The Agency Planning Council (APC) has been working on details about leadership assignments and program supports for 2013-14. As you know, we have two new leaders coming to the Agency: Mark Crady and Kathie Danielson. Aside from our routine process for confirming assignments for new leaders, we’ve also based decisions on our observations, our collaborative work with the Department of Education and the statewide AEA system, as well as the feedback we’ve had from agency and district staff. Some of the themes include:
• We will be providing more intense support for literacy and Response to Intervention as a result of our statewide effort, Collaborating for Kids (C4K).
• There will be an increase in the number of schools with a SINA designation.
• District and agency staff members are requesting additional technical support for special education.
• District and agency staff members are requesting greater access to regional directors.
To address these themes, APC has made the following decisions:
• Wendy Robinson will work agency-wide to lead our literacy efforts.
• Mark Crady will support Region 7 (Ames Community School District) and will provide support to curriculum and instruction programs.
• Kathie Danielson will support Region 4 (Des Moines Public Schools) and will lead our agency’s SINA/DINA support team.
APC will continue to update you about decisions regarding leadership assignments and responsibilities as more information is known.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Agency Moving to Self-Funded Health Insurance
If you attended one of last month’s benefit meetings, you heard about the following change in the Agency’s medical insurance. If you didn’t attend a meeting, but have heard about this change from other staff, here is more information about this topic.
At the Agency’s March 2013 Board of Directors meeting, the Board approved the Agency’s move from fully-insured to self-insured medical insurance effective July 1, 2013. There are several reasons for the change:
1. The Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield renewal quote made the economics of having a self-insured plan attractive
2. Heartland AEA’s claims and trends have been more favorable in the past few years which didn’t seem to be reflected in the fully-insured renewal quotes
3. The new federal “Affordable Care Act” imposes new costs, and we believe that these new costs can be reduced in a self-insured plan
4. Fully-insured plans pay a state premium tax that self-insured plans don't pay
5. Self-insured plans provide more flexibility
6. Any excess (reserve) funds are retained by the Agency instead of being retained by Wellmark.
A self-insured plan is owned by the Agency, whereas a fully-insured plan is owned by the insurance company and is essentially “rented” by the employer. An analogy is owning vs. leasing a car. Ownership implies taking on more responsibility, but it also provides more flexibility to the owner compared to someone who has limitations from a car leasing company.
Is the Agency accepting more risk? Yes, although we have structured the self-insured program to minimize these additional risks. The Agency will purchase re-insurance from Wellmark to assume the risks associated with large claims and risks associated with a year that has an unusually high level of claims greater than expected.
Will self-insuring our plan impact wellness initiatives in the Agency? Yes! Over time, the fund should build up a reserve, and a minor portion of these funds will be used to sponsor wellness initiatives and incentives. An emphasis on wellness is good for our employees, our early retirees and their families. Assuming personal responsibility for wellness and making healthy choices will have long-term benefits for our insurance plan.
If you have further questions about this information, contact Kurt Subra, Chief Financial Officer, at ksubra@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14613.
At the Agency’s March 2013 Board of Directors meeting, the Board approved the Agency’s move from fully-insured to self-insured medical insurance effective July 1, 2013. There are several reasons for the change:
1. The Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield renewal quote made the economics of having a self-insured plan attractive
2. Heartland AEA’s claims and trends have been more favorable in the past few years which didn’t seem to be reflected in the fully-insured renewal quotes
3. The new federal “Affordable Care Act” imposes new costs, and we believe that these new costs can be reduced in a self-insured plan
4. Fully-insured plans pay a state premium tax that self-insured plans don't pay
5. Self-insured plans provide more flexibility
6. Any excess (reserve) funds are retained by the Agency instead of being retained by Wellmark.
A self-insured plan is owned by the Agency, whereas a fully-insured plan is owned by the insurance company and is essentially “rented” by the employer. An analogy is owning vs. leasing a car. Ownership implies taking on more responsibility, but it also provides more flexibility to the owner compared to someone who has limitations from a car leasing company.
Is the Agency accepting more risk? Yes, although we have structured the self-insured program to minimize these additional risks. The Agency will purchase re-insurance from Wellmark to assume the risks associated with large claims and risks associated with a year that has an unusually high level of claims greater than expected.
Will self-insuring our plan impact wellness initiatives in the Agency? Yes! Over time, the fund should build up a reserve, and a minor portion of these funds will be used to sponsor wellness initiatives and incentives. An emphasis on wellness is good for our employees, our early retirees and their families. Assuming personal responsibility for wellness and making healthy choices will have long-term benefits for our insurance plan.
If you have further questions about this information, contact Kurt Subra, Chief Financial Officer, at ksubra@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14613.
Agency Website Update
The Communications Department has begun to meet with staff members who have had oversight for content on the Agency’s website and has begun the task of transitioning content into the new website. We know there are still many people to meet with to discuss content, and we expect this will be an ongoing process even when the new site launches in June. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Courtney Croatt and Claire Sowder, Communications Specialists at comms@aea11.k12.ia.us.
Here is a reminder of what the new homepage will look like.
Call for Presenters for 2013 Iowa Transition Conference
The 2013 Iowa Transition Conference is seeking presenters for the conference and pre-conference to be held October 9-11 in Coralville. More information about the conference can be found at www.EdEvents.org. To submit a proposal, click on My Account to create an account and then complete the proposal form.
The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to you for its educational value.
The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to you for its educational value.
May 2013 School Leader Update From the Iowa Dept. of Education
Click here to download the May 2013 issue of the School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education.
AEA Legislative Update
Click here to read the latest update of the Iowa legislative session from the AEA system’s lobbyists, Matt Eide and John Pederson, of the Eide & Heisinger firm.
Save on Personal Purchases at Office Max Stores; Check Out Other IEC Discounts
Heartland AEA employees are eligible through March 2014 to use a State of Iowa discount card at local Office Max stores for personal purchases. Not every item in the store is discounted but most are. Click here to download a flyer with a card that you can use when you make purchases. This is not a Heartland AEA-specific deal—it is made possible by the Iowa Educators Consortium (IEC)—the statewide AEA system’s purchasing consortium.
And don’t forget that you can always check out the Student & Educator Discounts page on the IEC’s webiste at http://www.iec-ia.org/pages/IEC/Employee_Student_Discounts. This includes discounts on cellular phone bills, software purchases and digital cameras/camcorders.
And don’t forget that you can always check out the Student & Educator Discounts page on the IEC’s webiste at http://www.iec-ia.org/pages/IEC/Employee_Student_Discounts. This includes discounts on cellular phone bills, software purchases and digital cameras/camcorders.
Medicaid Updates: Part B Consent & Upcoming Move to New Billing System
Part B Consent
We have received notice that the federal IDEA rules regarding Part B parent consent to bill Medicaid has been revised and went into effect as of March 18, 2013. This revised rule states that Parental Consent to be a one-time (no longer annual) written consent for students covered under Part B services. Students covered under Part C still require an annual consent. Medicaid consents signed before July 1, 2013 are valid and will remain valid until the billable services described in the consent are changed. All consents signed after July 1, 2013 must comply with the recently revised federal regulations on accessing a parent’s Medicaid to pay for services on the IEP (indicating the one time consent). The intended purposes of the rule are to (1) reduce paperwork for LEAs and AEAs and (2) increase the quality of information given to parents. The Iowa Department of Education is revising state rules to conform to the new federal regulations. The Iowa State Board of Education is set to adopt the new rules at its June 2013 meeting after a period of public hearings and comments. The Department has revised the consent forms and procedures (regarding the one-time written consent), which will become effective on July 1, 2013.
What does this mean for me?
If you serve students under Part B services who receive Medicaid services, please continue to obtain Medicaid Parental Consent to bill when appropriate. As of July 2013, the forms will change with the new web IEP system to indicate the standing consent. Any forms signed prior to July 1, 2013 (using the current forms) or any forms signed after July 1, 2013 (on the revised forms) will no longer require annual signatures.
New Billing Service
We have received notice that Timberline Billing will no longer be providing Medicaid billing services to Iowa AEAs as of July 1, 2013. A new vendor is currently being selected to provide this service to the AEAs. Heartland will work to ensure the change to the new billing system is as smooth as possible for staff.
What does this mean for me? The deadline for submitting Medicaid claims using the Timberline T-Trak system is June 30, 2013. After this date, we will no longer submit claims through the Timberline service. Heartland will not be reimbursed for any claims that are not submitted to Timberline for services delivered on or prior to June 30, 2013. So please be sure to have all claims submitted by this date. Please watch for more information on this topic in the near future.
If you have any questions, please contact Sara Mercer, School Psychologist, at smecer@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14312.
We have received notice that the federal IDEA rules regarding Part B parent consent to bill Medicaid has been revised and went into effect as of March 18, 2013. This revised rule states that Parental Consent to be a one-time (no longer annual) written consent for students covered under Part B services. Students covered under Part C still require an annual consent. Medicaid consents signed before July 1, 2013 are valid and will remain valid until the billable services described in the consent are changed. All consents signed after July 1, 2013 must comply with the recently revised federal regulations on accessing a parent’s Medicaid to pay for services on the IEP (indicating the one time consent). The intended purposes of the rule are to (1) reduce paperwork for LEAs and AEAs and (2) increase the quality of information given to parents. The Iowa Department of Education is revising state rules to conform to the new federal regulations. The Iowa State Board of Education is set to adopt the new rules at its June 2013 meeting after a period of public hearings and comments. The Department has revised the consent forms and procedures (regarding the one-time written consent), which will become effective on July 1, 2013.
What does this mean for me?
If you serve students under Part B services who receive Medicaid services, please continue to obtain Medicaid Parental Consent to bill when appropriate. As of July 2013, the forms will change with the new web IEP system to indicate the standing consent. Any forms signed prior to July 1, 2013 (using the current forms) or any forms signed after July 1, 2013 (on the revised forms) will no longer require annual signatures.
New Billing Service
We have received notice that Timberline Billing will no longer be providing Medicaid billing services to Iowa AEAs as of July 1, 2013. A new vendor is currently being selected to provide this service to the AEAs. Heartland will work to ensure the change to the new billing system is as smooth as possible for staff.
What does this mean for me? The deadline for submitting Medicaid claims using the Timberline T-Trak system is June 30, 2013. After this date, we will no longer submit claims through the Timberline service. Heartland will not be reimbursed for any claims that are not submitted to Timberline for services delivered on or prior to June 30, 2013. So please be sure to have all claims submitted by this date. Please watch for more information on this topic in the near future.
If you have any questions, please contact Sara Mercer, School Psychologist, at smecer@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14312.
Reminder: New Iowa IDEA 2013 Release
The new IDEA release that encompasses
the IEP, IFSP and IMS web program is scheduled to occur on July 1,
2013. On July 1st, the current web IEP and IFSP program will no longer be accessible. If you work with the current IEP program, you will need to pay attention to the following dates:
• June 24, 2013: All IEP plans must be submitted by this date.
• June 27, 2013: All IEP plans must be implemented by this date. Any IEPs not implemented by this date will result in that student’s complete record NOT rolling over to the new program. All opened IEPs on this day will either be implemented or deleted to ensure all students and their complete records roll over to the new program.
• June 28, 2013 at 4:00 p.m.: All systems will be shut down through June 30, 2013
• July 1, 2013 at 7:00 a.m.: New IDEA and web system (IEP, IFSP, and IMS) will be up and running
Q: What does this mean for any IEP meetings scheduled for the week of June 23, 2013?
A: If you have an IEP meeting scheduled during the week of June 23, 2013, it must be submitted, approved and implemented by June 27, 2013. If it hasn’t been implemented by June 27, it will be saved as a pdf, emailed to the Primary Contact and deleted. It will have to be re-written on the new IDEA program after July 1, 2013, and go through the validation process on the new program. Any opened IEPs on June 27th will result in the student and any of his or her past IEPs not rolling over to the new program.
Q: What does this mean for any IEP meetings scheduled for the week of July 1, 2013?
A: The AEA practitioner/teacher will need to wait until the rollover is complete on July 1, 2013, at 7:00 a.m. to start a new IEP on the new IDEA program. It cannot be started in the old system and then rolled over. Any opened IEPs in the current program on June 27, 2013, for meetings occurring after July 1, 2013, will be deleted. Any opened IEPs on June 27th will result in the student and any of his or her past IEPs not rolling over to the new program.
Q: What about IFSPs?
A: IFSPs do not need to be implemented prior to the rollover. There can be opened IFSPs during June and July; however, there will be no access to IFSPs between June 28 and June 30, 2013.
**It is HIGHLY advised that no IEP meetings be scheduled between June 24 and July 3, 2013. If you choose to hold an IEP meeting between these days, remember that all IEPs started in the current program must be implemented before June 27th, and a new IEP cannot be started in the new program until July 1st.
If you have any questions, contact Sue Dunsmoor, Special Education Data Specialist, at sdunsmoor@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 11202 or Mary Keul, Special Education Data Specialist, at mkeul@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14326.
• June 24, 2013: All IEP plans must be submitted by this date.
• June 27, 2013: All IEP plans must be implemented by this date. Any IEPs not implemented by this date will result in that student’s complete record NOT rolling over to the new program. All opened IEPs on this day will either be implemented or deleted to ensure all students and their complete records roll over to the new program.
• June 28, 2013 at 4:00 p.m.: All systems will be shut down through June 30, 2013
• July 1, 2013 at 7:00 a.m.: New IDEA and web system (IEP, IFSP, and IMS) will be up and running
Q: What does this mean for any IEP meetings scheduled for the week of June 23, 2013?
A: If you have an IEP meeting scheduled during the week of June 23, 2013, it must be submitted, approved and implemented by June 27, 2013. If it hasn’t been implemented by June 27, it will be saved as a pdf, emailed to the Primary Contact and deleted. It will have to be re-written on the new IDEA program after July 1, 2013, and go through the validation process on the new program. Any opened IEPs on June 27th will result in the student and any of his or her past IEPs not rolling over to the new program.
Q: What does this mean for any IEP meetings scheduled for the week of July 1, 2013?
A: The AEA practitioner/teacher will need to wait until the rollover is complete on July 1, 2013, at 7:00 a.m. to start a new IEP on the new IDEA program. It cannot be started in the old system and then rolled over. Any opened IEPs in the current program on June 27, 2013, for meetings occurring after July 1, 2013, will be deleted. Any opened IEPs on June 27th will result in the student and any of his or her past IEPs not rolling over to the new program.
Q: What about IFSPs?
A: IFSPs do not need to be implemented prior to the rollover. There can be opened IFSPs during June and July; however, there will be no access to IFSPs between June 28 and June 30, 2013.
**It is HIGHLY advised that no IEP meetings be scheduled between June 24 and July 3, 2013. If you choose to hold an IEP meeting between these days, remember that all IEPs started in the current program must be implemented before June 27th, and a new IEP cannot be started in the new program until July 1st.
If you have any questions, contact Sue Dunsmoor, Special Education Data Specialist, at sdunsmoor@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 11202 or Mary Keul, Special Education Data Specialist, at mkeul@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14326.
Reminder: Upcoming Trainings for New Web IEP System
If you plan to write an IEP or support a special education teacher in writing an IEP after July 1, 2013, and before August 1, 2013, please plan to attend one of the following two-hour trainings to learn how to access forms and maneuver through the new web IEP system. If this applies to you, please contact your regional director/supervisor to receive the Activity Number for one of the trainings.
● May 29, 2013: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Johnston REC, Conf. Room 13
● June 6, 2013: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Adel Office
● June 6, 2013: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., Indianola Office
● May 29, 2013: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Johnston REC, Conf. Room 13
● June 6, 2013: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Adel Office
● June 6, 2013: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., Indianola Office
Reminders Regarding Tech Support for Staff Who Work in Schools
Heartland AEA staff members are reminded to please contact the Agency’s Internal Technology Department if they run into technical problems while working in our partner schools. We value our partnerships with our districts and schools, and we want to provide services while we are working with them. While it may be tempting to ask for tech support directly from the school’s technology staff, it is important to remember that they already have plenty of challenges in supporting their own technology.
So, if you encounter problems connecting to the network in a school building, problems with printing, etc., please contact Greg Wilcox, Technology Support Specialist, at gwilcox@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14618, Judy Cleveland, Technology Specialist, at jcleveland@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14538 or Mike Permann, Technology Support Facilitator, at mpermann@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14767 for assistance. Greg, Judy and Mike can be reached on iChat as well.
It is a reasonable expectation to have network access while working in our partner schools, but not all districts make their printers widely available, and not all of them set up their networks to be “iPad friendly.” At times, we need to use strategies to work around the problem – plugging in our laptops to a live Ethernet jack if wireless access is an issue, forwarding a document to a school employee so that it can be printed, etc. If we find that a district or school is locking down their network so tightly that we can’t do our jobs while in their facilities, Lance Wilhelm, Heartland’s Director of Technology, will work directly with the district/school to identify reasonable solutions.
So, if you encounter problems connecting to the network in a school building, problems with printing, etc., please contact Greg Wilcox, Technology Support Specialist, at gwilcox@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14618, Judy Cleveland, Technology Specialist, at jcleveland@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14538 or Mike Permann, Technology Support Facilitator, at mpermann@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14767 for assistance. Greg, Judy and Mike can be reached on iChat as well.
It is a reasonable expectation to have network access while working in our partner schools, but not all districts make their printers widely available, and not all of them set up their networks to be “iPad friendly.” At times, we need to use strategies to work around the problem – plugging in our laptops to a live Ethernet jack if wireless access is an issue, forwarding a document to a school employee so that it can be printed, etc. If we find that a district or school is locking down their network so tightly that we can’t do our jobs while in their facilities, Lance Wilhelm, Heartland’s Director of Technology, will work directly with the district/school to identify reasonable solutions.
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