to, emails, text messages, call logs, social media accounts, medical documentation etc. 

 How will I know if I am identified as a victim? 

 If you are identified as a victim in an allegation of abuse and/or neglect, or involved in any reportable incident, ISSNY will notify you within 24 hours of discovery. You will be provided with a phone notification and an introductory email. You will also receive an “OPWDD 148 Letter” via mail, completed by the assigned investigator. If you have additional information or questions, please contact the assigned investigator. Their contact information will be in the email and on the 148 letter. 

 A “subject/target” refers to the individual named in the allegation as committing the act of abuse and/or neglect. Only staff may be considered subjects. 

 Do parents, guardians, or personal representatives of alleged victim receive notification when a report has been made? 

 Yes. ISSNY notifies the legal guardian, or personal representative after they learn of an incident. This might be a parent, spouse, adult child or adult sibling. If the participant is his or her own legal guardian, the notification will go directly to him or her. The investigator may ask the representative/guardian the best means of communication for the participant to be interviewed, if he or she can be interviewed. The legal guardian or personal representative has the right to opt out of receiving the notice. If the representative is alleged abuser, he or she will not be provided this notice. If a representative opts out of receiving the notification, the notification will be provided to another party from the list above. If participant denies all parties to receive such notification, and is his or her own legal guardian, the notice must be provided to the participant. 

 The notice will include: a description of the event or situation and a description of initial actions taken to address the incident or occurrence, if any; an offer to meet with the executive director or designee . The designees at ISSNY are the Assistant Director of Compliance & QA or the Corporate Compliance Officer, to further discuss the incident or occurrence; and for reports of abuse and neglect, an offer to provide information on the status and/or finding of the report. Requested information shall be provided verbally or in writing, unless the person is a capable adult and objects to the provision of this information. ISSNY must protect the privacy of all involved. 

 What happens during an investigation? 

 The assigned investigator will complete an entry into the OPWDD’s Incident Reporting and Management Application (IRMA), and complete several required notifications. The investigator will gather preliminary written statements for all persons who will be interviewed in person or via phone, conduct interviews, identify any potential physical evidence or demonstrative evidence (i.e. pictures), collect and review documentary evidence, and write an investigatory report in an unbiased manner. Conclusions will be based on a preponderance of evidence. Recommendations will be made based on conclusions. The investigation will be submitted to ISSNY Senior Management and the OWPDD IMU IRMA data base. 

 How can a parent, guardian, or other person legally responsible for a participant, find out the results of an investigation? 

 The circle of support is provided with an, “investigatory completion email” from the investigator. This includes redacted conclusions and pertinent recommendations. A participant’s parent, guardian, or other person legally responsible for the participant can request in writing a “redacted” investigatory (149) report. The redaction protects personally identifying and confidential information due to the sensitive and confidential nature of the information. 

 What is Jonathan’s Law? 

 ISSNY operates under the auspices of the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). This means ISSNY must notify and inform parents, siblings, and legal guardians of children and adults receiving services by telephone of accidents or injuries. In our self-directed model, it is typical that the COS/family know of this information, and share it with ISSNY, resulting in the mandatory reporting processes. The law also allows qualified persons to access certain documents pertaining to incidents. 

 A qualified person is defined in Jonathan’s law as a: parent or other legal guardian of minors. Parent, legal guardian, spouse, sibling, adult children of adult service recipients who are legally authorized to make health care decisions on behalf of the participant; or the participant who is his or her own legal guardian. 

 Criminal Cases 

 There are times that situations/incidents reported by ISSNY result in a criminal investigation. For example, an allegation of physical or sexual abuse, or theft/financial exploitation. Law enforcement will take ISSNY and/or the COS’s mandatory law enforcement notification and detect if there is a criminal offense. If law enforcement investigates, they will work to gather evidence to support an arrest, file formal criminal charges, and obtain a conviction or plea to ensure justice is served. If law enforcement accepts a case, ISSNY’s investigation will be under “forbearance”. This means ISSNY pauses the investigation until law enforcement completed their investigation. 

 AFTER THE INVESTIGATION 

 What are the potential determinations of the investigation? 

 Allegations of abuse and/or neglect are determined to be substantiated or unsubstantiated. 

 Allegations may be substantiated if an abuse and/or neglect investigation determines there is a preponderance of evidence to support the allegation. This means that a review of the evidence shows whether the abuse and/or neglect was more likely than not to have occurred. An unsubstantiated finding does not preclude other consequences, including disciplinary action. 

 Why would an allegation of abuse and/or neglect be determined to be, “unsubstantiated”? 

 There might not be enough evidence to confirm the incident occurred, or to hold a person responsible for the incident. In the self-directed setting, it is also difficult to gather additional evidence because many things occur in the community where there are no cameras, no other ISSNY staff present, or no documentation such as a clinician to conduct a psychological exam to confirm psychological abuse. An unsubstantiated finding does not prevent other consequences such as employee discipline, additional supervision, training or other corrective measures. 

 Who makes the determination of the investigative findings? 

 ISSNY QA/CC department makes a final determination about whether the allegation of abuse and/or neglect is substantiated, or if a significant incident is “founded” or “unfounded”. The investigator submits the report to be reviewed by the Assistant Director of Compliance & QA as well as the Corporate Compliance Officer. The report is then submitted for review by ISSNY Senior Management. Subjects received an, “Introduction to Investigator Letter” at the introduction of investigation. At the close, the subject will receive a, “Letter of Determination/Investigatory Findings” from the QA/CC department. If the person was suspended, their continuing employment and or suspension release will be determined and communicated by the ISSNY People Services (HR) department. The ISSNY’s Incident Review Committee will review the incidents until the committee agrees there is no further follow up. Once the Incident Review Committee agrees, the investigator formally closes the incident. 

 APPEALS 

 In a certified setting, subjects of investigations under the New York State Justice Center are notified of their right to pursue the Administrative Appeals Process through court. 

 In ISSNY’s non-certified, voluntary operated setting, there are no appeals processes outlined in OPWDD regulation for abuse/neglect investigations because they are not under the Justice Center’s jurisdiction. 

 WHAT HAPPENS TO STAFF IF THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR AN ALLEGATION OF ABUSE/NEGLECT OR MISTREATMENT? 

 It is the discretion of ISSNY Senior Management to determine if suspension is warranted for each incident with the exception of physical and sexual abuse. If your staff are suspended, People Services (HR) will call to notify you and other families the subject works with. People Services (HR) will then notify the subject of his or her suspension and inform him or her not to make contact with any participants/families, pending outcome of investigation. 

 At the outcome of the investigation, People Services (HR) will determine if the staff can continue employment with ISSNY. It might be that your COS already terminated the staff from your SD plan, and that is okay too. ISSNY People Services (HR) and Senior Management’s employment decision will determine if the person can continue working with ISSNY in any capacity, if they are eligible for rehire, or if remaining employed, what disciplinary action is necessary. Staff who remain employed can expect re-training in a multitude of areas depending on the incident and its findings. 

 Although ISSNY is non-certified and does not operate under the NYS JC, ISSNY is required to check with the NYS JC’s Staff Exclusion List (SEL) before hiring staff. The SEL is not a public list. Only authorized individuals at agencies have access as a part of pre-employment screening. 

 FOR MORE INFORMATION/REFERENCES 

 Please see the Part 624 and Part 625 Handbook: https://opwdd.ny.gov/part-624-part-625-handbook 

 How can I report an incident? 

 

 Confidential hotline: 833-477-7287 

 QA/CC department email: qualityassurance@issny.org 

 Phone: 631-864-2536 extensions: 452, 453, 410, 417, 459 or 845-794-5218 ext. 334 

 

 

 

 Created 04/08/26.

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 two boxes: 

 Apply Here, 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 and Current Support Staff - I f you wish to explore additional employment as a Self-Hired Support Staff, email your resume to: opportunities@issny.org.   

 Be sure to include your contact information, available hours and areas you are willing to travel to. 

 By submitting your resume, you agree to allow Independent Support Services to post it for our Participants and their Circles of Support to review and contact you for an interview, as they are the ones recruiting for staff as part of the Self-Hire process. 

 All posted resumes will be removed upon hire or removed after 60 days. 

 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. 

 Job Seekers  

 Apply Here Click here if you would like to submit your resume for ISS participants to view 

 Participants / Circles of Support ISS is currently providing you with Fiscal Intermediary Services. 

 Updated 10/31/25.

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

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, 

 Select the participant. 

 Select the Documents tab. 

 Select the Plan Docs tab. 

 Click + Monthly Summary Notes . 

 Fill in Month/Year and Budget Group.

 Month/Year must be in the form MM/YYYY. 

 Budget Group is either ComHab or SEMP.

 Don't see what you're looking for? See Monthly Summary Notes FAQ . 

 

 

 Click View Draft to view a draft of the Monthly Summary Note.

 Learn more about Draft Monthly Summary Notes . 

 

 Click Next to complete the form. 

 Fill in all required fields.

 Only one Monthly Summary Note per month per Budget Group is allowed. 

 

 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

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

 From the home page, 

 
 Select a participant. 
 

 Select the Documents tab. 
 

 Select the Plan Docs tab. 
 

 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.

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: 

 Participant 

 Primary Contact 

 Parent/Guardian (if designated as an approver) 

 Family/Circle Contact (if designated as an approver) 

 Support Broker 

 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.