It’s no secret that schools across the nation depend on government funding to provide quality education and services to all students within their districts, and government programs are in place to help soften the financial burden. In our state, the Ohio Medicaid Schools Program (MSP), a joint program between the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and the Ohio Department of Education, helps districts provide nursing, occupational, physical and speech therapy and other services to eligible students by providing matching funds for Medicaid eligible services provided by qualified medical practitioners. Unfortunately, some Ohio school districts have learned the hard way that mistakes on a student’s Individualized Educational Program (IEP) document can be costly.
If your district provides qualified services to eligible students, make sure you and your administration is well-versed in the rules and regulations in place to ensure that you receive the funding your district deserves. Here are three common mistakes school districts make on their agreed upon procedures (AUP) report and how to avoid them.
Mistake 1
The student receiving qualified services (i.e. occupational, physical, speech-language pathology therapy, audiology, nursing or mental health services) did not have an effective IEP when the service was provided.
Solution: Make sure you have an effective IEP in place for everystudent receiving qualified services.
Mistake 2
The student’s IEP did not state the specific service that was provided or didn’t identify the amount, duration and/or frequency of the provided service.
Solution: Check (and double check) that you have listed the specific services the student is or will be receiving in Section 7 of the student’s IEP and remember to include including amount, duration and frequency of the services.
Mistake 3
The IEP doesn’t include a signature of a qualified practitioner within the field of service being provided.
NOTE: The qualified service practitioner must provide a physical signature on the student’s IEP every year, even if they did not attend the IEP meeting. The Ohio Administrative Code outlines additional requirements that school districts MSP’s must meet before they will be reimbursed.
Solution: Have a qualified therapist, within the field of services to be provided, sign off on every student IEP every time one is completed or revised.
The only way to ensure that your school district remains compliant and receives a clean AUP report – and Medicaid reimbursement – is to pay close attention to your Individualized Educational Program documents – and to make certain all information is complete, correct and current. Stay on top of your Medicaid School Program responsibilities. Email Rea & Associates for more information.