Attachment 1 - Statement of Work - Salt Lake City Lodging.docx

Statement of Work VA Medical Center Veteran Lodging Program

Background: The Salt Lake City Veterans Administration Healthcare System (SLCVAHCS) requires Off-Site Veteran Lodging Services to be provided to Veterans who traveled long-distance for their healthcare needs. The contractor shall provide room accommodation to approved and authorized Veteran beneficiaries on-site appointments within 10 miles of the is VA Salt Lake City Health Care (VASLCHCS) located at 500 Foothill Boulevard, Salt Lake City, UT 84148.

1. Contractor Requirements/Responsibilities:

a. Contractor will act as a broker locating hotel/lodging facilities that meet or exceed the requirements listed in the sections below. If the original hotel/lodging facility closes or does not have availability, the Contractor is required to find alternative hotel/lodging facility at the same rate that meets the requirements.

b. Contractor shall be responsible for providing invoices at the first of every month. Advanced payments are not allowed, and invoices paid in arrears.

c. Shall be the single point of contact for issues/complaints for the hotel and the Medical Center.

d. Shall monitor hotels for compliance with all safety and health regulations, state and federal.

e. Shall provide a point of contact (POC) for contract management.

2. Hotel Requirements:

a. Hotel/lodging facilities with a minimum of 3 diamond/3-star rating from independent originations such as AAA and/or Trip Advisor.

b. A minimum of Thirty-Five (35) rooms per day are required to be reserved for VA Veterans. Five (5) of which need to be American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant.

c. Additional Room Requests at the discretion of the facility and per site availability.

d. Hotel(s) shall be within 10 miles of the Medical Center.

e. Rooms shall be available Sundays thru Friday. (Checkout Saturday) - un-reserved rooms shall be released back to the hotel at 5 p.m. daily. The VA shall not be obligated to pay for rooms that are released back to the hotel on time.

f. All rooms offered shall be non-smoking rooms.

g. The contractor will provide a designated smoking area with proper signage.

h. Rooms should have two beds to accommodate a care giver as needed.

i. Rooms shall be fully furnished: Bed(s), Telephone, TV, and Refrigerator.

j. The Medical Center reserves the right to inspect the rooms on an as needed basis.

k. All rooms will be charged per the contracted rate regardless of the time of/or type of room reservation i.e., no blackout dates nor seasonal rate changes. Late Checkouts should be available to the veteran at no additional cost.

Identify if any/all meals provided by the hotel/lodging are free or the cost, which meal, and times available.

3. VA Responsibilities:

a. It is the medical centers responsibility to arrange room reservations with the hotel.

b. Reservations for will be communicated through telephone calls/email/fax by 5:00p.m. daily.

c. The Lodging Coordinator will ensure they complete the monthly invoice review within 3-5 business days of receipt into their e-mail accounts. Any invoicing discrepancies identified will be referred to the Lodging Management Group that same day. Once the issue is resolved, approval for submission will take place. Approval is required before submitting an invoice request.

d. The VA Medical Center shall be responsible for providing any patient information security/PII training as needed. The C & A requirements do not apply; a Security Accreditation Package is not required. Incidental exposure to protected health information may occur from accessing the work site. Staff will follow all Privacy & Security policies and procedures.

e. The VA Medical Center shall release unreserved rooms back to the hotel by 5 p.m. daily. VA will be responsible for unreleased unused room fees.

f. The VA Medical Center shall have a process in place to handle complaints from the hotels and/or from the veterans. All complaints shall be referred to the contractor.

4. General:

a. The Contractor shall guarantee the Medical Center that there shall be no ‘Blackout Dates’ on any reserved rooms. Seasonal rate changes are not allowed.

b. All hotel industry standards for health and safety must be met or exceeded. NFPA, ADA, OSHA and all city, county, state ordinances/codes. This shall include all housekeeping regulations.

c. Notification of room reservations can happen one of two ways:

i. VHASLCHCS Lodging Coordinator will contact hotel via Telephone/email/fax for anticipated room request/needs, dependent on program.

ii. OR VHASLCHCS Lodging contractor will inform the Veteran(s), upon scheduling an appointment, to immediately call the assigned hotel/motel to verify reservations. The Contractor will hold a room for the Veteran in accordance with their standard reservation process.

d. The Contractor shall allow contracted rooms to be occupied only by specific individuals referred by authorized personnel of the SLCVAHCS. Individuals can be authorized through various protocols.

i. The Veteran(s), upon completing lodging clearance at the SLCVAHCS, will provide a Non-VA Temporary Lodging and Referral Voucher to the hotel/motel front desk staff. This voucher will have specific information related to the current stay to include the Veterans name date of lodging, number of days authorized, and authorized by initials.

ii. OR Lodging Coordinators will communicate via telephone/email/fax directly with hotel to indicate authorized Veteran(s).

iii. Authorized Lodging personnel Point of Contacts, available times, and contact information will be provided after contract is awarded.

iv. After hours, weekends and holidays, the Administrative Office of the Day (AOD) can be reached at 801-582-1565 ext. 1400, when applicable.

e. Pet friendly accommodations available. All hotels’ rules and or fees regarding pets shall be complied with and provided by the veteran. No fee shall be applied to certified service dogs.

5. Extended Stay:

a. Should additional services be requested by the Veteran (extension of stay) outside of the services authorized by the SLCVAHCS, such services shall be at the expense of the Veteran. If the Veteran is admitted or stays overnight in the VA facility, stays of family members or care givers in the contracted lodging facility shall be at their own expense.

6. Transportation/Parking:

a. The VA nor the Veteran shall be responsible for parking fees.

b. Shuttle service to and from the VA Medical Center and Airport is required. ADA compliant if required.

7. Patient Emergency Procedures:

a. In the event of an emergency/non-emergency situation where fire/police/ambulance are called, this information will be communicated to the Lodging Management Group who will inform the SLCVAHCS lodging coordinator(s). The Contractor shall also be informed.

b. Timeliness of notification standards:

i. If an emergency-the notification is expected within 2-hours of event.

ii. If a non-emergency-the notification is expected, by the close of business, the next day.

8. Damages:

a. Any damage caused by a Veteran will be billed to that individual. The SLCVAHCS assumes no liability with its lodgers other than the contracted room rate.

b. In the event of damage or a disruption, it is the hotel/motel’s prerogative to determine if a Veteran will be a future guest. The SLCVAHCS will honor this decision.

c. After the hotel/motel management informs the Veteran of not being welcomed back to their facility, the SLCVAHCS will follow-up with a registered letter informing the Veteran of the hotel decision and SLCVAHCS abiding by that decision.

d. The Vendor/Contractor must be notified immediately when any damages have occurred and SLCVAHCS must be notified thereafter within 24 hrs of occurrence. The damages shall be documented and submitted to the SLCVAHCS; to include pictures.