department of education division of vocational rehabilitation bureau of rehabilitation &...
TRANSCRIPT
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONDIVISION OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION
Bureau of Rehabilitation &
Reemployment Services
Presentation at the
Florida Workers’ Compensation Conference
August 24, 2011
Topics Changes Required by Senate Bill 2150
Elimination of Qualified Rehabilitation Provider Certification Changes to the Reemployment Status Review and Report
Requirement Changes to the Reemployment Assessment Requirement Elimination of Carrier Monitoring by the Bureau Changes Pertaining to Carrier Notification of Injured Employee of
Bureau Benefits Changes Pertaining to Vocational Evaluations Budget Impact on Re-training and Other Vocational Services
Provided by the Bureau Revisions to Administrative Rules
The BRRS Web Portal
Office Locations and Contacts
Changes Required by Senate Bill 2150
Elimination of Qualified Rehabilitation Provider Certification
Elimination of Qualified Rehabilitation Provider Certification
Providers of rehabilitation in workers’ compensation cases no longer need to be certified by the state or listed in a provider directory.
The Bureau will no longer certify rehabilitation providers.
The DWC-96 (Qualified Rehabilitation Provider Application) form is eliminated.
There is no longer a Directory or a $25 biennial fee paid to the state.
Rules to be repealed by the statutory change are 6A-22.001(9), 6A-22.001 (10), 6A-22.001 (13), 6A-22.001 (14), 6A-22.002, and 6A-22.0031.
Elimination of Qualified Rehabilitation Provider Certification
Under the revised statute, a rehabilitation provider must be a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse, a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, a Certified Case Manager, a Certified Disability Management Specialist, a Certified Vocational Evaluator, or a Certified Occupational Health Nurse.
The Bureau has no regulatory authority to determine who is or is not a rehabilitation provider. Neither does the Bureau have any regulatory authority over improper practices performed by rehabilitation providers who are hired by a carrier or an injured employee.
Elimination of Qualified Rehabilitation Provider Certification
The requirement that expert testimony on rehabilitation in workers’ compensation cases can only be given by a qualified rehabilitation provider was stricken from the statute.
The administrative rules will be revised in due course to remove references to “qualified rehabilitation providers.”
Changes Required by Senate Bill 2150
Changes to the Reemployment Status Review and Report Requirement
Changes to the Reemployment Status Review and Report Requirement
With some revision, reemployment status review reports continue to be required from the carrier and must still be given to the injured employee and the Bureau.
Under the statutory revision, the report will need to include the following:
an identification of the carrier and the injured employee, the carrier claim number, and the Office of the Judge of Compensation Claims case
number, if there is such a case.
Changes to the Reemployment Status Review and Report Requirement
Under the statutory revisions, the Bureau does not have rule- making authority to mandate the format of the report.
Therefore, rule 6A-22.003 is to be repealed, and the form DWC-22 is eliminated.
The electronic DWC-22 has been removed from the Bureau’s Web Portal. However, the Web Portal will remain capable of collecting scanned reemployment status review reports that are not electronic forms.
Changes Required by Senate Bill 2150
Changes to the Reemployment Assessment Requirement
Changes to the Reemployment Assessment Requirement
The rehabilitation provider will no longer send reemployment assessments to the Bureau.
If the carrier refers a case to the Bureau, the carrier shall provide to the Bureau a copy of any reemployment assessment it possesses.
Changes Required by Senate Bill 2150
Elimination of Carrier Monitoring by the Bureau
Elimination of Carrier Monitoring by the Bureau
The Bureau will no longer regulate carrier rehabilitation activities.
The DWC-21 is automatically eliminated and has been removed from the Bureau’s Web Portal.
There will be no bureau policing of carrier rehabilitation practices and no penalties for a carrier not observing the statutory mandates regarding rehabilitation.
The Bureau will not perform carrier audits or otherwise collect data from carriers, other than the case status review reports, reemployment assessments, or reemployment plans in connection with carrier referrals of cases to the Bureau.
Elimination of Carrier Monitoring by the Bureau
The programming for the web portal is a matter of public record. Anyone may request a copy of the programming as a matter of a public records request.
The following rules are to be repealed by the statutory revisions: 6A-22.010 (1), (3), (6), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13).
Changes Required by Senate Bill 2150
Changes Pertaining to Carrier Notification of Injured Employee of
Bureau Benefits
Changes Pertaining to Carrier Notification of Injured Employee of Bureau Benefits
The rule making authority for the Bureau to mandate the letter sent by the carrier to the injured employee informing the injured employee of the Bureau’s services is to be repealed.
This is to repeal rule 6A-22.004.
The carrier must still notify the injured employee of the availability of training and education benefits. The timing and format of that notification is left to the carrier’s discretion.
Changes Required by Senate Bill 2150
Changes Pertaining to Vocational Evaluations
Changes Pertaining to Vocational Evaluations
The definition of vocational evaluation remains in the statute.
That definition does not define who may do a vocational evaluation.
The Bureau no longer has rule-making authority to define a vocational evaluation.
The Bureau is given rulemaking authority to establish training and education standards pertaining to eligibility, course curricula and duration, and associated costs.
Until this is done, the Bureau operates only under the definition of vocational evaluation in the statute.
Changes Required by Senate Bill 2150
Budget Impact on Re-training and Other Vocational Services Provided by the
Bureau
Budget Impact on Re-training and Other Vocational Services Provided by the Bureau
Injured employee entitlement to re-training or other vocational services from the Bureau remains the same.
The Bureau’s Web Portal will continue to collect documents associated with this process.
The Bureau will screen all cases for which a DWC-23 is received, and, if enough information is available, will perform an assessment on the case under the administrative rule.
Budget Impact on Re-training and Other Vocational Services Provided by the Bureau
The budget for re-training, other vocational services, and evaluations (otherwise known as “purchased client services”) was cut by 2/3 in the fiscal year 2011-2012 budget.
For Purchased Client Services, the amount budgeted for fiscal year 2011-2002 is $430,376. When compared with the amount budgeted for fiscal year 2010-2011 ($1,513,708) there is a difference of -$1,083,332.
Funds for the fiscal year 2010-2011 budget have been (or are expected to be) fully expended, which means that there will need to be absolute cut backs in purchased client services of 2/3 in the coming fiscal year.
Budget Impact on Re-training and Other Vocational Services Provided by the Bureau
The Bureau will provide re-training, other vocational services, and evaluations in the coming fiscal year, as possible.
When funding is not available, the Bureau will refer cases to other appropriate agencies for the provision of services.
Changes Required by Senate Bill 2150
Revisions to Administrative Rules
Revisions to Administrative Rules
The Bureau will first do a rule revision to make the administrative rules conform to the revised statute and repeal rules as required.
After that is done, the Bureau will look at further rule revisions necessary to otherwise operate under the revised statute and budget.
The BRRS Web Portal
The BRRS Web Portal
The BRRS Web Portal is a Web site that enables insurance carriers, third party administrators, and rehabilitation providers to electronically refer injured workers to the Bureau with Form DWC-23 and/or upload reemployment assessments, reemployment status reviews, and case documents.
The website address is https://wc-returntowork-vr.doe.state.fl.us/brrs/login.aspx
The BRRS Web Portal
Upon first accessing the website, the log-on screen appears:
The BRRS Web Portal
On the log-on screen, the user may…
Log onto the system with the assigned UserID and Password.
Request a new User Account.
Find out a forgotten password.
Access the Change Log.
Access the Web Portal User’s Manual
Access the DWC Carrier/TPA Database Web site.
Find out contact information for user support issues.
The BRRS Web Portal
After the user logs on, the BRRS Web Portal Main Menu appears:
The BRRS Web Portal
From the Main Menu, the user may access the…
Injured Employee Referrals Module
This module enables various parties (insurance carriers, rehabilitation providers, attorneys, etc.) to refer injured workers to BRRS for services.
The system automatically generates a Form DWC-23, Request for Screening, and sends an e-mail to the appropriate BRRS office.
The BRRS Web Portal
The user may…
Create Injured Employee Referral (create a new referral)
Search for Existing Referrals (find referrals already submitted by the user)
Edit My Company’s Carrier/TPA List (edit the user’s list of carriers/TPAs in the database)
The BRRS Web Portal
From the Main Menu, the user may also access the…
Document Upload Module
Registered Web Portal users can upload reemployment assessments, reemployment status reviews, and any case-related document (evaluation reports, medical reports, legal documents, etc.) of an injured worker via this module.
The system will notify the BRRS case manager of the uploaded case document.
The BRRS Web Portal
The BRRS Web Portal
Users may upload ARAMIS Case Documents.
The BRRS Web Portal
Users may upload Reemployment Assessments.
The BRRS Web Portal
Users may upload Reemployment Status Review Reports.
The BRRS Web Portal
On the User Account Maintenance Module, the user may change his/her e-mail address or password.
The BRRS Web Portal
Finally, the user may request that a user account be removed or disabled in the Remove/Disable a User Account Module.
The user must be a customer administrator in our database in order to make the request.
The BRRS Web Portal
Web Portal Privacy
Only registered Web Portal users may use the system, and all documents are secure.
Office Locations and Contacts
Office Locations
The BRRS consists of 3 Areas:
1) Area 1 Offices:
Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Panama City, and Pensacola
2) Area 2 Offices:
Orlando, Tampa, Sarasota
3) Area 3 Offices:
Ft Lauderdale, Ft. Myers, Miami
Area 1 Office Locations and Contacts
Tallahassee Office
325 W. Gaines Street, Ste 1724 Tallahassee, FL 32399 (850) 245-3489 e-mail: [email protected] Counties: Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Madison, Taylor, and Wakulla
Panama City Office 2686 Chapman Drive Panama City, FL 32405 (850) 747-5675 e-mail: [email protected] Counties: Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty, and Washington
Pensacola Office 3670A North L Street, 1st Floor Pensacola, FL 32505-5217 (850) 595-5500 e-mail: [email protected]
Counties: Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton
Area 1 Office Locations and Contacts (cont.)
Jacksonville Office 215 Market Street, Suite 380 Jacksonville, FL 32202 (904) 359-6101 e-mail: [email protected] Counties: Baker, Clay, Duval, Lafayette, Nassau, St. Johns, and Union
Gainesville Office 2610 NW 43rd St., Suite 1A Gainesville, FL 32606 (352) 955-2019 e-mail: [email protected] Counties: Alachua, Bradford, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Levy, Marion, Putnam, and Suwannee
Area 2 Office Locations and Contacts
Orlando Office 400 West Robinson Street, Suite 725 Orlando, FL 32801 (407) 245-0895 e-mail: Sandra [email protected] Counties: Brevard, Flagler, Indian River, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, and Volusia
Tampa Office 9215 N. Florida Avenue, Suite 104 Tampa, FL 33612 (813) 930-7546 e-mail: Beatrice [email protected] Counties: Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sumter
Sarasota Office 1991 Main Street, Suite 115 Sarasota, FL 34236 (941) 361-6939 e-mail: Paul [email protected] Counties: Desoto, Hardee, Highlands, Manatee, and Sarasota
Area 3 Office Locations and Contacts
Ft. Myers Office 5264 Summerlin Commons Way, Ste 404 Fort Myers, FL 33907 (239) 278-7150, Ext. 237 e-mail: Shirley Williams Counties: Charlotte, Collier, Hendry, Lee, and West Glades
Ft. Lauderdale Office 1400 West Commercial Blvd., Suite 1 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 (954) 202-3875 e-mail: Beverly Halle County: Broward, East Glades, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, and St. Lucie
Miami Office 401 NW Second Avenue, Suite 321 Miami, FL 33128 (305) 377-5379 e-mail: Ava Gardner Counties: Dade and Monroe
Office Locations and Contacts
Go to the BRRS web site (www.rehabworks.org/brrs) to obtain information about the Injured Worker Program, including
Brochures Injured Employee Orientation Rehabilitation Provider Qualifications BRRS Ombudsman BRRS Web Portal References and Forms Resource Links
Contacts Reginald Watkins (850) 245-3470
Cheryl Farner (850) 245-3485 [email protected]
Mary Cilek (850) 245-3491 [email protected]
Sandra Ondrus (407) 245-0895 x102 [email protected]
Angel Miranda (954) 747-7900 x4012 [email protected]
Thank you for attending the BRRS presentation at the 2011 Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference.
Please complete the survey in your packet and give it to a presenter as you leave.