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Health Care Authority Updates for Mi Via Advisory Commiee (MVAC): 07/25/2024
As many of you are aware the Developmental Disabilies Supports Division (DDSD) is now
part of the Health Care Authority (HCA). This change became effecve July 1, 2024. There are
no changes or interrupons to the services we provide to Mi Via Parcipants and Families.
1. The Mi Via Unit Team:
• Program Manager: Elaine Hill
[email protected], 505-506-6103
• Program Coordinator: Krystal Armijo
Krys[email protected], 505-252-3087
• Program Coordinator: Anthony Bonarrigo
Anthony[email protected]v, 505-709-7410
• Program Coordinator: Alicia Otolo
Alicia.Ot[email protected], 505-218-1119
*We are in the process of hiring at least two more Mi Via Program Coordinators.
2. Making the Service and Support Plan (SSP) Beer-Tell Us What You Think!
DDSD is seeking to revise the SSP document to make it more accessible, user-friendly, and
person-centered. A Smartsheet link is below to provide any recommendaons you may have for
making the SSP beer:
hps://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/85e9f283a262428ea003988fcc15c286.
Claudia Rice, DDSD Research & Policy Analyst, met with Althea and 7 other MVAC members to
collaborate and discuss the SSP format. (Feedback included.) We have included the feedback
received from this group and will include with all other input we have received.
3. NEW: Client Rights, Grievance and Reporng Form:
• Nofy parcipants of their rights
• Idenfy how to report abuse, neglect and exploitaon
• How to file a grievance with DDSD
• Effecve July 1, 2024
• This form is available for all Mi Via Parcipants and Families, and you can request one
from your Consultant.
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4. Mi Via Renewal:
The Mi Via Waiver, which promotes self-direcon, best pracces, and ensures connuous
quality improvement is due to be renewed with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
(CMS) for another five (5) year cycle on October 1, 2025.
We want to hear from YOU! Now is the me to provide us with your input and
recommendaons to improve the Mi Via Waiver. What is working? What enhancements would
you like to see in self-direcon? What ideas do you have to beer meet the needs of people
with intellectual and developmental disabilies? Please share your suggesons at:
https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/a4832f2de8804b3eb4b22118821a3bf1
Below are waiver renewal items the State is focusing on. For more informaon on these topics,
please aend one of our in-person town hall meengs throughout the summer of 2024.
• Mi Via Waiver training compliance
• Abuse, neglect, and exploitaon informaon and requirements
• Rate increases
• Employer of Record (EOR) waiver service
• Employment outside the Individual Budget Allotment
• New Legally Responsible Individual, relave and guardian payment allowances
• Individual Budget Allotment increases
The Mi Via Unit will be hosng town hall meengs throughout the state to discuss waiver
renewal. Below you will find the dates and locaons:
a. Monday, August 5th – Albuquerque
5300 Homestead Road, NE Albuquerque NM 87110
Hozho Room 109 (Training Room)
9:00 am to 11:00 am
b. Tuesday, August 6th - Santa Fe
Harold L. Runnels Building (Auditorium)
1190 S St. Francis Dr. Santa Fe, NM 87505
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
c. Friday, August 9th – Farmington
Sycamore Park Community Center
1051 Sycamore Street, Farmington NM 87401
11:00 am to 1:00pm
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d. Monday August 12th – Taos
Virtual Link: Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 291 036 187 208
Passcode: YQCbXL
Dial in by phone
+1 505-312-4308,222614592# United States, Albuquerque
Find a local number
Phone conference ID: 222 614 592#
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
e. Wednesday. August 14th – Roswell
DDSD Southeast Regional Office
726 South Sunset, Suite B, Roswell, NM 88203
3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
f. Thursday, August 15th – Las Cruces
CYFD Protecve Services
2805 Roadrunner Pkwy, Las Cruces, NM 88011
11:00 am to 1:00 pm
g. Friday August 16th – Virtual Sessions: Links will be provided
• 9:00 am to 10:00 am - Albuquerque, NM
• 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm - Gallup, NM
• 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm - Santa Fe, NM
5. Current Waiver Amendment
A Mi Via Waiver amendment is currently available to view and provide public comment on. This
amendment includes the rate recommendaons from the 2023 Public Consultant Group Inc,
final report.
A public hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, at 9:00 a.m., Mountain Time (MT). The
conference call toll-free number is: 800-747-5150, Access Code: 0440241.
The waiver amendments are available on the HSD website at hps://www.hsd.state.nm.us/public-
informaon-and-communicaons/opportunity-for-public-comment/public-noces-proposed-
waiver-changes-and-opportunies-to-comment/comment-period-open/.
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6. Gross Tax Receipt Outside the Budget:
The Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) is currently included in the cost of services for Mi Via parcipants.
By removing the cost of the GRT outside of the Individual Budgetary Allotment (IBA)
parcipants will have more money available to spend on purchasing services.
• HSD is working with FOCoSOnline to implement this change and ensure an area in the
system where the GRT will be accounted for, and codes will need to be created for the GRT
billing purposes’
• The ancipated effecve date of this will be the end of summer 2024. More informaon
on this is to follow.
7. Individual Budgetary Allotment Increase and Addional Funding:
Individual Budget Allotment amounts have been increased to accommodate increased rates
that have occurred over the last few years. The effecve date was for submissions (not SSP
dates) beginning July 1, 2024 forward.
Here’s what you need to know.
• The FOCOS Online system has been programmed with the increased IBA amounts to be
effecve July 1, 2024.
• Nothing needs to be done by the parcipant, Employer of Record or consultant to
access the increased IBA.
• If rates are re-negoated by parcipants and/or employer of records, the usual process
must be followed and any vendor or employee agreements in place will need to be
updated and submied to the Conduent.
• As of July 1, 2024, all Addional Funding (AF) will be reviewed at inial and renewal of budget
and parcipants must meet one of the AF criteria located in the New Mexico Administrave
Code (NMAC) and Service Standards. A leer of direcon (LOD) has been issued to the TPA.
8. DDSD Webpages Have Moved
• 1. Please find us here: Home - New Mexico Human Services Department (nm.gov).
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• 2. Click on Looking for Assistance
• 3. Find all DDSD Pages on le side Navigaon bar
9. Legally Responsible Individual (LRI) Informaon Form
• Submit as an aachment using the link on the form.
• Form and Q&A are in CM toolkit on new webpages: DDW - Service Planning and Budgets
- New Mexico Human Services Department (nm.gov)
10. New Edions (NE) Consulng Inc. will be conducng onsite visits in New Mexico in
September 2024.
The New Edions visits are an opportunity for our federal partners to visit with some of our
waiver recipients to see a “day-in-the-life” and observe whether the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS) Final Rule: Home and Community Based Services Sengs
Requirements are actually in effect.
HCA Medical Assistance Division and Developmental Disabilies Supports Division will be
sending leers to families who will be visited in advance, so they have a beer understanding of
the purpose, expectaons, etc.
11. Next batch of allocaons were released on June 24, 2024.
DDSD is ancipang 500 new people entering the waiver system.
12. The CMS Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services Final Rule has been passed!
Main Elements of the rule:
• Person-Centered Planning
• Grievance in Fee-for-Service Systems
• Crical Incident Management Systems
• HCBS Payment Adequacy and Transparency
• HCBS Quality Measure Set
• Access Reporng (Waitlist Reporng)
• Standardizaon of HCBS Reporng Requirements and Transparency
• Medicaid Advisory Commiee and Beneficiary Advisory Group
13. Direct Care Workforce (DCW) Technical Assistance Iniave
New Mexico was selected for Direct Care Workforce (DCW) Technical Assistance Iniave.
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New Mexico is one of 20 accepted applicant states for a technical assistance iniave, delivered
by the Administraon for Community Living’s Direct Care Workforce (DCW) Strategies Center.
Stakeholders from the developmental Disabilies Supports Division (DDSD), New Mexico
Department of Aging and Long-Term Services, Human Services Department, Department of
Workforce Soluons, and New Mexico Caregivers Coalion will receive 250 hours of
personalized assistance to explore workforce problems and examine caregivers needs.
Naonal subject maer experts from the DCW and their partners Advancing States, Naonal
Associaon of State Directors of Developmental Disability Services, and the Naonal Associaon
of State Medicaid Directors will assist in creang soluons to the most pressing workforce
issues.
DDSD will ulize the iniave to enhance and strengthen caregiver workforce recruitment,
training, and retenon strategies