(a) Not less than
once every 12 months, the care coordinator shall submit a support plan, based
on the current needs of the recipient, the most recent assessment or interim
level-of-care review conducted under
7
AAC 127.030, and the level-of-care determination made
in accordance with
7
AAC 127.025. After an assessment or interim
level-of-care-review under
7
AAC 127.030, and after receiving the department's
notice that the recipient meets the level-of-care requirement under
7
AAC 127.025, the care coordinator shall
(1) inform the recipient regarding
(A) the care coordinator's relationship as an
employee of any provider certified under
7
AAC 127.050 or
7
AAC 130.220 and of any close familial relationship or
close business relationship with a home and community-based waiver services
provider, personal care services provider, or Community First Choice services
provider;
(B) the Community First
Choice services and other long-term services and supports available to the
recipient and the names of all providers that offer those services;
and
(C) the recipient's right to
free choice of providers, including the right to choose another care
coordinator to develop the recipient's support plan; the care coordinator shall
support the recipient in the recipient's exercising the right to free choice of
providers;
(2) consult,
in person or by electronic mail, telephone, or video conference, with each
member of a planning team that
(A) at a
minimum, includes
(ii) the recipient's
representative;
(iii) members
chosen by the recipient; and
(iv) a
representative of each provider certified under
7
AAC 127.050 or
7
AAC 130.220 that is expected to provide services to
the recipient, except that a provider of specialized medical equipment under
7
AAC 130.305, transportation services under
7
AAC 130.290, or environmental modification services
under 7 AAC 130.300 is not required to be
represented on the planning team; and
(B) includes the recipient's family members
or other persons that provide natural supports for the recipient, at the
request of the recipient or the recipient's representative;
(3) prepare in writing, in a
format provided by the department, a support plan that
(A) identifies the needs of the recipient for
specific services;
(B) identifies
the providers certified under
7
AAC 127.050 or
7
AAC 130.220 that are available to render services to
the recipient;
(C) identifies a
recipient backup plan in the event that Community First Choice services are not
available;
(D) identifies, for each
Community First Choice service and other long-term services and supports,
(i) the provider certified under
7
AAC 127.050 or
7
AAC 130.220 that has agreed to provide that
service;
(ii) the number of units
of that service;
(iii) the
frequency of that service; and
(iv)
the projected duration of that service; and
(E) includes an analysis of whether each
service and amount of that service is consistent with
(i) the assessment or interim
level-of-care-review conducted under
7
AAC 127.030 and the level-of-care determination made
in accordance with
7
AAC 127.025; and
(ii) any treatment plans developed for the
recipient;
(4) secure the signature, either in person or
electronically, of
(A) the recipient or the
recipient's representative to indicate that the recipient or the recipient's
representative
(i) agrees to the support
plan;
(ii) has been informed of any
relationship between the care coordinator and any provider certified under
7
AAC 127.050 or
7
AAC 130.220 and of any relationship described in
(1)(A) of this subsection; and
(iii) has been informed of the recipient's
right to free choice of providers;
(B) each provider representative indicating
the provider agrees to render the services as specified in the support plan;
and
(C) each individual on the
planning team to verily participation in the development of the recipient's
support plan; any disagreement among planning team members about outcomes or
service levels, or any suggestion by a team member that an outcome or service
level should be different than one established in the support plan, must be
documented and attached to the support plan; and
(5) submit the support plan and supporting
documentation to the department; unless the care coordinator has submitted to
the department written documentation of unusual circumstances that prevent
timely completion of the support plan, and the department has approved a later
submission date, the care coordinator shall submit the support plan not later
than
(A) 60 days after the date of the
department's notice to the recipient and the recipient's care coordinator that
the recipient meets the level-of-care requirement in
7
AAC 127.025;
(B) 30 days before expiration of the current
support plan year.
(b) The department will approve a support
plan if the department determines that
(1)
the services specified in the support plan meet the needs of the
recipient;
(2) each service listed
on the support plan
(A) is of sufficient
amount, duration, and scope to meet the needs of the recipient;
(B) is supported by the documentation
required in this section; and
(C)
cannot be provided under 7 AAC 105 - 7 AAC 160, except as Community First
Choice services under this chapter or home and community-based waiver services
under 7 AAC 130.
(c) The department will provide notice to the
recipient, the recipient's representative, and the recipient's care coordinator
that includes the department's approval or disapproval of specific services not
later than 30 business days after the department receives the recipient's
complete support plan.
(d) At the
request of the recipient for a change in the recipient's Community First Choice
services, the recipient's care coordinator shall
(1) prepare an amendment to the recipient's
support plan if
(A) a modification is
required to meet the recipient's needs because of a change of circumstances
related to the health, safety, and welfare of the recipient; or
(B) the recipient needs an increase or
decrease in the number of service units approved under (a) - (c) of this
section or in a prior amendment to the support plan;
(2) secure the signature, other in person or
electronically, of
(A) the recipient or the
recipient's representative to indicate that the recipient or the recipient's
representative agrees to the support plan amendment; and
(B) ii representative of each provider of
services that arc modified by the amendment indicating the provider agrees to
render the services as specified in the support plan amendment; and
(3) submit the support plan
amendment to the department not later than 10 business days after the dale of a
change in circumstances or a change in the number of service units needed,
unless the care coordinator has submitted to the department written
documentation of unusual circumstances that prevent timely completion of a
support plan amendment, and the department has approved a later submission
date,
(e) The department
will provide notification to the recipient, the recipient's representative, and
the recipient's care coordinator that includes the department's approval or
disapproval of specific services not later than 30 business days after the
department receives a complete support plan amendment.
(f) In this section,
(1) "close business relationship" means
(A) a five percent or greater ownership,
partnership, or equity interest in another provider described in (a)(1)(A) of
this section or its owner; or
(B) a
five percent or greater ownership, partnership, or equity interest in any other
business or commercial activity in which another provider described in (a)
(1)(A) of this section or its owner or administrator also has a five percent or
greater ownership, partnership, or equity interest;
(2) "close familial relationship" means a
relationship in which the care coordinator is
(A) the spouse, parent, sibling, or child of
(i) a provider described in (a)(1)(A) of this
section who is a natural person; or
(ii) an owner, administrator, or employee of
a personal care services provider agency, Community First Choice services
provider agency, or home and community-based waiver services provider
agency;
(3)
"owner" means a person having a five percent or greater ownership, partnership,
or equity interest.