New York State OPTS Update as of April 27, 2005
NYS OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE THROUGH SERVICES
April 27, 2005
News from the OPTS Admin Unit (#4-2005)
1. OPTS Questions
2. Proposal Status Report as of 4/27/05
3. Proposal Pointers
4. Service Coordinator Training on NYS OPTS
5. OMRDD Web Page – new OPTS information
6. Electronic Transmission of NYS OPTS Application and Key Information
7. Additional Brief Descriptions of Approved Proposals
8. Information Sharing
9. Why You May Receive Multiple Copies of this Message
1. OPTS Questions
The phone number for the OPTS Admin Unit is (518) 408-2744.
E-mail addresses are:
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OPTS questions can be sent via e-mail to
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Questions of general interest will be included in a “Frequently Asked Questions” listing being compiled.
OPTS proposals must be submitted electronically through the OMRDD Secure Message Center to
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Information on the NYS OPTS Initiative is available through the OMRDD Home Page: www.omr.state.ny.us
Select button for - Information for Providers
Select link for – Options for People Through Services
OPTS Admin Changes:
Charlene Diehl left the OPTS Admin Unit April 21st to accept a promotional opportunity. We wish her the best but will miss her technical assistance in maintaining the electronic files of OPTS proposals.
Bob Murphy will continue as Central Office Liaison for those proposals he has been involved in, but he will now concentrate on coordinating DDSO State proposals.
2. Proposal Status Report as of April 27, 2005
Proposals Received 131
Proposals Complete 113 a
Health Checks Complete 113 b
Consumer Verifications Complete 70 c
Team Review Meetings Held/Scheduled 71 d
Awaiting Scheduling of Team Review Meeting 0
Recommended for Approval, In process 5
Proposals Approved 17
Implemented 3 e
Number of Proposals “On Hold” 18 f
Number of Proposals “Not OPTS” 21 g
a – Contact telephone numbers required as part of the OPTS Application. View the OPTS Application, including the Budget and Roster (Microsoft Excel document) through the OMRDD Home Page (specifics given in #1 above).
b – Three proposals have been unsuccessful in completing the Health Check.
c – Several proposals have “completed” the consumer verification step, but have been put “on hold” due to insufficient participation by the consumers, families and/or advocates. Seven proposals have been unsuccessful in completing the Consumer Verification.
d – Several proposals have been reviewed twice, the initial review and then upon receipt of supplemental information from the not-for-profit provider.
e – Payments continue to be processed on a monthly basis under the Interim Payment Process.
f – A non-profit provider may be asked to prioritize their proposals when they have multiple proposals submitted, this category includes proposals non-profit providers designate as a low priority.
g – Proposals determined “Not OPTS” are either services OMRDD is not authorized to provide, have already been approved for implementation outside of OPTS, or the non-profit provider has withdrawn.
3. Proposal Pointers
(1) Individual Profiles – During the review of an OPTS proposal, team members try to determine whether the proposal will “maximize opportunities for individual choices through person-centered planning” – the first guiding principle. The clearest way for the team to see this is when individual profiles are included describing a sampling of the individuals and how the proposal will impact each individual. Other review questions considered during the review of a proposal include: Are the principles of person centered planning being applied in this proposal? Is the provision of individualized services evident in this proposal? The Program Narrative should include individual specific descriptive information so team members can answer these questions.
(2) Evaluation Component – The Required Evaluation Elements OMRDD expects in every proposal can be viewed through the OMRDD Home Page, Information for Providers, Options for People Through Services, Pilot Proposal Evaluations. Questions considered during the team review include:
Does the narrative describe consumer benefits?
Are personal outcomes for consumers specified and measured?
Is consumer satisfaction measured?
Is the evaluation period identified?
Is there a timeline for the evaluation activities?
Does the proposal state how data (for evaluation) will be collected?
Is there a control group or a pre-and post-measure group?
Will there be interim reports?
Is there evidence of a pilot evaluation committee?
The evaluation component of the application should provide sufficient descriptive information for the team members to answer the above questions. This should include identifying the expected “partners” who will be part of the pilot evaluation committee.
(3) Property and Budget – The budget template has been modified since the initial invitation from Commissioner Maul to submit proposals. We encourage all not-for-profit providers to check the Budget and Roster for NYS OPTS Proposals (Microsoft Excel document) available through the OMRDD Home Page (see link information in #1 above) for the most current version before a proposal is submitted. If the most current version of the budget template has not been used when a proposal is submitted, the not-for-profit provider will be asked to resubmit budget on the most current version.
Note 3 on the Budget states “Do not budget for any P&E items that require prior property approval”. While, property and equipment (P&E) items that require prior property approval should not be shown on the budget, the Application, Part III Program Narrative, should include “where the service(s) will be provided”. In describing where the service will be provided, physical location (if known) should be identified with all other property information the not-for-profit provider has available. This could include proposed location, intent to lease or purchase, and/or features of the site being sought. If an existing site will be used, include information on needed improvements to implement the proposal, intended financing to be sought, and/or any existing restrictions on the site that could impact on implementation.
(4) Contact Phone Numbers – In October 2004 we began asking for contact phone numbers as part of the initial proposal review to facilitate completion of the Consumer Verification. In January 2005, the Participant Listing (part of the Budget and Roster available through the OMRDD Home Page, OPTS link mentioned above) was revised for a field to list the contact phone number for each proposed participant. The instructions asked not only for the phone number, but also an indication of whose phone number was being provided – consumer’s (C), family member’s (F), advocate’s (A), or Service Coordinator’s (SC). Few proposals have included this information, but one proposal provided excellent information in an Addendum, identifying the relationship of the contact to the participant (mother, employer, service coordinator, etc.), the contact person’s name and specific hours when the contact person could be reached at the phone number provided.
(5) Impact on Current Services – From the Program Narrative it is often difficult for the reviewers to determine if the proposal is an enhancement of existing services or new services, and what impact there will be to services the individuals are already getting. If the proposal is for a special day habilitation service for four individuals, the proposal should indicate the services the individuals are already receiving, if the funding for the services will be used toward the OPTS proposal, or if new funding for the OPTS proposal is sought so existing funding can be used to serve new individuals. If new individuals will be served, identify where they come from, e.g., aging out of school.
4. Service Coordinator Training on NYS OPTS
Two training sessions for Service Coordinators were held on March 22nd. Four additional sessions are scheduled, two May 18th and two July 13th. Information on the training sessions, is available through the OMRDD Home Page, www.omr.state.ny.us, select the Information for Providers button, then Catalog of Training and Development Programs (course G1791V).
5. OMRDD Web Page – new OPTS information
PRE-SCREENING AND PROPOSAL REVIEW SHEET
A complete copy of the Pre-Screening and Proposal Review Sheet used by team members during the team review meeting is available through the OMRDD Home Page (www.omr.state.ny.us, select button for Information for Providers, select Options for People Through Services, then Pre-Screening and Proposal Review Sheet (Microsoft Excel Document).
INTERIM REPORTING QUESTIONS
The Interim Reporting Questions developed by the Statewide Evaluation Committee can now be accessed through the OMRDD Home Page (www.omr.state.ny.us, select button for Information for Providers, select Options for People Through Services, then Interim Reporting Questions). Each not-for-profit provider who implements a pilot proposal is expected to initially answer the Interim Reporting Questions six months after implementation.
6. Electronic Transmission of NYS OPTS Application and Key Information
When individuals are granted access to the Secure Message Center for OPTS, the first electronic transmission they receive from OMRDD now includes:
(1) The NYS OPTS Pilot Application
(2) The NYS OPTS Budget Template
(3) The NYS OPTS Budget Instructions
(4) The Pre-Screening and Proposal Review Sheet
(5) The Required Evaluation Elements
Transmitting the Pre-Screening and Proposal Review Sheet and the Required Evaluation Elements in the electronic package is intended to provide a better understanding of what is expected to be included in each proposal.
We continue to encourage individuals who have been granted access to the Secure Message Center to check their accounts periodically for messages.
7. Brief Description of Approved Proposals
OPTS #20 for 12 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) = Blended Prevocational and Supported Employment Services (Blended PS)
- This proposal was developed for a group of individuals who have the potential to succeed in competitive employment but who require intensive and continued supports. Some of these individuals have proven unsuccessful in traditional supportive employment, and others will be offered supported employment for the first time. All of the individuals and their families/advocates have expressed a desire to pursue employment, and will use this pilot to try to obtain this goal.
OPTS #80 for 4 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) = Supportive IRA Residential Habilitation
- Four young women will be given the opportunity to live in apartment housing among other college students. A “friendly neighbor” college student will have an apartment in the building to offer support. The women will be able to participate in college activities such as sporting events, use the library, eat meals at the cafeteria, and take a non-credit course called Introduction to College Living where they will develop a portfolio documenting how their lives change through their college experiences.
OPTS #25 for 6 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) – Supervised IRA Residential Habilitation
- Several individuals reside in supportive community residences that barely meet their service needs and individuals in need of out-of-home placements will receive the services and supports they need through this pilot. Individuals who are declining to reside in available opportunities due to the minimal supports offered will also receive services through this proposal. This pilot will be initially implemented by converting the existing residences to a supervised IRA and having a vehicle available to increase community inclusion activities. Later the four individuals will relocate to a new home which will offer more opportunities for community inclusion, and two additional individuals will be served.
OPTS #79 for 33 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) – Supervised IRA Residential Habilitation
- Two existing 14 bed residences will be reconfigured through this proposal. Six homes, one a new construction where once an existing outdated convent stood, will be developed to serve the current 28 individuals plus 5 waitlist individuals. This pilot involves four well planned phases to minimize the disruption to the current individuals but will result in more modern, accessible homes that offer continued access to the community activities the individuals currently enjoy and participate in. One of the new homes will be developed as training apartments and have additional living space for overnight guests to facilitate increased visits with family and promote a stronger bond between parents and children.
OPTS #68 for 3 Individuals
OPTS Service(s) – At-Home Residential Habilitation
- Three middle aged sons reside at home with their aging parents. The parents recognize that they will not be able to care for their sons indefinitely, but the family has a desire to remain together in the home. The pilot plans for an increase to 24 hour care as the parents are no longer able to actively participate in the care of the sons and a live-in manager is needed to oversee the care of the sons. Since all of the sons care will occur at the home, be initiated at the home, or conclude at the home, this proposal will cover all HCBS Waiver services the sons need.
8. Information Sharing
We encourage you to share the information in this message with individuals who are interested in knowing more about recent activities associated with the NYS OPTS initiative.
9. Why You May Receive Multiple Copies of this Message
This message is being sent to individuals on several distribution lists. If you appear on more than one of the distribution lists being used, you will receive multiple copies of this message. This message is being distributed to:
OPTS Steering Committee
OPTS Consumer and Family Subcommittee
OPTS Implementation Subcommittee
OPTS Provider Subcommittee
FSS Statewide Advisory Committee
Provider Associations
Provider Council
Parent-to-Parent Liaison
Self Advocate Liaison
DDSO Directors
Central Office Leadership Team
DDSO and Central Office OPTS Point People/Liaisons
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