Name | Getting Started... Roles & Responsibilities |
Description | an Acumen Final video |
Thumbnail URL | https://embed-ssl.wistia.com/deliveries/e790ba39cd23d4de0... |
Embed URL | https://fast.wistia.net/embed/iframe/842wkzhxjv |
Duration | PT1630S |
Upload Date | 2017-03-24T16:34:25+00:00 |
Transcript |
Welcome and congratulations on
becoming an employer of record!
We are pleased to be your fiscal
agent and we look forward to
working with you and your
employees. This video training
series presents general
information to support and
assist you in your role as an
employer. NOTE: always check
with your program to verify
details of this information and
specifics of the law as they
apply to you. If you have
questions, please contact us.
This is the first module in
Acumen’s Employer Training
series: Getting Started in
Self-Direction – Roles &
Responsibilities! About
Self-Directed Services.
“Self-directed services means
that Participants, or their
representatives if applicable,
have decision-making authority
over certain services and take
direct responsibility to manage
their services with the
assistance of a system of
available supports.” NOTES: This
applies to Medicaid, as
applicable, and other funding
sources. Use of the term “you”
is inclusive and refers to the
Participant and/or designated
representatives. About Acumen.
You are in charge of your care.
With self-direction, you have
the authority and direct
responsibility to manage your
services. We’re here to help.
Since 1995, Acumen has supported
thousands of Participants,
across the nation, as their
fiscal agent, to help manage
employer-related financial and
other responsibilities! Welcome
to Acumen Fiscal Agent and
congratulations on enrolling as
an employer of record! We are
excited to be your fiscal agent
and we look forward to working
with you and your employees. You
may be new to the “employer of
record” concept and working with
a fiscal agent, so we created
the Employer Training Series.
This is the introductory video
to say hello and help you get
started. If you’ve worked with a
fiscal agent before, this
information explains some of the
terms we use through the series
and reviews the services and
supports that are available to
you. This video answers 4 key
questions to help you navigate
the self-direction process.
1)Who are the key players in my
self-directed program and what
are their roles and
responsibilities? 2) What are
some of the key terms and steps
in the process that I need to
understand? 3) How can I learn
more about being a successful
employer? 4) Who should I
contact when I need assistance?
There are several critical roles
that individuals play when
working together in a
self-directed program. It’s
important that you, as the
employer of record, are clear
about your role and the roles
and responsibilities of each key
player. Before we cover those
roles and responsibilities,
let’s briefly talk about some of
the terms or the lingo you will
hear and use throughout your
employer experience. Terms to
know.
Acumen – The Fiscal Agent that
helps you manage
employer-related
financial and other
responsibilities pertaining to
your self-directed services.
Authorization – Documentation
that specifies approved
services, service codes, and
number of units, hours, or
dollars for delivery of goods
and services included in the
Plan of Care. Case Manager –
Person assigned by the Program
to work with you and facilitate
details of your self-directed
program (a Case Manager may be
known by other titles, depending
on Program terminology).
Employee – Person who works for
you and provides services to the
Participant. Employer – Person
who hires and supervises staff
to provide services to the
Participant (the Employer may
also be the Participant). Fiscal
Agent – (Acumen) provides
payroll processing, tax
services, payments and other
administrative functions
authorized by the Program.
Participant – Person receiving
services authorized by the
Program (the Participant may
also be the Employer). Payment
Services – Payroll Services
(employee-related payments and
processing); Vendor Services
(vendor-related payments and
processing). Plan of Care – Plan
you create with your Case
Manager and team to determine
Participant needs and how to
meet them, based on the
Participant’s preferences,
choices, and abilities. It
assists the Participant in
directing their services. It
includes the number, type and
duration of approved goods and
services. Program Administrator
– Entity that manages the
Program and/or waiver funding.
Here’s how these work together:
The Case Manager - remember,
this person may be known by
another title in your Program,
works with you and the team to
create the Participant’s Plan of
Care. The Case Manager submits
the Plan of Care to the
appropriate Program
Administrator for approval.
There may be several levels of
approval required. Once the Plan
of Care is approved, an
Authorization is sent to Acumen
so we may begin processing
payments for services up to the
Program and Authorization
limits. That’s the big picture!
Now let’s look at key players’
roles and responsibilities in
more detail. Acumen is your
Fiscal Agent. Acumen is the
company hired to manage your
employer-related fiscal, that is
– financial, responsibilities as
an employer of record. There are
many aspects to our role and we
take them all seriously. First,
we will help you with
enrollments of the Participant,
employer and employee by
collecting all required
paperwork necessary for the
Internal Revenue Service (the
IRS), state and local taxing
authorities, and the Department
of Labor (or DOL). This includes
processing and tracking employee
background checks and training,
if applicable. Acumen also will
provide training and ongoing
support for you, as the employer
of record. Once you are
enrolled, Acumen will process
your employee payroll and
payments according to Program
guidelines. Acumen supplies the
upfront cost of the payroll,
taxes and deductions, and then
bills the Program for
reimbursement. For tax payments,
Acumen will comply with all
employer and employee tax
withholding and reporting
requirements on your behalf.
These include employee payroll
deductions, processing payments
for the employer and employee
taxes to state, federal and
local taxing authorities on the
employer’s behalf. Another
employer responsibility that
Acumen will handle on your
behalf is prepare and send W2s
to your employees and 1099s to
vendors and subcontractors, if
applicable. These tax documents
are a record of the money that
was paid to your employees and
vendors and/or subcontractors,
if your Program allows,
throughout the previous calendar
year. The forms are required
when these individuals file
their personal income taxes.
Acumen distributes the forms by
January 31st each year. Acumen
also manages reports and
tracking for you. Acumen will
track your spending and report
to you (the employer) and the
Program. At agreed-upon
intervals, Acumen will send you
an Account Statement that
reflects all spending and tracks
other important metrics. You
should review the Account
Statement carefully as soon as
you receive it to ensure your
employee(s) were paid as you
intended, and your account
details are accurate. Acumen is
also responsible to respond to
complaints and issues related to
payment problems and report them
to your Program, as required. As
the employer of record, it is
essential for you to follow your
Program rules. Acumen must also
report any suspected misuse of
funds. Acumen will respond to
Workers’ Compensation claims. In
the event of any on-the-job
injury, have your employee seek
medical attention, and then
contact Acumen to review and
report, and possibly begin a
claim process. Acumen will also
respond to unemployment claims
and verifications of employment
requests on your behalf. Acumen
uses our own money to pay your
support personnel upfront. Then,
we bill the state or Program for
reimbursement based on the
record of payments made to your
employees. Acumen does not
receive any funding in advance,
so we are not holding any of the
Participant’s money, at any
time. Acumen tracks all payments
we make on your behalf and then
bills the funding source for
reimbursement. That is why it is
crucial that all payments follow
Program guidelines; otherwise we
risk not being reimbursed for
services we have already paid to
your employees and will have to
bill you for uncovered program
expenses. That highlights
Acumen’s role. Let’s continue
with these frequently-used
terms. The Authorization is the
documentation that lists all
approved services, service
codes, and number of units,
hours, or dollars for delivery
of goods and services included
in the Participant’s Plan of
Care. The Case Manager plays an
essential role in many phases of
your self-directed experience.
To begin, the Case Manager
assists in helping to determine
Participant’s eligibility, the
goods and services that are
available to the Participant,
and how many dollars and/or
hours (or units) of service are
available. Once eligibility is
determined, the Case Manager is
responsible to work with you and
the team to create the Plan of
Care that spells out the type
and amount of services the
Participant will receive based
on his or her needs. The Plan of
Care also indicates how you
intend to use the services
throughout the year. Going
forward, the Case Manager is
also responsible to reassess and
evaluate any necessary changes
in the Plan of Care and provide
Authorization, and any
revisions, to allow Acumen to
make payment for those services.
The employee is a person who
works for you and provides
services and supports described
in the Plan of Care to the
Participant. The employee is
responsible to fill out and turn
in to you (the employer) all
their enrollment paperwork,
which includes agreeing to all
required background screenings,
if applicable. The Employee will
also provide the services as you
instruct. They will complete and
submit their time worked to you
for verification in a thorough
and timely manner. They are also
required to follow any program
rules, policies or procedures,
and complete training
requirements as you direct. As
the employer, you have many
responsibilities. The employer
is the person who represents the
Participant (or the client) by
handling the day-to-day business
matters of the account. The
employer may be the Participant
acting on his or her own behalf,
or a designated representative,
such as the Participant’s parent
or legal guardian. As the
employer, you are recognized by
the Internal Revenue Service
(the IRS) as a person who
employs workers and pays wages
in compensation. The employer
role comes with legal
responsibilities, including
reporting and paying employer
taxes. However, Acumen Fiscal
Agent helps you by managing the
financial pieces so you can
focus on your other employer
responsibilities. Other employer
responsibilities include
recruiting, hiring, supervising,
and terminating employees, and
establishing pay rates.
Employers ensure that all new
hire paperwork is complete and
turned in to Acumen to complete
the hiring process. Employers
keep and secure all employee
records (such as time sheets and
records, daily logs,
documentation, disciplinary
actions, etc.) Employers must
provide a safe work environment,
train and supervise the
day-to-day work of employees.
Employers review, approve, and
submit employee time records to
Acumen. Employers review Account
Statements from Acumen and
ensure they are correct.
Employers are responsible to
follow all Program and Medicaid
or funding source rules, making
sure to maintain Authorization
limits. Employers will review
Account Statements from Acumen
to ensure accuracy. The employer
must comply with all Department
of Labor (DOL) laws that
include: non-discrimination,
hiring only those individuals
who are legally authorized to
work in the United States,
paying at least minimum wage,
maintaining a safe and
harassment free workplace, and
displaying all employee resource
posters. These are posters
required by law to be displayed
in the workplace that notify
employees of their rights and
resources available to them.
Visit the Department of Labor
(DOL) website corresponding with
your state to find out which
posters to display. By taking on
the role of the employer, it is
your responsibility to be
familiar with current laws. This
responsibility includes that you
know and abide by Program, all
Medicaid, if applicable, and
funding source rules. Any
deviation from these rules may
result in the employer (you)
paying for services out of your
own pocket. For instance, if you
choose to schedule your
employees to work over your
authorized amounts, you are
legally responsible to pay your
employees for the time worked.
Budget your funds responsibly
and accurately so this doesn’t
happen. You must also ensure
that employees’ time is reported
accurately. We encourage you to
contact your Case Manager for a
complete list of Program
guidelines. As the employer of
record, you are responsible to
ensure your employees complete
any and all required training,
if applicable, in a timely
fashion and stay current on all
training and any required
renewals.The Participant is the
center of the self-directed
program. The Participant may
also be known as the client and
is the person who is receiving
services and for whom the Plan
of Care is designed and
approved. The Participant may
also be the Employer. We’ve
talked about key roles and
relationships. Whether you are
new to self-direction or a
seasoned pro, Acumen has
additional training resources
available to promote your
success as the employer. Let’s
take a look. Acumen Employer
Training Series - Module 1:
Getting Started in
Self-Direction: Roles and
Responsibilities. Module 2:
Interviewing and Hiring New
Employees will take you through
the recruitment and hiring
process. It includes how to
create a job description and how
to post jobs. It reviews tips
for better interviewing and
highlights things you should
know about equal opportunity and
avoiding discrimination in the
hiring process. It covers the
enrollment materials that are
required for new employees and
it provides specific direction
about when your employee can
begin working. You will receive
a Good to Go notice from Acumen
when your employee can start
delivering services under the
Plan of Care. Module 3: Employee
Performance and Terminations
includes how to set clear
expectations for employee
performance. It offers
suggestions to create and
maintain good working
relationships with employees and
how to recognize and appreciate
employee’s efforts and good
performance. It helps you
address employee performance
issues in a timely manner with
appropriate action and
documentation. It covers things
to consider when you terminate
an employee and it emphasizes
that you must do so without
violating labor laws. It covers
what to do when terminated
employees apply for unemployment
benefits, as well as what to do
regarding employment
verification procedures for
active and terminated employees.
It gives direction about what
required forms to complete. The
module covers other important
information about laws that
dictate when final checks must
be issued, and directs you to
learn what applies in your
state, etc. Module 4: Privacy,
Fraud Protection, and Safety
includes material to help you
protect Participant privacy and
confidentiality. You will learn
more about privacy laws,
protecting your employee’s
personal information, tips for
providing a safe and secure
workplace, and how to recognize
and report fraud and abuse. It
includes information about
Workers’ Compensation. Module 5:
Employee Payroll and Budgeting
topics include how Acumen
processes payments within my
Authorization limits;
understanding the difference
between Cost to You versus the
employee rate; how to set or
change pay rates for employees;
know when employees can start
working; program limitations
regarding employee hours; how to
submit employee time (using
paper-based timesheets or an
Acumen web-based time entry
system) and how to avoid common
errors; payment options
schedules and due dates, and
reissuing checks. Module 6:
Vendor Services and Payments
defines vendor and vendor goods
and services, and gives tips for
vendor selection. It outlines
how Acumen approves and
processes vendor payments and
approved out-of-pocket expenses,
if they are allowed by the
Program, and covers year-end
reporting of vendor payments.
Module 7: Understanding Account
Statements and Pay Stubs shows
how to read Account Statements
and use them to track your
spending, and describes various
employer and employee tax
calculations and deductions that
include FUTA and SUTA , Workers’
Compensation and FICA (Social
Security and Medicare), and it
outlines federal, state, and
local (if applicable) income tax
withholding, and it recaps
employee pay stub information.
Module 8: Introduction to an
Acumen web-based time entry
system. Acumen created these
resources to contribute to your
success as the employer of
record, and to help you to
protect yourself both legally
and financially. Acumen will
instruct you how to access the
online employer training series.
Let’s review these important
terms from today’s session.
Acumen Fiscal Agent (Acumen) is
the company hired to manage your
employer-related fiscal
(financial) responsibilities.
The Case Manager is the Program
representative who works with
you and facilitates details of
your self-directed program and
helps develop and communicate
approved services and budget
allotments to Acumen. The
employee is the individual hired
by the employer of record to
provide the services outlined in
the Participant’s Plan of Care
and approved for delivery in the
Authorization. The employer is
the person who handles the
day-to-day business matters on
the account. The employer may be
the Participant (client) acting
on his/her own behalf, or a
designated representative such
as the Participant’s parent or
legal guardian. The Participant
(also known as the Client) is
the center of the self-directed
program. This person will have a
personalized Plan of Care which
is detailed and approved in the
Authorization. The Participant
may also be the employer. Now to
wrap up, at the end of this
presentation there is a list of
important Acumen contacts. This
lists resources in place to
support you in your role as an
employer of record: general and
program-specific customer
service telephone and fax
numbers; mailing address;
contact information for Workers’
Compensation issues; specific
phone number for employment
verifications. If you suspect
fraud, call Acumen’s Customer
Service Department so we may
notify the appropriate
authorities. If you observe or
suspect abuse, call your local
Adult and Child Abuse Hotline or
your local police department.
Congratulations! This concludes
Module 1 of Acumen Employer
Training: Getting Started in
Self-Direction – Roles &
Responsibilities. We hope you
have a clear understanding of
the key players in your
self-directed program, their
roles and responsibilities and
the resources and key contacts
available to you. Welcome to
Self-Direction! Welcome to
Acumen!
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