Case Study: West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources (WVDHHR)

West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources (WVDHHR) Bureau for Medical Services (BMS)

The West Virginia Medicaid Aged & Disabled Waiver Program provides home and community based services to over 4,500 seniors and adults with disabilities who qualify for nursing facility level of care. PPL provides financial management and resource consulting services forWest Virginia Personal Options

In 2002,West Virginia received a Cash &Counseling Expansion grant from the RobertWood Johnson Foundation to implement a self-directed service model within the AD Waiver program. West Virginia was also selected to pilot the Consumer Direction Module (CDM), aweb-based application designed to support self-direction. The Bureau was looking for a single statewide contractor with a physical presence inWest Virginia to provide bundled financialmanagement and resource consulting services using a Government Fiscal/Employer Agent model. In 2006,WVDHHR amended its existing contract with Public Partnerships, LLC(PPL) parent company PCG to engage PPL’s services.

PPL took the following steps to implement the project:

• Established a local office inMorgantown,West Virginia to implement resource consulting
  (supports brokerage) services;
  
• Recruited and trained qualified staff and developed materials and processes to support AD
  Waiver participants;
  
• Entered into a teaming agreement with a national company to conduct criminal back
  ground checks on participant-employed providers;
  
• Customized business systems and processes to perform payroll services, accounts payable
  services, and customer services; and
  
• Customized information technology platforms to meet program requirements, including
  verification of provider qualifications.

Since the program’s launch inMay, 2007 PPL has:

• Enrolled over 350 participants
  
• Provided payroll for over 400 participant-employed providers;
  
• Provided leadership in development of the Consumer Direction Module (CDM);
  
• Provided data on individual budget utilization, purchasing, and access to services;
  
• Conducted a consumer satisfaction survey revealing over 97% satisfaction with Personal
  Options and PPL’s services;
  

   Co-presented with WVBMS at national conferences highlighting the program’s success.
“PPL’s expertise as a fiscal intermediary and PPL’s willingness to develop a state model for support brokerage services have contributed to the success of the Personal Options program…The Bureau appreciates PPL’s responsiveness in tailoring business systems and processes to support participant direction.”

Marcus Canaday, Program Manager
Home and Community-Based Services