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QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES # 1

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

SOLICITATION NO. MDoA 21-01 BPM025056 RFP Issue Date: September 23, 2021

Veteran Directed Care Fiscal Intermediary Services

Ladies and Gentlemen:

This List of Questions and Responses #1 is being issued to clarify certain information contained in the above named RFP. The statements and interpretations of contract requirements, which are stated in the following questions of potential offerors, are not binding on the State, unless the State expressly amends the RFP. Nothing in the State’s responses to these questions is to be construed as agreement to or acceptance by the State of any statement or interpretation on the part of the vendor asking the question as to what the contract does or does not require. Please note that capitalized terms in the responses have the same meaning ascribed to them in the RFP.

Questions and Responses:

1. What is the average budget size, as well as the minimum and maximum budget sizes?

R: The average budget size per participant as of November 18, 2021 is $3,153.

The minimum and maximum budget sizes vary depending on a participant’s evaluated needs and the jurisdiction in which the participant lives. In all counties except Prince George's

County and Montgomery County, the minimum budget is $1,700 monthly and maximum budget is $3,400 monthly. Prince George's County and Montgomery County are covered by the Veteran Health Administration’s Case Mix Calculator, which has a large number of variations. The Case Mix Calculator spreadsheet for those two counties is attached with the file name VDC Case Mix Rate Calculator FY2022_508compliant.xlsx.

2. What is the timeframe for reimbursing for pass-through claims, including the claims related to the hourly services provided by employees of the participant (Veteran receiving

Veteran Directed Care Program services)?

R: See the responses to Questions 13 through 15 below.

3. How many individuals are currently using the Veteran Directed Care Program?

R: 74 as of November 18, 2021

4. Is there anticipated program growth over the contract cycle?

R: Yes.

5. Does the MDoA require face-to-face enrollment visits or are e-enrollments allowed?

R: The Fiscal Intermediary is required to provide guidance and training needed by the participants to submit the enrollment paperwork successfully and in a timely manner. This can be done via phone calls, video-visits, or in-person visits.

6. What are the background check requirements? Are the costs for background checks part of the participant’s budget or included in the pmpm (per member per month) FMS fee?

R: There are separate background check requirements in the RFP for employees of the

Fiscal Intermediary Contractor and for employees of a participating veteran. Please read the

RFP carefully. Search for the word “background.” See, e.g., RFP Section 2.3.1.15. So far, the

Program in Maryland has gotten very few requests from a veteran to have a background check performed on one of the veteran’s employees or potential employees. If that were to happen, we can explore with the Veteran’s Health Administration whether the cost of the background check could be included as one of the costs covered by the veteran’s VDC budget. We suspect it could be, but cannot answer the question definitively at this time.

7. If there are background check requirements, what is the fee? Also, is fingerprinting required? Lastly, what is the average time it takes for results to be determined?

R: Please read question 6 and the response to it. If you read the RFP carefully, as directed, you will see that there is a fingerprinting requirement for employees of the Contractor who will “have access to Sensitive Data.” See the definition of Sensitive Data in the RFP and see, e.g., RFP Section 3.7.2.A and B. Background checks can be simple or extremely thorough, or anywhere in between. If a veteran requests a background check on a current or prospective employee of the veteran, the veteran may request a certain level. Of course, fingerprinting can only be required if permitted by law.

8. Is workers’ compensation insurance required?

R: Yes, if a veteran participating in the program has an employee providing services to the veteran, which employee is to be paid by the VDC Program, then the veteran is to have workmen’s compensation insurance to cover the employee. (RFP 2.3.1.16)

9. Are there any employee/caregiver trainings required?

R: Yes, a Participant’s employees/caregivers have to be trained by the Fiscal

Intermediary/Contractor on how to use the timekeeping systems/platforms supplied by the

Contractor. See RFP Section 2.3.1.14. There is significant additional training that the

Contractor will have to supply for Participants, Support Planners, etc., but this question only asked about training for “employees/ caregivers.” Please be sure to read Appendix 1 of the

RFP, which contains the Abbreviations and Definitions for the RFP.

10. What is the current pmpm FMS fee?

R: The current vendor is paid $90 per month for each veteran that receives Attendant

Services during the month.

11. What is the average number of employees/caregivers per participant?

R: The average is about 3.

12. Does the MDoA allow for invoicing for claims within the same month of services?

R: Submitting claims to the VHA on behalf of a Participant is different from the Contractor submitting an invoice to MDoA to be reimbursed for its expenses and paid for its services.

Claims can be submitted to the VHA at any time. See the responses to questions 13 and 14 below. Please read the RFP carefully. Section 3.3 addresses invoicing MDoA. Subsection

3.3.2 states:

The Contractor shall submit invoices in accordance with the following schedule:

A. Invoices are due by the 15th of the month following the month in which services were performed.

B. For items of work for which there is one-time pricing, e.g. enrollment of a

Participant, (see Attachment B – Financial Proposal Form) those items shall be billed in the month following the acceptance of the work by the Department.

13. What is the frequency of submitting claims allowed by the MDoA?

R: Claims are submitted by the fiscal intermediary to the Veterans Health Administration

(VHA) through the VHA’s electronic portal, which is open 24/7. All claims shall be submitted within 180 days of the date of service.

14. Does the vendor have to wait a required amount of time after the service is completed to submit for reimbursement of claims? If so, what is the amount of time?

R: Claims for Attendant Services can be submitted to the VHA by the Fiscal Intermediary any time after the Fiscal Intermediary has documentation, e.g., timesheets, of the Attendant

Care services having been delivered. Claims for Goods or Services can be submitted any time after a proper invoice for the Goods or Services has been received by the Fiscal Intermediary.

15. What is the timeframe for reimbursing for provider-related claims, including the financial management per member/per month claim?

R: VA Form 10-10171 Care Agreement Section K.1 PAYMENT states the VA will make payments up to 30 days for e-submissions and 45 days for paper submissions after a “clean claim” submission. For the State of Maryland time frame, please see RFP Section 3.3.

16. What is the length of the authorization for services?

R: The VHA authorizes services through the end of each federal fiscal year, September 30.

Each year ongoing participants have to be reauthorized. Reauthorizations are for the full federal fiscal year.

17. Does the state allow providers to draw down funds related to authorized services?

R: MDoA cannot answer this question because it unsure what is meant by “providers” or

“draw down.” These terms are so vague that any answer could be misleading.

18. Is MDoA willing to accept an all inclusive rate for different services? If so, how would we go about filling in the Financial Proposal Form?

R: MDoA is not going to modify the Financial Proposal Form. If a vendor wants to forgo charging for a particular service, e.g., the enrollment fee, it can insert zero dollars in the appropriate cell(s).