Waiver Planning Specialist (ID/A) (Closes 9/14)

Allegheny County Department of Human Services; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 58,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

Allegheny County Department of Human Services is seeking a Priority Planning Specialist to support planning activities for waiting lists, waiver enrollment, and service authorization.

The role emphasizes coordinating with Service Coordination Units, Families, and Providers, ensuring data integrity across PROMISe and HCSIS systems, and maintaining alignment with state and county policies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university in social work or related field, plus 1 year of experience.
• Valid driver’s license and access to a reliable vehicle for community work.

Responsibilities

• Assist with waiting list management and unit planning activities.
• Support waiver enrollment planning and service authorization processes.
• Update ISP, Planning lists and other tracking spreadsheets/databases.
• Collaborate with Service Coordination Units, Families, Providers and DHS partners.
• Review PUNS and ISP data to ensure accuracy.

Skills

Relationship building

Planning & organization

Communication skills

Analytical skills

MH/ID service knowledge

MS Office basics

Education

Bachelor's degree in Social Work or related field

Master's degree in Social Work or related field

Tools

PROMISe

HCSIS

Microsoft Word

Outlook

Excel

Job description

If hired for this position, you would be an employee of our partner agency, Community Family Advocates working onsite at Allegheny County DHS.

We are seeking a Priority Planning Specialist who will be responsible for activities related to the implementation of the Administrative Entity Agreement with the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP). The incumbent will be primarily responsible for the required planning activities for waiting list management, Intellectual Disability/Autism waiver enrollment and service authorization. Duties will also include ongoing quality reviews of system processes during waiver enrollment and tracking of state funded initiatives and certification. Incumbent in the Priority Planning Unit must be conversant with and trained in all functions, as the specific client focus will vary.

Additional responsibilities will include:

• Assisting with activities associated with managing the waiting list.
• Assisting with planning activities related to critical activities within the unit such as Wavier Capacity Management, Initiative Planning and Authorization of Services.
• Providing resource information and support to Service Coordination Units/Families/Individuals and assisting Individual Support Teams with:
  • Identifying assessed needs of individuals.
  • Identifying opportunities to utilize Community of Practice Lifecourse Tools to assist individuals, families and teams.
  • Incorporating all necessary information into the ISP.
  • Identifying potential providers to deliver services that support assessed service needs.
  • Assisting with adding sites and services in Provider Reimbursement and Operations Management Information System in electronic format (PROMISe) and Home and Community Services Information System (HCSIS).
  • Following processes set forth by ODP (variances, program capacity, rate exceptions, etc.).
• Understanding and utilizing Community of Practice Lifecourse Tools as a means of planning and technical assistance:
  • Utilizing knowledge of existing resources and assisting in locating newly available resources.
• Assisting with updates related to spreadsheets/databases for tracking purposes including:
  • ISP alert spreadsheet
  • Planning lists
  • Intensive needs planning
  • Vacancy management
  • Individual utilization
• Assisting with HCSIS/Prioritization of Urgency of Need for Services (PUNS) Management through regular review of data and reports.
• Completing closures for individuals that are related to waiver capacity.
• Updating information in HCSIS, as needed.
• Collaborating with other internal teams (Fiscal, Service Authorization, Quality Management and Monitoring) in the sharing and processing of information.
• Attending regularly scheduled meetings concerning the overall program operations of the Priority Planning Team.
• Completing system reviews of high priority individuals to ensure data integrity. Reviews will include:
  • PUNS, ISP, Service Notes, Incident Management, Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q), Risk Analysis, SC Monitoring and any other information as necessary.
• Working with stakeholders in an effort to resolve issues such as addressing inconsistencies with system information, individuals identified incorrectly, following proper processes and policy.
  • Stakeholders could include:
    • Supports Coordinator/Support Coordinator Supervisor
    • Families
    • Providers
    • Individuals
    • DHS Internal Partners (Fiscal, Financial, Planning)
    • Office of Developmental Programs
  • Ensuring that State and Federal standards and policies are followed when implementing State and Federal Initiatives:
    • Wavier Eligibility/Pre-Admission meeting process
    • Certification process
    • Provider choice/transition
    • Service approval and authorization
      • Initiatives could include:
        • Non-Traditional Group Home/Lifesharing
        • Group Home
        • Out of School/Employment
        • State Center/State Hospital/State Mandated litigations
        • Multi-System/Children’s
        • Intermediate Care Facilities (ICF)/ID
      • Ensuring implementation of Certification requirements as outlined in the Approved Pennsylvania State ID Waivers.
      • Implementing countywide policies and procedures established for the unit.
      • Participating in all required state and county trainings.
      • Attending meetings as necessary.

  Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

  • Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, community agencies, providers, project partners and stakeholders.
  • Ability to plan and organize work, prepare records and reports and set priorities.
  • Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
  • Excellent organizational, problem-solving and analytical skills.
  • Excellent knowledge of MH/ID service delivery and systems theory, including provider delivery systems.
  • Basic computer skills in Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel and Internet research methods.

  Education/Experience Requirements

  Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university in social work or related field, plus 1 year of previous experience working with families in the field of intellectual disability. Valid driver’s license and access to a reliable vehicle are required to navigate in the community for work-related assignments.

  Qualifications & Education

  Required

  Bachelor or Master's Degree in Social Work or related field and 1 year of previous experience working with families in the field of intellectual disability.

  Why DHS?

  DHS is diverse, but we strive to be even more inclusive. This includes equity in hiring and advancement, as well as in unleashing the creativity and ideas of staff at every level of DHS.

  It has strong, assertive leaders. We do not hire yes-people.

  You can make a big impact here. We stand out as one of the best human services organizations in the country. But we need problem-solvers, innovators, and terrific leaders to make sure we are smart in how we use our funding so that we reach the people who most need our help to make their lives better.

  “DHS strives to be the kind of place where a diverse mix of talented people want to come to grow and do their best work.”

  -From the organization’s statement on Equity and Inclusion

  AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER -M/F/V/D