NYSACRA

OMR CBC THIRD-PARTY CONTRACTORS FORM & UPDATE

OMR has issued a new form (OMR 108) that enables third party providers of services who contract with voluntary agencies or OMRDD to obtain OMRDD’s “Approved Provider” status for purposes related to the criminal history record check process.  In order to be eligible to be an Approved Provider the contract company or agency must either be 1) a transportation company or 2) a temporary employment agency.  You do not need to complete this form if your company or agency is certified or authorized by OMRDD to provide services, or has a contract with OMRDD to provide family support services or individual support services.  The new regs on CBC contract employees are not available yet, but will be published on October 1, 2005 as emergency regulations.  NYSACRA will distribute a copy of the final reg as soon as we receive it on or before October 1st.

This new form and process would eliminate the need for a provider agency to obtain and maintain the fingerprints of these contract employees; which the contractor as an Approved Provider would manage.  Please notify OMRDD if you employ third party entities immediately.  OMRDD still must be notified even if you do not have this arrangement.

If you haven’t already done so, please attend the last videoconference training available on the Background Check law on September 26th, at various locations around the State.  See OMR website at www.omr.state.ny.us for all online registration or Click Here to Register for just the CBC videoconference.  Click Here for a PDF copy of Form 108 or follow the links in the NYSACRA online News & Views issue at www.nysacra.org.

MEDICAID & OTHER CUTS DELAYED 

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) on Monday said it "would be absolutely wrong" for Congress to cut back on Medicaid services in order to reach the Bush administration's goal of reducing Medicaid spending growth by $10 billion over five years.  However, Frist -- speaking at a panel discussion sponsored by the bipartisan Alliance for Health Reform, for which he serves as vice chair -- said the desire to cut the program's annual spending growth from 7.4% to 7.1% must be weighed against the need to provide additional coverage to people who lost their health care as a result of Hurricane Katrina (Lipman, Palm Beach Post, 9/13).  Frist said Congress still should consider changes to Medicaid that would eliminate waste, fraud and abuse (CQ HealthBeat, 9/12).  Frist said Congress also should make state Medicaid and SCHIP programs "more flexible" to deal with future natural or manmade disasters and should address liability issues for health care volunteers.  In addition, Frist said Katrina has called attention to the need for better electronic health records because many paper records were destroyed in the hurricane (Heil, Congress Daily, 9/13).

Reconciliation Delayed

In related news, Frist and Senate Budget Committee Chair Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) on Monday announced that the budget panel would report its package of budget reconciliation recommendations by Oct. 26.  Frist, Gregg and other Republican leaders previously announced a two-week delay in order to focus on the aftermath of Katrina.  Frist and Gregg on Monday in a statement said the later deadline would "allow the Congress and committees to address the immediate concerns related to the recent hurricane and not be encumbered by budget reconciliation requirements in the near term."