First Steps Listserv

Subject:  Procedures for Reinstating Authorizations

Source:  Joyce Jackman, Coordinator Early Intervention Services

Intended Audience:  SPOEs, First Steps Team, Service Coordinators and Consultants

Date:  February 8, 2007 

The following procedures address the reinstatement of authorizations after a family brings their FCP account current: 

1)   Service coordinators will need to rely on the family informing them when payment of past due FCP amounts has been completed with the CFO.

2)   To verify receipt of the payment by the CFO the service coordinator will need to open the “Suspended Services List” on their home page and find the applicable child.

3)   Select “Detail” by the child’s name.

4)   Go to the “A/R Account” tab and total the amounts due from the “Aging Balance Section” in the middle of the screen.  Use ONLY the amounts showing in the “>30”, “>60”, “>90” or greater columns.

5)   At the bottom of this screen, click on the “Transaction History” button and look for payment dates after the 27^th of the previous month or after the date on which you suspended services. 

6)   A single payment or multiple payments totaling the amount you calculated in step 4 above will show on this screen, if the CFO has received and processed the payment.

7)   Until you verify that the payment(s) have been received, do not reinstate services.  Families must bring their account current in order to have services reinstated.  Current is defined as all monies owed 30, 60 and 90+ days.  The amount in the “Current” column is due for the current month and is not considered to have aged for this purpose.

8)   Once payment is verified, move to the “Suspend/Reinstate Services” tab.  Click on the “Reinstate Services” button at the bottom of the screen.  This will reopen all authorizations and providers may begin scheduling services for the child.  Service Coordinators will need to contact each provider to inform them of the reinstatement of the authorization and to determine if that provider still has availability to see the child.  If the provider no longer has open time, an alternate provider will need to be chosen and the provider changed on the authorization. 

The CFO is working to add e-mail notification to the service coordinator when a family’s account is current and reinstatement of services can be completed.  They also plan to generate an e-mail to the providers regarding the reinstatement of the authorization.  Currently neither of these e-mail processes is in place; therefore, the procedures outlined above will need to be used.