Georgia Association of Homes and Services for Children 

To All Out-Of-Home Child Placing Agencies,

 

In working through the RBWO placement programs, we identified that the established programs (Traditional / Base WO / Max WO) were insufficient to adequately cover limited numbers of clients with extraordinary needs. Consequently, partnering with several CPA providers, we have designed three (3) specialty placement programs for limited numbers of high needs children.

 

The programs will be referenced as 1) Specialty Base Watchful Oversight (SBWO), 2) Specialty Maximum Watchful Oversight (SMWO), and 3) Specialty Medically Fragile Watchful Oversight (SMFWO).  Placements into one of these three (3) programs will be heavily scrutinized, with the DFCS Provider Relations group ensuring that all assignments meet the established stringent criteria/requirements.  All waiver requests received to-date are being reviewed and those clients identified as qualifying for one of the newly designed programs will be placed in same effective with the July 1st transition.  The Provider Relations group is working diligently to finalize the review before the end of the June so they can communicate the reassignments and approved waiver amounts.

 

Reimbursement rates for the new programs are reflected in the chart below.  While the reimbursement rate for the provider will be a fixed program per diem, the payment to the foster parent will be handled in a parallel fashion to the Base WO and Max WO programs.  The fixed payment to the foster parent will remain directly tied to the child's age.  Any reimbursement to the foster parent above and beyond the fixed "by age" rate must be requested via the waiver process.  The Provider Relations group will review each waiver and authorize same as appropriate.

 

The linked Word document outlines the criteria/requirements associated with each of the three (3) programs.  Please read through same thoroughly.  If you have any questions concerning these new programs, please e-mail liladd@dhr.state.ga.us. 

 

We sincerely appreciate the cooperation of the providers who joined hands in this endeavor.  As we move forward in the new RBWO arena, we may find it again necessary to address unique client populations.  In this vein, we remain committed to partnering with the provider community to address issues jointly.

 

Rich