Section 1 / Part 13
Effective Date: April 10, 2006

Miscellaneous administrative issues

This section contains the following topics:

Kansas residency
Non-discrimination
Out-of-state services
Prior authorization
Reporting child abuse and neglect
Transfer of cases
Useof toll-free numbers in lieu of accepting collect calls

Kansas residency

Clients must maintain Kansas residency in order to continue receiving services from RS.

Reference: §361.42

Clients whose services are being provided out-of-state must complete a residency verification form annually. See Section 8 / Part 28 for the Kansas Residency Verification form.

Non-discrimination

All services shall be provided without regard to sex, race, age, creed, color, national origin or type of disability.

Out-of-state services

Prior to including any out-of-state services in an IPE, the counselor must complete an analysis which:

• Identifies the specific rehabilitation need to be addressed by the services.
• Compares the ability of in-state and out-of-state services to meet the identified rehabilitation needs.

See Section 8 / Part 33 for a Comparative Analysis Worksheet.

Before an out-of-state service to be funded by RS is included in the IPE, the Comparative Analysis Worksheet must be completed by the Counselor and forwarded for approval according to the Region's prodecudres. Each RS Program Administrator will establish a procedure for routing such exception requests through the RS Managers, RS Program Administrator or both. The worksheet indicating final action taken should be filed in the record of services.

If the analysis shows that comparable services are available in-state, the client may choose out-of-state services with the additional cost to be paid by the client. RS Regional Program Administrator approval is not required in this circumstance.

Prior authorization

Prior approval/authorization is required before RS will pay for any goods or services. After the IPE is in place (Status 12) and in very limited circumstances, such as medical emergencies when it was not feasible for the client to get prior approval and no other source of funding is available, an exception may be approved. Each RS Program Administrator will establish a procedure for routing such exception requests through the RS Managers, RS Program Administrator or both.

Reporting child abuse and neglect

RS staff that has reason to suspect that a child has been injured as a result of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse or neglect shall report such situations. Reason to suspect means that there is credible evidence or a discrepant or inconsistent history in explaining a child's injury. Reporting is a request for an assessment into the condition of a child. The determination of whether abuse or neglect has actually occurred is the responsibility of SRS or appropriate law enforcement agencies. The report may be made orally and followed by a written report if requested by SRS or law enforcement agencies. Reports should include the name and address of the child, the child's parents or other individuals responsible for the child's care; the child's location; the child's condition, including the nature or extent of the injury; whether the alleged perpetrator has access to the child; and any other helpful information. Reports should be made to SRS or to a law enforcement agency if SRS is not open for business. Reports may also be made to the Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-922-5330 or the Attorney General = s Office at 785-296-2215.

Reference: KSA 38-1522

Transfer of cases

A record of services may be transferred to another office or counselor with the approval of the RS Regional Program Administrators/Managers for the offices involved. Among the factors to be considered are:

• Residence of the client.
• The nature of the client’s disability.
• The availability of services.
• The client’s choice.

Prior to requesting a transfer, the transferring counselor must document recent contact with the client, the client’s views on the transfer, the client’s intention to continue VR services, and the client’s new address, phone and contact information. The transferring counselor should also document counseling and guidance provided to the client related to the possibility that all current IPE services may not be available in the new community.

Use of toll-free numbers in lieu of accepting collect calls

With the availability of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) toll-free number, 1-888-369-4777 and the toll-free relay center number for persons with speech and hearing impairments, 1-800-766-3777, Rehabilitation Services (RS) will not accept collect calls from clients or applicants.