Attachment 1 - Scope of Work.docx

Attachment 1 Scope of Work

BACKGROUND, OVERVIEW

BACKGROUND

Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) is defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as telephone transmission services that provide the ability for an individual who has a hearing or speech disability to engage in communication by wire or radio with a hearing individual in a manner that is functionally equivalent to the ability of an individual who does not have a hearing or speech disability to communicate using voice communication services by wire or radio. TRS provides telephone access to people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, or speech impaired.

OVERVIEW

During the 1989 session of the Legislature of the State of South Dakota, the South Dakota Codified Law Chapters 49-31-47 to 49-31-56 were passed to provide telecommunications services for state residents with disabilities. The law states a telecommunications fund be created in the state treasury to be used for relay services. An access fee is imposed in the amount of fifteen cents per local exchange service line per month, fifteen cents per cellular telephone per month and fifteen cents per radio pager device per month. The TRS program provides accessible telephone services for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, or speech-impaired. This is accomplished through a combination of both the Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) and the Telecommunication Equipment Distribution Program (TED). Special equipment is available to enhance telephone communication. The Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program (TED) makes telecommunications equipment and accessories available to qualified deaf, hard of hearing and speech impaired citizens in the state of South Dakota. A variety of specialized equipment is provided to qualifying individuals for use in their homes. The equipment includes: amplified telephones, captioned telephones, speaker telephones, TTYs, iPhones & iPads and specialized telephone equipment for deaf-blind citizens. The Department of Human Services will update the telecommunications equipment available on a yearly basis.

COVERAGE AREA

Statewide coverage is a requirement in order to provide timely services to eligible residents throughout South Dakota. Currently SD TED serves persons throughout SD which is divided into 4 regions. Central South Dakota is currently served by the Division of Rehabilitation staff and will continue to be served by Division of Rehabilitation Services staff. Counties served by the Division of Rehabilitation Services include:

Central Region

The remaining 3 regions in South Dakota include the Aberdeen area, the Sioux Falls area and the Rapid City area. Provider may choose to serve these counties as identified below or may choose to divide counties as needed in order to provide statewide coverage, except in central South Dakota.

Aberdeen Region

Rapid City Region

Sioux Falls Region

Provider must provide services to all clients statewide, except in central area as identified above.

SCOPE OF WORK

TASKS TO BE PERFORMED BY THE PROVIDER

This section of the statement of work lists and describes the specific scope of work to be performed by the provider.

· Disseminate applications and information pertaining to South Dakota TED program.

· Receive and screen applications, schedule appointments with clients, assess needs, distribute specialized telecommunication equipment directly to qualified applicants, assisting and training equipment recipients, client re-training when necessary, handle requests for maintenance services as needed, provide information and referrals regarding the equipment distribution program and provide follow-up services to eligible clients.

· Work closely with the Division of Rehabilitation Services Program Specialist in delivery of the South Dakota TED Program.

· Work closely with the Division of Rehabilitation Services Program Specialist and the TRS Outreach Manager, when applicable, in the delivery of outreach activities.

· Work with product/equipment distributor on the return of equipment in need of repair and/or replacement.

· Maintain an inventory of distributed equipment.

· Maintain an electronic data system of client information which can be imported into a data base by the Department of Human Services. This system must be able to track the following information:

· Client Demographics including:

· Name

· Address

· City

· County

· Phone number

· Date of birth

· Gender

· Type of disability

· Ethnic origin

· Region

· Eligibility

· List of Equipment including serial number

· Date of issuance

· Staff that provided the service

· Tracking services including:

· Application/ Assessment

· Client Training

· Technical Assistance

· Follow up

· Travel

· Outreach (Must be pre-approved)

· Total Services Provided

· Receive and re-distribute working used equipment returned to the program and collaborate with the state for surplus items.

· Provide customer complaint resolution and assistance.

CONTRACT MANAGEMENT

The Provider must designate a person with whom the Division of Rehabilitation Services Program Specialist will communicate with about all matters related to the conduct of the contract.

PROVIDING QUALIFIED STAFF

Provider shall ensure staff is qualified to communicate directly and effectively with and understand the needs of the persons to be served by the Telecommunication Equipment Distribution Program, which includes persons with speech and hearing disabilities. Provider shall ensure staff is knowledgeable and experienced with equipment, hearing loss, communication issues and the unique needs of deaf, hard of hearing and speech impaired individuals.

This contract will not reimburse the Provider for any expense of hiring an interpreter for effective communication.

TIMELINESS OF SERVICE

Provider shall ensure services will be provided in a timely manner to all clients statewide, except central South Dakota, including initial contact, assessment and placement of equipment on a statewide basis. Provider shall ensure a method to regionalize service delivery making program access, product demonstrations, displays, travel and other logistical considerations convenient for the client.

IN PERSON SERVICE

It is required that each product placement include at least one in person visit with the client. Provider shall ensure that every client will be evaluated, assessed and served with a minimum requirement that each device distributed have at least one documented face to face contact.

CUSTOMER SERVICES AND PUBLIC INFORMATION

Clients of the TED program must be able to contact the provider directly for program information and delivery. Providers must ensure that the public is able to obtain information about the program by phone, TTY, mail and e-mail during normal business hours.

COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

Provider shall ensure procedures are in place for handling complaints, inquiries, and comments regarding the TED Program service. Staff shall voluntarily offer the Division of Rehabilitation Services Program Specialist contact information when clients indicate, directly or indirectly, that they are not satisfied with the staff response to their complaints.

All complaints received by the Provider or Provider’s staff shall be documented, including their resolution, kept on file, and forwarded to the Division of Rehabilitation Services on a monthly basis.

CONFIDENTIALITY OF INFORMATION

Providers shall ensure that no personal information received by South Dakota TED about applicants will be disclosed to any person not directly involved in the program administration that require such information in the performance of their duties for South Dakota TED. Provider shall certify that the confidentiality of participant’s names and personal information will be protected and not disclosed to any third party or used for any other purpose.

DATA COLLECTION AND SUBMISSION

Provider is required to compile data/demographics relating to each distribution and client and will be required to submit this data in an electronic format (defined by the state) on a monthly basis to the Division of Rehabilitation Services Program Specialist.

INVENTORY CONTROL

The TED program distributes specialized telecommunications equipment to qualifying South Dakota residents. The TED program selects, purchases, stores, distributes and maintains this equipment at centers across the state. Examples of this specialized equipment include:

· Captioned Telephone: This enhanced phone allows an individual that is severely hard-of-hearing, with intelligible speech, to speak directly to the person being called using their own voice and read the response. The text on the CapTel screen is sent by a captioning service through an Operator using voice recognition software.

· Hearing Carry-Over Telephone: This unit allows users with speech impairments, who can hear, to listen directly to the person and type his/her message to be verbally read by the Operator to the other party.

· Amplified Phone: This specialized phone allows individuals that are hard of hearing to increase the volume of their phone for incoming amplification and adjust the tone feature for better clarity.

· iPhone & iPads: These devices allow deaf individual to utilize their native language of ASL via video access.

The TED program strives to have sufficient equipment available to clients. To meet this goal, the Provider will be required to maintain ample equipment on-hand at all times. Provider must be able to store approximately 2 months of inventory (excluding iDevices), including returned used equipment, surplus equipment and equipment in need of repair.

South Dakota currently obtains TED equipment through a competitive state bids which is ordered by the state office and shipped directly to the provider of the service. Provider will be responsible for receipt of ordered/delivered equipment and provide the Department of Human Services with updates to inventory records each time an equipment order is received. Providers must manage receipt of equipment, inventory control and address any inventory discrepancies that may arise.

DISPLAY AREA

South Dakota TED serves individuals with various telecommunication needs. Provider shall have display areas available to clients in the Sioux Falls area, Aberdeen area, and in the Rapid City area for client to come and test and evaluate appropriate equipment to meet their communication needs.

EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR

The TED program receives equipment returned by clients for various reasons. Some equipment is returned because the client believes it to be defective. Provider must test returned equipment to determine whether the equipment is defective. In-warranty equipment determined to be defective must be handled in a timely manner and shipped back to the manufacturer for refurbishment or replacement. The standard warranty on new equipment is one year from the date of purchase (which could vary depending on contract established with the equipment distributor). Provider must remain aware of warranty dates that are close to expiration when customers return defective units. If not mailed timely, a warranty could expire requiring the unit to be replaced at full cost to the program.

DISABILITY EXPERIENCE

Programs that provide services to individuals with disabilities must complement each other in order to be efficient and to generate program referrals. Provider shall have experience in providing human service programs and services to individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired. Provider shall ensure experience in collaborating with other disability groups, advisory boards and organizations representing various disability interests.

MANAGEMENT COMPONENT

Provider must provide an individual that will be responsible for the management of the South Dakota TED services and that will report and work directly with the Department of Human Services.

TRANSITION TO A NEW PROVIDER

Provider shall assure that at such time as the South Dakota-TED may be transferred to a new provider, Provider shall make every effort to ensure that the transfer takes place in a manner which facilitates a smooth and effective transition. This shall include equipment and assurance that all materials developed through the contract including electronic and printed copies of all relevant documents, client files and electronic data base for clients will be turned over to the new provider in a timely manner.

ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE TO THE PROVIDER

The following assistance will be available to the Provider in the administration of the project including the following:

· Will work closely with the Provider on ongoing operation of the program including program policy and procedures.

· Will be provided an excel spreadsheet to help track and order equipment on a monthly basis.

· South Dakota, like all states, contracts for operation of a statewide telecommunications relay service (TRS). The TRS account manager assigned to the South Dakota Telecommunications Relay Service seeks to educate both disabled and non-disabled persons about the purpose and use of South Dakota TRS. The outreach requirements include meetings around the state, a newsletter and other communications vehicles, all of which will be available to help inform the public about TRS. This outreach will also include information related to the TED program which will be available to the Provider.

OUTREACH EVENTS

Marketing and outreach play an important role with educating, promoting and creating awareness for the TED program. TED outreach may be conducted as needed to disseminate information and educate the general public about the TED program. Provider shall attend/present at events best suited for their community and their respective organization with the intent to create awareness about the TED program in their community and may include:

· Presentations: Making a presentation and answering questions about the Equipment Distribution Program to educate and create awareness about the program at off-site locations such as senior centers, assisted living facilities, retirement homes, community center, etc.

· Exhibits: Displaying TED products and information at community events, such as health fairs and expos, to promote and increase awareness of South Dakota Equipment Distribution Program networking with other vendors, scheduling appointments, and distributing flyers to promote follow-up equipment distribution to new clients.

· Other: May include a custom event or activity that does not fit the defined methods above. These events could include a Lunch and Learn, Better Hearing and Speech Awareness Month event, or Deaf Awareness event.

· Collaboration: Working with audiologists and hearing aid specialists by providing outreach information and materials for waiting rooms and offices.

Provider will work directly with the Division of Rehabilitation Services on submitting an annual outreach proposal which will be required 30 days after contract execution or by May 1st of each year contract annual renewal, whichever comes first. The outreach proposal submitted annually will provide detailed information on how the Provider will provide outreach statewide, except in central South Dakota, along with the proposed number of hours (minimum of 50 hours not to exceed 100 hours which may be subject to change) and types of activities for each service area. All outreach services will be reimbursed at the same 15 minute service rate and should be pre-approved.

ON SITE REVEIWS

Provider will be subject to on-site program review. Department of Human Services will conduct on-site reviews of all statewide TED program delivery. These on-site reviews will be pre-arranged and coordinated in advance to allow for staff availability during the on-site review. If program deficiencies are found, the Provider will be notified in a written report.

Update 03/2019