LAC 50:XXI.1101. Introduction

A. The Department of Health (LDH) establishes these minimum standards for participation as a fiscal employer agent (F/EA). These standards provide the core requirements for financial management services provided under home and community-based services waiver programs administered by the Office of Aging and Adult Services (OAAS), the Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities (OCDD), and the Bureau of Health Services Financing (BHSF). B. LDH is responsible for setting the standards for F/EAs, monitoring the provisions of this Rule, and applying administrative sanctions for failures to meet the minimum standards for participation in serving employers/participants of the OAAS and OCDD-administered waiver programs. C. The F/EA provides financial management services for participants who are eligible for self-directed waiver services. Under this service model, the F/EA assists individuals with management of fiscal employment and/or budget responsibilities and will provide the employer/participant with current utilization information to ensure self-directed services are not exceeded beyond the prior authorization cap; processes employer-related payroll and necessary taxes on behalf of self-direction participants. The F/EA also verifies qualifications (e.g., background checks, exclusion checks, etc.) for employees hired by the employers. D. Medicaid-enrolled F/EAs providing financial management services at the time of OCDD and OAAS-administered waiver programs shall be required to meet the requirements of this Chapter.