Provider Approvals

Provider Approvals enable the support coordinator to connect a person to a specific provider using a service code.  

When a provider is awarded a contract by the Department of Human services containing one or more services DSPD is responsible for administering, DSPD works with the provider to determine which service code they intend to deliver.  Based on that feed back, DSPD creates a Provider Approval for each service (which specifies the rate the provider will be paid [unless it is a worksheet service] for delivering the service within a given time period).

After the approval is created, the support coordinator can load the provider in the PCSP on one or more of its supports.

Then, after the support is created, the support coordinator can go to the Provider Approvals screen in the PCSP and select the exact one the provider will deliver to the person.  After selecting the approval, they can go to the PCSP Budget screen where the approval data is used to build the service code's budget line.

Some service codes have more than one Unit Type (e.g. a Quarter Hour unit type and a Daily unit type).  If the service code has more than one Unit Type, the support coordinator should determine, in advance of loading the data in the PCSP, which one the provider will deliver to the person.

USTEPS presents all of the Provider Approvals available for use in the plan.  Consequently, two different sets of Provider Approvals may be available depending on when the PCSP started.  For example, if a rate change occurred at the beginning of the state's fiscal year, USTEPS will display all of the Provider Approvals that were open when the plan started at the old fiscal year rate along with all of the new approvals newly created at the beginning of the new fiscal year.  The decisive factor controlling which approval to use (e.g. the old one closed for June 30th and the new one open for July 1st) is the date the service is supposed to start in the PCSP Budget.  If the service starts before June 30th at the old fiscal year rate, then the support coordinator must select the approval that closed for June 30th.  However, if the service starts on or after July 1st, then they must select the approval opened for July 1st at the new fiscal year rate.