Request for Services Procedures

The Request for Services (RFS) process represents a workflow the support coordinator should plan and prepare to follow before they draft the request.  The workflow is described by the following:

1. Preparation (planning) for crafting and submitting a request:

Before the support coordinator begins doing data entry for the request in USTEPS, they first should do a little homework.  That is, they should review the situation / circumstance in the person's life that justifies writing the request and work through the following list:

A. Review the list of services that could address the person's needs and select the one best suited for addressing them.  Then determine if the service is already on the plan or if it needs to be added brand new.

B. Review the intended code's criteria and documentation recommendations/requirements for new or existing services.  If the support coordinator believes the person's need should be addressed by a One-Time Purchase, then they should begin following the additional steps required to submit a request for one of the one-time purchase service codes.

C. Identify which documents in the person's case file (e.g. log notes, incident reports, imaged documents, the SIS, etc.) may be best suited for addressing each criterion.

D. Determine whether or not the new funding for the change should be ongoing or one-time.

E. Determine the rates, units, etc., for each service involved in the request.

2. Start the data entry process in USTEPS:

If the homework is fully completed, then the data entry experience in USTEPS will be clean and smooth.  However, if the support coordinator has not adequately researched the request, entering it in USTEPS will be difficult.  The data entry screens in USTEPS presume the support coordinator knows what they want to include in the request before they start typing.  

3. RFS Committee reviews the request:

A. After the request has been submitted, an RFS committee member reviews the request for completeness, accuracy, etc.

B. If the request is complete enough to warrant a decision, it is sent on for a final decision.

4. If the RFS involves a One-Time Purchase, the support coordinator should complete the steps associated with it after the Request is approved.