November 8, 2005
I am writing in regard to concerns that have been expressed in recent months about VESID’s Unified Contract Services (UCS) contracts and related payments. I want you to know that we have heard your concerns and are in the process of making changes in our fiscal operations to address those concerns.
As you know, this year is the first year in which VESID competitively bid the UCS contracts, discontinued making any payments in advance of services provided, and brought many additional services and providers under the UCS umbrella. The changes were required in order to enable VESID to operate in compliance with the State Finance Law and other procurement requirements. Unfortunately, these changes have had unintended negative consequences for both our provider partners and for VESID.
In particular, the contracts were not fully in place before the start of the contract period and payments could not be made until the contracts were finalized. Additionally, no reimbursement could occur until the services were authorized, provided and reported by the provider vendor. Further required steps included vendor reports being recorded by the District Offices and reconciled by the Central Office. Given the complexity of the process, payments are being made later than in past years.
Certain circumstances that are resulting in UCS payments not yet being processed include:
Since this is a situation we wish to remedy to the fullest extent possible, VESID is taking several steps in order to provide our partner providers more timely payments for services provided under the UCS contracts. VESID contract staff are calling all UCS providers in these categories. Technical assistance is being given to these providers so that they know why no payments have been issued and what they need to do to ensure payments for services provided.
Beyond the issues resulting from the start-up of a new contracting process, VESID is seeking to simplify how UCS payments will be made in the future.
1. Effective with claims for payment for October 2005 services though the end of this contract year, payments will be made in the first instance based on the proper claim submitted to the Central Office, as soon as possible after that claim is received. The claim must consist of the NYS Standard Voucher and the summary report of services supported by the VR-370 Report for that month. Once the claim is processed for payment, the paid claims will then be reconciled to the VR-370 Report (using the Utilization Report) and any overpayments will be deducted from a future month’s payment. The actual VR-370 report which is used to report services provided for individual consumers must continue to be sent to the District Office(s).
2. A monthly UCS Contract Detail Utilization report, similar to the report used for Supported Employment, has been developed and will be distributed electronically to UCS provider partners for whom we have current email addresses. All providers had been previously requested to provide an email contact to facilitate communications.
3. Additional Guidelines for all UCS providers explaining the payment procedures will be distributed by the end of this month. Please note that previous Guidelines for completing the VR-370 report and the payment process were developed and distributed earlier this year. These Guidelines are posted on the VESID website at: www.vesid.nysed.gov/ucs/370.htm. The new Guidelines will be posted there as well.
4. Additional training and technical assistance will be provided for providers, as requested.
5. An on-line VR-370 Report is currently under development and should be in place for the contract year beginning July 1, 2006, with pilots in place during the end of the current contract year. This change will enable providers to complete the VR-370 Reports on-line, allow for an on-line verification by the District Offices, and result in payments being issued in a timely manner.
VESID is committed to preventing any interruptions in services for our consumers and any unnecessary delays in payments to our provider partners. Please be assured that VESID shares your concerns about the timeliness of contract payments and is aggressively working to eliminate delays. We are grateful for your continued support and cooperation and welcome your input as we make these necessary changes.
If you have questions about contract claiming and payment process, please contact the VESID Contract Unit at (518) 486-4706. If you have specific questions regarding the VR-370 Report, individual consumer authorizations and services delivered, please contact the local VESID district office. Liaison information for each district office can be found at the UCS website.
Sincerely,
Rebecca H. Cort
cc:
Edward Placke
Debora Brown-Grant
Bill Deschenes
Rosemary Johnson
Jack LaFrank