Specifications include, but are not limited to: 1. Rep payees serve consumers/beneficiaries through spending benefits to help create stable living environments for the consumer/beneficiary and ensure their basic current needs care are met. a. They provide those services in a manner compatible with consumers/beneficiaries’ benefits, cultural health practices and preferred language. b. They employ a welcoming, empathic and integrated approach to working with consumers/beneficiaries with co-occurring substance abuse and mental illness. c. To the extent possible, the successful Bidder shall: 1. Help motivate a consumer/beneficiary to work toward more independent living; 2. Support the consumer/beneficiary in his or her therapy and rehabilitation; and 3. Encourage the consumer/beneficiary to improve his or her relationship with family members. 2. The rep payee shall provide the Division’s Quality Management program with a written record of sentinel events, incidents, grievances, and appeals and efforts to address the situation and improve services onsite. 3. The rep payee is required to comply with all Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) requirements. The rep payee shall describe how it protects confidential information. It shall not use or disclose patient health information (“PHI”) in any manner that is not in full compliance with HIPAA regulations or with the laws of the State of Delaware. It shall maintain safeguards, as necessary, to ensure that PHI is not used or disclosed except as provided by the contract or by law. It shall not use or further disclose PHI for any purpose other than the specific purposes stated in Division contracts or as provided by law and shall immediately report to Division any use of disclosure of PHI. 4. Written consumer consent shall be obtained for individuals and services funded by the Division including: a. Consent to release information by Division-funded service providers as needed for continuity of care or for transition to another service provider, including after-care services; b. Consent for claims to be submitted, on behalf of the consumer/beneficiary, for reimbursement or third party billing; c. Other consent documents as needed or as may be required by federal or State of Delaware law or regulation. 5. Rep payees must: a. Assist the primary service provider or develop an initial budget with each consumer upon starting the Representative Payee program. This shall establish a guide to allow consumers/beneficiaries to practice good money management skills. Budgets shall be re-visited and adjusted each time there is a change in each consumer/beneficiary’s financial situation (e.g., rent increase/decrease, benefit increase/decrease, etc.) All contacts and changes to budget must be documented. b. Develop and implement a procedure that will allow for the timely disbursement of funds for expenses that each consumer/beneficiary’s treatment team has determined to be urgent. c. Conduct routine consumer satisfaction surveys for Representative Payee program and making ongoing program modifications in concert with DSAMH. d. Meet with consumer/beneficiary regularly (and document) based on his or her needs: 1. Create and review the established budget with the beneficiary, explain expenses, and advise of any large retroactive payments. 2. Help the consumer/beneficiary access needed services and complete any applications necessary. 3. Assist the consumer/beneficiary with receiving medical treatment, as needed. 4. Negotiate with landlords and others, as well as involve consumer/beneficiary in financial decisions. 5. Help consumers/beneficiaries file income tax returns. e. Keep written records of all payments received from the United States Social Security Administration and how they are spent and/or saved.
