Description

HCAF has been receiving quite a few questions from members regarding the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA)’s upcoming quarterly filing for the Home & Community-Based Services (HCBS) Enhanced Funding Program that is due on Tuesday, November 15. The limited guidance and non-detailed instructions leave both many licensed agencies and nurse registries with questions and unsure about how to file given their specific scenarios. 

HCAF and Saltmarsh, Cleaveland & Gund understand your uncertainties and the pressure you are under, and want to assist. We are planning an informal, online question and answers (Q&A) program with some general guidelines. We are planning to explore and address some specific, submitted-in-advance scenarios that we hope will be helpful to HCAF members with their own filings. Participants will also be able to submit questions to our speaker during the program. 

If you have questions about your filing, please forward those questions along with a copy of your submitted plan, your approval communications, and copies of any applicable screenshots and documentation that you think would help answer your questions. The more documentation and details you can provide in advance by the end of Thursday, November 10, the better. Please send these details to info@homecarefla.org. 

About HCBS Enhanced Funding Program

AHCA received approval from the Legislative Budget Commission for spending authority of funds received from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to support HCBS providers.

ARPA provides enhanced federal funding, for Medicaid HCBS, and certain behavioral health services, to support the state share of Medicaid spending. Florida received conditional approval to begin implementing the activities in the proposed spending plan and narrative on September 28, 2021. After receiving the necessary legislative approval to expend these funds, AHCA initiated the application process for eligible providers.

Florida is investing the enhanced funding to allow Florida health care providers to recruit and retain staff to care for the most vulnerable and bolster the ability of Floridians to receive care in a community-based setting. Florida’s HCBS programs serve the state’s aging population, as well as individuals with physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities.

Meet the Speakers

Andrew Kent, Esq., CVA, CHC
Healthcare Shareholder, Saltmarsh, Cleaveland & Gund 

Andrew Kent is a shareholder in the firm’s Healthcare Litigation & Dispute Advisory practices. He assists clients in the areas of reimbursement, compliance, operational consulting, complex litigation, and business valuation. Andrew holds the Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) and Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC) credentials, and has both a J.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Florida. Prior to joining Saltmarsh in 2010, he practiced law with one of Florida’s leading law firms.

Chris Biedal
Senior Healthcare Consultant, Saltmarsh, Cleaveland & Gund

Chris is a senior in the Healthcare Consulting practice of Saltmarsh, Cleaveland & Gund. His primary areas of focus include cost reporting, support in Medicaid and Medicare bad debt audits, Proof of Financial Ability preparation, process improvement, and data analysis. Chris has both a bachelor’s degree in Finance and in Business Analytics and Information Systems from the University of South Florida. Prior to joining Saltmarsh, Chris worked as a staff accountant for a large skilled-nursing facility chain where he prepared annual Medicare and Medicaid cost reports and conducted financial analyses for multiple facilities.