DHHS Communication Access Maximum Rates and Guidelines for DARS and DHHS Contracts with State Agencies
As of March 2, 2012
DHHS Communication Access Maximum Rates
FY 2012 – DHHS Communication Access Maximum Rates Changes (3/2/2012)
Definitions
Agency Assignment: – Requests given to an agency service provider for communication access services.
Agency Service Provider: – An entity with three or more Communication Access Service Providers (contract and\or employee) for direct services and has two or more office staff. Office staff must work a combined average of 30 hours a week or more performing intake, service coordination and invoicing services for the agency.
CART Provider: An individual who holds a current CART Certification Level 1 through Level V certificate of competency issued by the Texas Court Reporters Association or a current Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR), Certified CART Provider (CCP), or Certified Broadcast Captioner (CBC) certificate of competency issued by the National Court Reporter Association.
CART Services: Provision of on-screen displayed translation of the spoken word by a CART provider.
Communication Access Service: Interpreting, transliterating, and\or CART services.
Communication Access Service Provider: An individual who is a certified interpreter, a non-certified interpreter, or CART provider.
Day: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm weekdays.
Evening\Weekend: 5:00 pm – 8:00 am weekdays\5:00 pm Friday – 8:00 am Monday
Holiday: Those holidays when State Agencies are closed.
Hourly Fee: A fee charged for the provision of communication access services to be billed in fifteen (15) minute increments.
Individual\Small Business Assignment: -A request given to an individual\small business service provider for communication access services.
Individual\Small Business Service Provider: – An entity that does not qualify as an agency provider.
Interpreter: An individual who holds a current certificate issued by the DARS Office for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, Board for Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI) or a certificate of interpreter competency issued by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID).
Interpreting Services: Provision of voice to sign, sign to voice, gestural to sign, sign to gestural, voice to visual or visual to voice services for communication access.
Last Minute Request: Service requests made with less than 48 business hours in advance (2 business days) notice.
Non-Certified Interpreter: An individual who lacks interpreter certification but is able to interpret effectively, accurately, and impartially both receptively and expressively, using any necessary specialized vocabulary.
Out-of-Area Assignments: An assignment of more than 20 minutes of driving one way based on the shortest time determined by using either the shortest distance or shortest time as determined by Rand McNally (http://www.randmcnally.com). If an address cannot be located using Rand McNally, then Google Maps (http://maps.google.com) or Maps on Us (http://www.mapsonus.com) may be utilized.
Region: Rates are based either on the HHSC Region in which the services are provided or based on the HHSC Region in which the specific requested communication access service provider resides. There are 11 HHSC regions.
Regular Request: Service requests made with more than 48 business hours advance (2 business days) notice.
Specialty Request: Service request for trilingual or court interpreting services. If a request is made for 2 specialties the percentages, 1.5 for example, are added together and then applied to the appropriate Hourly Rate. For example. A Trilingual (certified) and Court (certified) interpreter is requested in Region 7. The interpreter has an Advanced certification. The hourly rate is determined by multiplying the hourly rate of $63 times (1.5+1.5) to = $189. If in the same situation the request was on a weekend the weekend hourly rate is $63 times 1.5 = $94.50 and then the specialty rate is determined by multiply $94.50 times (1.5+1.5) (for the specialties) for a total hourly rate of $283.50
Transliterator: An individual who holds a current interpreter certificate issued by the DARS Office for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, Board for Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI) or National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) verifying competency in either oral interpreting or sign-based communication system.
Transliterating Services: Provision of voice to sign, sign to voice, gestural to sign, sign to gestural, voice to visual or visual to voice services for communication access.
Guidelines
A 1.5 hour administrative fee for agency service providers or a 1.0 hour administrative fee for individual\small business service providers may be billed per communication access service provider requested per assignment and per day based on the pricing fee schedule for services provided. For services provided remotely, an administrative fee of .75 for agency service providers or .50 for individual\small business service providers may be billed.
Payment for services shall be paid at an hourly rate not to exceed the amount in the appropriate fee schedule based on the HHSC Region in which the services are provided or from the HHSC Region in which the specific requested communication access service provider resides. Reimbursement for per diem for overnight accommodations may be provided only with prior approval and shall be based on the State Employees Travel Allowance Guide.
Reimbursement for billable travel time incurred for out-of-area assignments may be provided only with prior approval and shall be based on the hourly rate charged in 15-minute increments for every 15 minutes of the total time driving to and from the assignment for the travel time considered as out-of-area. Point-to-point addresses of the communication access service provider must be provided as supporting documentation upon request.
Payment will include a one (1) hour minimum fee per communication access service provider requested. Service in excess of 1 hour must be billed in 15-minute increments. Service begins at the scheduled start time and must be consecutive. Lunch and dinner breaks shall not be calculated into the hourly total, up to one hour, unless the communication access service provider is requested to provide services during the meal. Payment will be made only for services performed, with the following exceptions:
If cancellation occurs or the communication access service provider is no longer needed within a period of less than 48 hours scheduled services may be billed.
If cancellation occurs or the communication access service provider is no longer needed within a period of less than 48 hours and the communication access service provider incurs travel costs, reimbursement for per diem and Out-of-Area fee in which prior approval was received may be billed.
Service requests of an hour or more in length, may require the use of more than one communication access service provider. In addition to the length of service, complexity of the assignment, number of consumers (deaf and hearing) for whom communication access will be provided are the leading factors to the need for secondary and possibly tertiary communication access service providers. Agencies will let the requester know prior to the service being provided on the needed number of communication access service providers needed.
Regular Day Hourly Rates for Agency Providers for which a 1.5 hour administrative fee may be billed. — When establishing the general maximum rates for agencies the following overhead costs are utilized: office space, employees who answer the phone for intakes and\or provide service coordination, 24-hour contact person for emergencies, employee benefits from minimal as required by law (federal withholdings, state franchise tax) to paid holidays, vacation and\or insurance, other insurance coverage such as error and omission (E&O) and\or general liability and interpreter\CART staff as employees versus contract. Less overhead costs could initiate negotiations for a lower than maximum rate agreement.
Regular Day Hourly Rates for Individual\Small Business Providers for which a 1.0 hour administrative fee may be billed.
Applied to Regular Day Hourly Rates (RDHR) – per Region and Level
Day – Last Minute – 1.5 times RDHR
Evening\Weekend – Regular – 1.5 times RDHR
Evening\Weekend – Last Minute – 2 times RDHR
Holiday – Regular – 2 times RDHR
Holiday – Last Minute – 2 times RDHR
Trilingual – (Non-Certified) – 1.10 times RDHR
Trilingual – (Certified) – 1.5 times RDHR
Court – (Certified) – 1.5 times RDHR
CART Rates for TCRA and NCRA CART Certified Providers for all Regions
On-site: One Provider: $130 per hour
On-site: Two Providers: $175 per hour
Remote: $100 per hour
Projector Fee (if used): $20 per hour (on-site only)
Unedited Transcript Fee (if requested): $10 per hour
More details can be found here:
http://www.dars.state.tx.us/dhhs/providers/casrates.shtm