Memorandum
To: Mass Senior Care Members
From: Tara M. Gregorio, President
Re: Member Update: Employer Incentives and Supports for Hiring Work-Authorized New Immigrants; Secure Your Spot Today for Two New Webinars with MassHealth and Mass Senior Care
Date: October 17, 2024
Employer Incentives and Supports for Hiring Work-Authorized New Immigrants
Yesterday, as part of Mass Senior Care’s ongoing efforts to recruit new workers into long term care, we hosted a webinar on employer incentives and supports for hiring work-ready and work-authorized new immigrants. Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) Secretary Lauren Jones expressed her gratitude and commitment for the important services offered by senior living employers and confirmed that to date over 1,700 work-authorized sheltered residents had successfully gained employment in the Commonwealth. Frank Romano, President of the Essex Group and Mass Senior Care board member, shared his very positive experience with hiring work authorized new immigrants. The Essex Group has employed over 10 individuals in roles ranging from housekeeping to helping hands which is the precursor to becoming a certified nursing assistant. Frank described their employees as reliable, hard-working, and caring and the experience at Essex Group has been so positive they are hiring additional individuals from this pipeline.
The EOLWD has brought on additional employees to assist employers with the interviewing and onboarding process including translation assistance. The webinar provided information on the temporary authorized training tax credit for emergency assistance (TATTCEA) which is a $2,500 tax credit for each qualified job seeker that receives approved training from the employer. Other resources shared in the webinar include available funding for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) administered through the Commonwealth Corporation. Ronnie Millar, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Office for Refugees and Immigrants described ESOL training they have been providing to new immigrants living in the states emergency shelters. Over 125 individuals recently graduated from the ESOL program, with well over 1,000 enrolled. Please contact Sue Misiorski, VP of Workforce Development at Mass Senior Care if you are interested in hiring work-authorized new immigrants.
Secure Your Spot Today for Two New Webinars with MassHealth and Mass Senior Care!
Best Practices for Successfully Billing for Medicaid Nursing Facility Member Specific Billing Add-Ons: What All Facilities Should Know
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
10:00am – 11:00am
Via Zoom
Click Here to Register
Program Description:
To assist members in meeting the complex care needs of their patients, Mass Senior Care has worked with MassHealth to develop a program of specific Medicaid rate add-ons which are provided over and above the integrated base rate. These rate add ons are designed to promote access to specialized services in a nursing facility. Over the past three years, MassHealth has implemented 9 separate add-ons including: (1) Behavioral acuity $50 per day add-on, (2) SUD $50 per day add-on and $200 per day induction period add-on, (3) specialty services add-on for Ventilator Dependent, ALS and MS add-on programs, and the Member-specific add-on for residents with tracheostomy, (4) Temporary Respite Care add-ons, (5) Bariatric $300 per day add-on, (6) Acute Hospital Transitional Rate Add-On of $200 per day, and Medically Complex Cases negotiated rate add-on of up to $600 per day dependent on the Medicaid member’s care needs; and Homelessness Rate add-on of $200 per day.
To help facilities navigate the billing process for member specific add-ons, the MassHealth LTSS office will present an overview of the add on services, as well as review the steps for successful billing. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.
Presenters:
- Dayva Briand, Deputy Director of Institutional Programs, MassHealth Office of Long Term Services & Supports (LTSS)
- Jacqueline Fratus, Senior Manager of Institutional Programs, MassHealth Office of Long Term Services & Supports (LTSS)
- Mass Senior Care Provider Member
Target Audience: Administrators, Admissions, and Billing Staff
Best Practices for Filing Medicaid Applications:
Steps You Need to Know About MassHealth Nursing Facility Eligibility
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
10:00am – 11:00am
Via Zoom
Click Here to Register
Program Description:
This webinar will focus on practical measures to execute Medicaid eligibility determinations in order to establish Medicaid nursing facility eligibility timely. MassHealth representatives will provide a primer on the basics to file an application as well as identify the areas that are causing obstacles in the application filing and best practices to address them. Administrators and Business Office Managers should plan to attend this important program. This presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.
Presenters:
- Dayva Briand, Deputy Director of Institutional Programs, MassHealth Office of Long Term Services & Supports (LTSS)
- Jacqueline Fratus, Senior Manager of Institutional Programs, MassHealth Office of Long Term Services & Supports (LTSS)
- Lisa Schellhammer-Mansfield, Director of Accounts Receivable, Alliance Health Management Services
Target Audience: Administrators, Business Office Managers