Payroll Procedures

1. Field staff time slips are to be co-signed by the parent/caregiver or responsible party to ensure that the hours reflected on the slip are attested to as correct.
2. The case manager or nursing supervisor will determine who are acceptable responsible party alternatives that are permitted to co-sign the time slips.
3. A signature sheet form will be developed for child mental health service and other services as designated by the director or compliance officer. This form will be initiated upon case opening by the case manager or designee and maintained in the office for use in time slip processing.
4. The staffing coordinator or office staff designee will review submitted time slips for the presence of an appropriate co-signature and compliance with the signature card (if applicable).
5. Time slips that do not have a responsible party co-signature will not be processed for payroll purposes until the hours can be verified. Verification is done either by contacting the responsible party via telephone or by checking with the nursing supervisor or case manager who may have been at the home during the hours provided. If neither person can verify the hours, the time slip is held back from payroll processing until signed or verified. This may result in delayed payment for service until the following payroll period. Hours that are verbally confirmed with the responsible party are communicated to the director or nursing supervisor by the staffing coordinator or designee. The director or nursing supervisor then notes that a verbal confirmation was obtained, the date and the manager signs the slip.
6. Private duty staff (nurses, HHA's and BHA's) who submit unsigned time slips are contacted to notify them of the delay in payroll processing due to the lack of verification. They are reminded of the time slip policy and to comply in the future with the co-signature standard. At that time the hours are confirmed with the staff member to ensure the schedule reflects the correct hours. The schedule will be flagged with the code "VNTS" which notes that the schedule is verified without time slip. This means that the billing department is not to bill for the hours until a signed/verified time slip is submitted, but that the calendar is correct.
7. Private duty time slips are matched to the schedule of hours for the billing department to use in their collection activities. When a co-signed time slip is received, the hours on the schedule are confirmed and circled to note that the hours are confirmed as correct. These hours may then be billed and collected by the billing department.
8. Acute care visit staff are to submit a co-signed time slip with the notes for each visit performed. The patient/caregiver or responsible party is to co-sign the time slip, consents (if a case opening), and other outcome planner forms. If the time slip is not signed, but the patient has signed the consents or other outcomes planner documents, the director will note a confirmation of the visit being done on the time slip and sign it. A verbal confirmation of the visit being performed may also be done by contacting the patient and documenting on the time slip as in section number 5.
9. Supervisors and case managers who perform on site/home supervision visits will have the client sign a time slip for compliance purposes, not payroll purposes. These slips are mounted in the patient's clinical record with a notation that the visit was done during salaried hours. If the visit is done during non-salaried hours for clinical case assessment or supervision, the co-signed time slip will be submitted with accompanying documentation for payroll purposes.
10. Verification checks of the staff member's presence in the patient home during scheduled hours may be done by a variety of methods which include: unscheduled visits to a patient home, telephone contact to the client/staff member during the scheduled time to verify staff member's compliance with service provided, and on site supervision.
11. Independent contractors will submit a bill with accompanying documentation to reflect the services provided. Verification of the service visits may be done by noting the client signature on the consent forms or by verbally contacting the client to ensure the services were provided as billed. This verification is noted on the invoice or in the communication log. Once the service is verified the invoice is forwarded to accounts payable for payment.