Date of Activity
Friday, 03/27/2020
Time of Activity
10:00 AM
Location
State Office Building, Lower Level Conf. Room A
301 Centennial Mall South, Lincoln, NE
Location accessible to handicapped
Details
The purpose of this hearing is to receive additional comments on proposed changes to Title 471, Chapter 12 of the Nebraska Administrative Code (NAC) – Nursing Facility Services. These regulations govern nursing facility services provided by enrolled providers to eligible clients under Nebraska’s Medicaid program. The proposed changes align with current agency processes. The proposed changes remove duplicate statutory and inconsistent language in the regulations and ensure the chapter complies with the State Plan, other regulatory chapters, federal law, federal regulations, and current practices. Regulations were modified to comply with Neb. Rev. Stat. 71-2097 to 71-20,101 to provide conditions for Civil Money Penalty funds. Regulations pertaining to the rate at which providers are compensated was removed from these regulations to provide the Department with greater flexibility in the setting of rates. A new process for public hearing and public comment was introduced to give interested parties a chance to be heard in the future upon proposed changes to rates. Changes were made to clarify the distinction between specialized add-on services and other specialized services. Language related to intermediate specialized services was reintroduced. Language related to services for long term care clients with special needs was reintroduced. Changes to level of care assessments were reverted. Changes made to children’s level of care were reverted. The timeline for a level of care evaluator to make their evaluation was changed from three business days to 48 hours. Clarifications were made throughout that the “resident assessment” must utilize the “minimum data set.” Minor changes were made throughout to provide more consistent language.
Phone call information: 888-820-1398; Participant code: 3213662#
Due to the current public health crisis, the agency will be enforcing the Centers for Disease Control’s recommendation on the size of gatherings. The public hearing will be limited to eight (8) in-person attendees. In order to encourage participation in this public hearing, a phone conference line will be set for any member of the public to call in and provide oral comments.
Interested persons may provide verbal comments by participating via phone conference line by calling 888-820-1398; Participant code: 3213662#
Interested persons may provide written comments by mail, fax, or email no later than the day of the hearing to: DHHS Legal Services, PO Box 95026, Lincoln, NE 68509-5026, (402) 742-2382 or dhhs.regulations@nebraska.gov, respectively. Any written comments will be part of the record and will be considered.
