Mandatory Staff Meeting For Group Home Personnel

Darrell has called a MANDATORY meeting for all Waiver Staff who work at the Group Home. This includes part-time and fill-in staff who serve at the Group Home. The meeting will be held Thursday, February 20th at 4:30 p.m. There will be zero tolerance for missing this meeting so please don't risk it. Follow up with Darrell if you have questions.

Lunch & Learn at Rivendell

For anyone interested in a Lunch and Learn class or needs extra training hours:

Lunch & Learn

Please welcome special guest speaker, Dr. Gary Tharp, board certified child and adolescent psychiatrist and Rivendell’s own Medical Director…

Friday, February 28th, 11:30 to 1:00
“Psychological Development”

Gary Tharp, MD Psychiatry
Rivendell Gymnasium
100 Rivendell Dr. - Benton, AR 72019

1 Hour Continuing Education Unit (CEU), a fresh boxed lunch, and door prize drawings all at no charge to our guests! We hope to see you then…

Space is limited, so please register!

RSVP to 501-316-2138
or Text 501-672-8519

(Need: Name, Email/Ph#, Company)

Sara.mcclain@uhsinc.com
1-800-264-5640
www.rivendellofarkansas.com

Call us today to schedule a confidential assessment or in-service at no charge.

Deon Aaron (501) 804-2503
Liz Carter-Baker (501) 804-1493
Erin Carter (501) 804-1491
Holli Courson (870) 500-0405
John Norris (501) 804-1489
Melanie Paulman (501) 804-1494
Kellie Snellings (501) 804-1488
Amy Aukes (501) 529-7485

Drop Box Now Available in Bryant

For those of you who prefer to drop off your timesheets in Bryant there is now an after-hours drop box on the rear door to the Waiver office (Suite 5, directly across from the dumpster). 

Please remember NOT to drop your timesheets through the back door to the Civitan Shoppe--there are no longer any Waiver personnel working in the Shoppe. Use the Waiver door or the Waiver drive-through window during business hours.

You may still continue to use the drop box in Benton at the Civitan Center as well.

Thank you for your patience. We are so relieved to finally get this move complete!

Drive Through Window At The Waiver Office

Those of you who have ventured over to the new Waiver Office in Bryant may have noticed a drive-through window on the side of the building. Be advised that our Facilities Manager has authorized us to use this window so you may feel free to pull up to the window if you are picking up or dropping off paperwork during business hours. Angela's desk is located near the window so it should be easy to hand off paperwork through the window providing the transaction is a simple one. 

This means however that you should not use the window for anything other than dropping off or picking up papers. If you need to correct Waiver paperwork, sign forms, meet with a Case Manager, speak to Darrell, etc., you should park and come inside. 

Also keep in mind that Angela may be on the phone, training someone, in a meeting, out of the office, or away from her desk if or when you pull up to the window. Please be patient and understand there will still be times you will need to park and come inside. There are six people working inside so please do not develop the habit of blowing your horn. You are always welcome to call ahead and let us know you're coming.

Thanks, and we hope you enjoy this perk.

Sweetheart Dance February 21st

The Adult Services Department is hosting a Sweetheart Dance for our clients on Friday, February 21st from 5:30 to 8:30 pm at the Civitan Center. This event is sponsored by the Bryant Junior Civitan Club and the Teachers of Tomorrow. Waiver staff may accompany clients to the dance as a recreation and socialization activity.  Remember your documentation and remember to have fun!

Thank you for everything you do to make our clients feel valued.  We appreciate you!

Training Booklets Available For Extra Hours

For those of you who typically find yourself short when tallying up annual training hours each June, we have created a way for you to supplement your regular training hours with some optional reading material. A training booklet will appear at the pay check table each pay day for you to pick up and complete on your own time. You may read the booklet, complete the worksheet, and return it to Darrell or Angela in the Waiver Office for one hour of extra training. For those of you who do not pick up your pay checks in person, you may email Angela and request to have the booklet sent to you electronically or pick up a copy in the Waiver Office. 

This training is completely optional and voluntary. However, remember that all Waiver employees must complete a minimum number of training hours each year and these hours are not optional. If you are unsure how many hours you have accumulated over the year you may check with Steve in Human Resources. 

We hope you find material helpful. As always, thank you for helping us stay in compliance with our many training requirements.

Periodic Reminders: Time and Mileage Procedures

We are starting to see an influx of our most common paperwork errors again. This happens from time to time so please take a moment and read over these guidelines as a quick refresher on paperwork procedures.

Mileage

Just a reminder that if you work with a Waiver client more than one day per week you should use ONE mileage form for the entire week. We continue to receive timesheets for three or four days of work with the same client listed and then an individual mileage form for each one of those days. There is no need to use a separate mileage form for each day. Please use ONE mileage form per week per client.

The auditor is still finding mileage sheets without specific locations listed and deducting that mileage from paychecks. Don't let this happen to you! Use addresses whenever possible. At the very least, list the location and the CITY next to your destinations. Do not use "my house," "client's house," or "waiver's house." Do not give a common destination like a bank or restaurant without giving the location--street name and city whenever possible.

Correct Timesheets

Use the correct timesheet for your client. Clients who live in the Group Home have specific timesheets that say GROUP HOME at the top. All other clients have timesheets that say COMMUNITY at the top. Please do not mix and match. Always use the correct timesheet for your client.

Notes on Timesheets

Please be aware that the Case Managers never see your timesheets. Some of you have developed the habit of making notes about your client's progress or activities on the timesheet without realizing that timesheets are forwarded to payroll and not the Case Managers. The Case Managers receive copies of your documentation only. Please do not write progress notes regarding your client on the timesheet--that information should always be placed in your documentation. 

So what is the "Comments" section for on the timesheet? Good question. If you miss a day of work for any reason we need you to make a note of the reason on your timesheet. This includes time off that is approved, sick days, holidays, car trouble, days your client might be hospitalized; whatever. Elaine and Angela must submit reports that track the reasons we do not provide service to each client and they can only give accurate reports if they have accurate data. Please don't make us guess why you didn't work. Write a short note on the timesheet indicating why you missed a day of work.

Emailing Paperwork

Please also be reminded that turning in an unsigned timesheet or documentation sheet is the same as turning in no paperwork at all. We cannot process unsigned paperwork, including copies that have been emailed with no signatures on them. Some folks have developed the habit of emailing unsigned paperwork in order to beat the Monday morning deadline and then sending in the signed originals later in the week. Be advised that we cannot process the unsigned paperwork no matter how early you turn it in. If you want to email your paperwork this is perfectly fine, but it must be signed before it is emailed, faxed, scanned, or submitted by hand delivery.

Reading This Blog

Please remember to check this blog at least once per work to stay current on changes in the Waiver Department. We are amazed that almost a month has passed and many Waiver employees still don't know that the Waiver Office has moved to Bryant. Many others who have been suspended from work for failure to attend mandatory training claim to know nothing about the training. This is so easy to prevent folks--read the Waiver blog once a week. That's all it takes.

Thanks again for your cooperation and teamwork. We appreciate all you do for our clients--especially all the little things that help the Waiver Department function well and run as smoothly as possible. Your contribution really does matter.