1. A. Supplemental payments will be made to licensed HCBS providers with a PCA module who support individuals currently receiving qualified waiver services who have complex medical and/or behavioral needs and are at a higher risk of institutionalization.

   1. 1. The integration of the supplemental payment provides additional funding to licensed HCBS providers with a PCA module who provide supports that focus on the prevention of deteriorating or worsening medical or behavioral conditions for individuals with complex needs.
   2. 2. The provider will be required to complete a screening tool and submit initial documentation as outlined in the program manual prior to qualifying for any supplemental payment. The supplemental payment will be re-evaluated annually to determine ongoing need per program requirements.
   3. 3. The PCA providers must be licensed home and community-based services (HCBS) providers with a personal care attendant module in order to receive the supplemental payment, in addition to the criteria listed in §13902 B.

2. B. Determination Process: A PCA provider can qualify for a supplemental payment if the individual currently receiving qualified waiver services has a complex medical and/or behavioral need.

   1. 1. Complex Medical

      1. a. Individuals must require at least two of the following non-complex tasks delegated by a registered nurse to a non-licensed direct service worker:

         1. i. suctioning of a clean, well-healed, uncomplicated mature tracheostomy in an individual who has no cardiopulmonary problems and is able to cooperate with the person performing the suctioning (excludes deep suctioning);
         2. ii. care of a mature tracheostomy site;
         3. iii. removing/cleaning/replacing inner tracheostomy cannula for mature tracheostomy;
         4. iv. providing routine nutrition, hydration or medication through an established gastrostomy or jejunostomy tube (excludes nasogastric tube);
         5. v. clean intermittent urinary catheterization;
         6. vi. obtaining a urinary specimen from a port of an indwelling urinary catheter;
         7. vii. changing a colostomy appliance;
         8. viii. ensuring proper placement of nasal cannula (excludes initiation/changing of flow rate;
         9. ix. capillary blood glucose testing;
         10. x. simple wound care (including non-sterile/clean dressing removal/application); or
         11. xi. other delegable non-complex tasks as approved by OCDD in accordance with LAC 48:1 Chapter 92 Subchapter D.

   2. 2. Behavioral

      1. a. The individual meets two of the following items:

         1. i. specific behavioral programming/procedures are required, or the individual receives behavioral health treatment/therapy and needs staff assistance on a daily basis to complete therapeutic homework or use skills/coping mechanisms being addressed in therapy;
         2. ii. staff must sometimes intervene physically with the individual beyond a simple touch prompt or redirect, or the individual’s environment must be carefully structured based on professionally driven guidance/assessment to avoid behavior problems or minimize symptoms; or
         3. iii. a supervised period of time away, outside of the individual’s weekly routine, such as work, school or participation in his/her community, is needed at least once per week; and

      2. b. the individual requires one of the following due to the items listed in Subparagraph a.-a.iii above:

         1. i. higher credentialed staff (college degree, specialized licensing, such as registered behavior technician [RBT], applied behavior analysis [ABA], etc.), who have advanced behavioral training for working with individuals with severe behavioral health symptoms or significant experience working with this population; or
         2. ii. the need for higher qualified supervision of the direct support of staff (master’s degree, additional certification, such as board certified behavior analyst [BCBA], etc.).
3. C. The supplemental payment is not allowed for waiver beneficiaries who do not receive individual and family support (IFS) services.
4. D. The supplemental payment may not be approved for waiver beneficiaries receiving IFS hours in addition to 12 or more hours of skilled nursing per day.

Authority Note

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 36:254 and Title XIX of the Social Security Act.

Historical Note

HISTORICAL NOTE: Promulgated by the Department of Health, Bureau of Health Services Financing and the Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities, LR 46:1681 (December 2020), LR 48:1548 (June 2022).