American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, (IDEA) Part C

IDEA Part C ARRA Goals

Maximize short-tem investment with lasting results for kids

Minimize unsustainable ongoing commitments

Drive long-term program improvement and capacity

IDEA Part C ARRA Florida Allocation

$23,077,120 which must be liquidated by 12/31/11

$11,538,560 earmarked to spend July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010

$4,502,504 will be in Local Early Steps contracts to ensure continuity of the program beginning July 1

$543,245 of above amount will be in the Treasure Coast Early Steps contract beginning July 1

ARRA IDEA Part C Planning

A project team consisting of 3 Local Early Steps staff and 3 Early Steps State (LES) Office (ESSO) staff, lead by the ESSO Budget Manager collected over 80 ideas around the state for spending ARRA funds and developed a spending plan outline.

PLAN OUTLINESeven Investment Areas

DIRECT SERVICES

TECHNOLOGY

PROVIDERS

LOCAL EARLY STEPS GRANTS

TRAINING DEVELOPMENT & DELIVERY

PUBLIC AWARENESS

THIRD PARTY REIMBURSEMENT ANALYSIS

DIRECT SERVICES

Although the ARRA funds are non-recurring and not intended to be used for direct services, Florida has carved out ARRA funds to put in Local Early Steps contracts to ensure the continuity of the IDEA entitlement to eligible children.  Many other states are having to do the same.  Without the ARRA funding Florida cannot assure that we can meet the IDEA Part C entitlement.

TECHNOLOGY

DATE SYSTEM – development and implementation of refinements to collect and analyze required federal program implantation and performance measures data and improve case management efficiency.

TECHNOLOGY, EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE - development of a technology infrastructure for training; and communication with the field between and among providers.

PROVIDERS

RECRUITMENT - competitively procure an entity to hire Provider Liaisons in each LES area to assist with provider recruitment and enrollment through the contract year 2010-11.

RETENTION - develop a set of provider retention benchmark measures for LES to be compensated upon achievement.

LOCAL EARLY STEPS GRANTS

LOCAL EARLY STEPS PROGRAM ENHANCEMENT GRANTS - LES will be given the opportunity to apply for enhancement grants to accomplish local goals in at least the following areas:

Assistive Technology Local Program Enhancement / Pilot Projects Technology Devices

(i.e. laptops, scanners, PDAs,etc,).

TRAINING DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY Various Training Topics and Modalities

Early Steps Orientation Primary Service Provider Service Coordination Autism Spectrum Disorder Services

Support providers expenses to attend Early Steps training events/

Hire a cadre of Early Intervention professionals to be available for provider mentoring.

PUBLIC AWARENESS

Child Find, Provider Recruitment, and Parental Outreach - development of public awareness materials, public service announcements and professional assistance to provide rural outreach for underserved populations

THIRD PARTY REIMBURSEMENT ANALYSIS

Procure a study for analyzing 3rd party billing and collection practices in LES for recommendations and feasibility of hiring 3rd party billing and collection staff either in each LES or for statewide coverage to maximize use of 3rd party payers. Include analysis of potential to fund additional SC FTE by increasing Medicaid revenues with rigorous TCM billing.

Next Steps

The ESSO will be further refining plans and implementation strategies over the next couple of week. The ideas presented here are subject to change as further planning proceeds.

ARRA Information

The U.S. Department of Education has a comprehensive web page with information on the Education Department ARRA funds

www.ed.gov/recovery