Welcome New hire

New Residential Coordinators

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We are excited to announce and introduce three new Residential Coordinators who recently joined the Support Inc. family! Please read more about Nathalie, Jennifer and Celena below.
Hi, my name is Nathalie! I moved to Denver last summer from New York City after teaching 7th grade math in the Bronx. I got a degree in Mathematics and Education from Manhattan College. I came to Denver to take a break from the city and enjoy more outdoor activities. I’m originally from Austin, Texas, and enjoy visiting my family there. I’m excited to transition away from classroom teaching and explore other rewarding positions. In my free time, I like hiking, salsa dancing, and pottery making. I’m eager to join the team and look forward to meeting everyone soon.
My name is Jennifer and I am a Colorado Native (Southern Cheyenne), singer/poet, single mom of two amazing people and Food Bank volunteer, among many other things. This past year has seen a lot of change and long-awaited accomplishments. As I rounded the corner of my 50th birthday, I completed my Bachelor’s Degree, established an annual scholarship to be awarded to Denver Metro youth, ran my first 5k (Okay, there was pumpkin pie at the end of the race – contributing factor, maybe . . .?), and climbed my first 14er with two other 50 year olds. I made the bittersweet decision to leave my long career as a teacher and join Support, Inc. to be part of more wholistic support for people with IDD. You may be able to see a thread of rainbow over my shoulder in this picture from the summit of Mt. Sherman. I feel that is a harbinger for positive work to come as a RPC, because just like these monumental events, this leap into a new role came with plenty of trepidation and perspiration. Knowing what I do about the Support, Inc. community, already I feel certain it will come with beautiful summits too. Thank you for the opportunity!

Hi everyone! My name is Celena. I was raised in Fort Morgan, a small town here in Colorado. I lived in Washington state for a couple of years while I went to school for my Associate of Arts degree, and I am very happy to be back in my home state! I have worked in day programs as a caregiver/QMAP before and I am currently going to school for my BSN so I am eager to start learning more of the administrative side of things here at Support Inc. In my free time I like going to concerts, being active outdoors with my daughter Adalyn, traveling, and going to basketball games (go Nuggets!) I‘m excited to meet everyone soon!

HHP of month 2

April HHP of the Month!

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Please join us in congratulating Jon Moir, the April Host Home Provider of the month!

Jon was nominated for Host Home Provider of the Month by the Denver Metro 2 Team. According to Residential Coordinator, Raymond, Jon makes the nomination choice extremely easy with his consistency and longevity. Jon is always on top of everything and on the rare occasion that I need to ask him for something he will respond quickly. Jon has expressed that D is like his family member and he takes care of her as if she were! With the help of D’s awesome parents, both guardian and HHP are always in sync to ensure D is safe and all appointments are taken care of. Recently, with the roll out of our new SCOMM’s, as I was training Jon on how we planned to change things, and he had already taken initiative of how to effectively implement his HHP duties! I would again like to say to Jon, thank you for always taking care of business and being committed to being your best. Your great attitude and attention to detail is the foundation of D’s success. Congratulations on being nominated for HHP of the month!



Ryan Pic 2

Ryan Celebrates a Year Living Independently

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Ryan Berg switched residential agencies to work with Support Inc., seeking to live an independent lifestyle in an apartment setting. Ryan has been with Support Inc. for a little over a year and has been such a great addition to the Support Inc. Family. Throughout the year Ryan has been thriving living on his own, utilizes all his services, communicates well with his team members and gets himself out into the community by choosing to participate in events that sparks his interests. Some of those events include participating as an athlete with Colorado`s Special Olympics, volunteering as a traffic monitor for his Church on Sundays or hanging out with friends and his brother. Ryan has been working with Argus Event Security for
over 5 years and is seeking a permanent position with them in the future. Ryan is a great role model to all our individuals that seek to live independently and live life to the fullest. The attached picture is from the 2023 opening game for the Rockies, which he attended with his brother! They are also planning a trip together this Summer. Congratulations to Ryan for his past, current and future successes!

Finance Pic. 4.23

Finance Department News

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The Finance Department

The start of this year has been busy with the implementation of a couple major payment process changes. We are excited to offer more frequent and efficient methods of payment for our providers, vendors and people in services. The updates made so far include the implementation of bi-weekly payroll for our HHPs, and more visibility and autonomy when generating payments through bill.com.

Bill.com: Improving Ease of Pay

Bill.com is an accounts payable automation software that helps us streamline processing payments. What does this do for us? It allows us to get more clarity, security, and personalization with the payments we process for our payees. This also enables payees to have more control over how they are paid as they can update the banking information, address, or contact information we have on file in real time. Additionally, it enables payees to see what invoices we have processed, are currently processing, and have not yet received. For help setting up and accessing your payee account, e-mail us at accountspayable@supportinc.com.

Moving provider payments to ADP

In line with what we announced last year, we have begun the process of moving the payment method for our Host Home Providers and Family Care Giver Independent Contractors into ADP. This is a three-step process. First, transitioning our HHPs to a bi-weekly pay schedule, then finalizing the creation of the ADP platform for them, finally repeating the process for our FCG-ICs. As it stands, our HHPs have transitioned to a bi-weekly pay schedule enabling them to begin seeing payment for their work sooner each month. We are very excited about this transition as it marks the potential for our HHPs to experience an increase in ease of bill payment, and financial management. We are currently working closely with our HR team and the ADP developers to finalize the move into ADP. Once we have our HHPs fully settled in ADP we will focus on the third wave of the process which will include our FCG-ICs.

What is ADP?

ADP is a self-service portal where you can maintain your banking information, access historical payment records and upload compliance documents. We wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone that the most efficient way to receive payment from us is to sign up for ACH (or direct deposit).

More on HHP Bi-Weekly Pay

Below is the pay schedule our HHPs are currently following. The first two dates clarify the date range they are being paid for. The third date is when they can expect to see that direct deposit in their account. Please note that if you are set up for physical checks rather than direct deposit, you are subject to the processing times of the US Postal Service impacting when your check arrives. Again, we encourage everyone to sign up for ACH (or direct deposit)

If this schedule is still unclear, please e-mail us at accountspayable@supportinc.com where we will be happy to respond to your questions and requests.

Support, Inc. Host Home Providers Payment Schedule
Attendance Period Starts Attendance Period Ends Pay Date
     
1/1/2023 1/20/2023 1/27/2023
1/21/2023 1/27/2023 2/3/2023
1/28/2023 2/3/2023 2/10/2023
2/4/2023 2/17/2023 2/24/2023
2/18/2023 3/3/2023 3/10/2023
3/4/2023 3/17/2023 3/24/2023
3/18/2023 3/31/2023 4/7/2023
4/1/2023 4/14/2023 4/21/2023
4/15/2023 4/28/2023 5/5/2023
4/29/2023 5/12/2023 5/19/2023
5/13/2023 5/26/2023 6/2/2023
5/27/2023 6/9/2023 6/16/2023
6/10/2023 6/23/2023 6/30/2023
6/24/2023 7/7/2023 7/14/2023
7/8/2023 7/21/2023 7/28/2023
7/22/2023 8/4/2023 8/11/2023
8/5/2023 8/18/2023 8/25/2023
8/19/2023 9/1/2023 9/8/2023
9/2/2023 9/15/2023 9/22/2023
9/16/2023 9/29/2023 10/6/2023
9/30/2023 10/13/2023 10/20/2023
10/14/2023 10/27/2023 11/3/2023
10/28/2023 11/10/2023 11/17/2023
11/11/2023 11/24/2023 12/1/2023
11/25/2023 12/8/2023 12/15/2023
12/9/2023 12/22/2023 12/29/2023
12/23/2023 1/5/2024 1/12/2024

IN THE SPIRIT OF GRATITUDE

We, the Finance Team, want to give a big thank you to all our Department Teammates, Support Leadership, Directors, Associate Directors, Coordinators, Direct Support Professionals, Providers and Caregivers. We are so grateful to each one of you for partnering with us.  We appreciate your patience as we encounter challenges that arise from the implementation and integration of new systems.  As part of the Support Family, you have our commitment to bring you the best customer service possible.

S&M

Celebrating Stephan and Melissa’s Special Day!

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Support, Inc. Helps Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Live Life to the Fullest! Please read about Stephan and Melissa’s wedding below.

“The Support, Inc. team utilizes a unique, whole-person approach that allows our caregivers to develop a deep understanding of each individual’s needs,” explains Kayla Ribron, Associate Director with Support, Inc. “We work with each of our individuals to identify and set manageable goals to help them make their dreams a reality. For Stephan Fury and Melissa Allen this meant finally having the wedding of their dreams after being together for five years.”

Stephan and Melissa have mild intellectual disabilities. The couple worked with Ribron, the Residential Coordinator at the time, and their Support, Inc. care team to plan the wedding. Melissa wanted the big event to have a country feel – she wanted to wear cowboy boots and incorporate the colors black, white and turquoise. It was also important to the couple to have the ceremony near water since that is where Melissa feels closest to her mother who passed away.

“We worked together to decide on a location for the ceremony and the reception,” says Ribron. “The special couple led the planning, tasted and picked the food, and enjoyed every moment. It was my pleasure to accompany Melissa and her maid of honor to the bridal boutique to try on and pick out her wedding dress. We even had a video call with Stephan’s mom to make sure she got to be a part of the experience. It was so special and such a privilege to accompany her on that special day.”

In September of 2022, Stephan and Melissa had a beautiful wedding ceremony and reception. Their families traveled from near and far to be there.

“The Support, Inc. team specializes in designing innovative creative budgets so the individuals and families we serve can utilize their waiver funds in the most person-centered way,” says Ribron. “Because of our unique structure, we were able to use Stephan and Melissa’s waiver budget to pay for the wedding including their honeymoon trip to travel to Galveston. Throughout their relationship, Stephan and Melissa have supported each other through thick and thin. They recently moved into a new apartment and are loving it. The love these two have for one another is unmatched. They help each other grow and learn and really listen to each other’s needs. It has been a joy to see their love and union grow and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for them.”

CO Springs Luncheon

Colorado Springs Event!

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The Denver-Colorado Springs Team at Support, Inc. will be hosting a luncheon, and meet and greet on 4/19. You and your individual are welcome to come! Meet the DCS Team and connect with other providers and others throughout Support, Inc. We will be serving lunch and having a raffle. We will also have some activities for folks who would like to join.

 

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Celebrating Success

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Please join us in celebrating success! Family Caregiver, Renne Klaus, was recently awarded a STAR award by her Residential Coordinator, Stephanie. Renee also had wonderful things to say about Support Inc. Please find their testimonials below.
Stephanie- “I would like to nominate Renee for a STAR award for her dedication and flexibility caring for her son, IK. Within my first month at Support, Renee has been incredible with communication and asking for help. She’s always advocating for IK and trying to figure out what supports and resources he needs to set him up for success. Through this process, she has made great relationships, and IK is surrounded by a caring, person-centered thinking team. Renee has been an imperative part of the team in helping IK grow. Thank you, Renee, for everything that you do!”
Renee- “Thank you all for your kind words. The amount of support and caring throughout this journey is immeasurable beyond words. Our family is truly blessed. We know within our hearts that through Support Inc, IK is always in the best of hands.”
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Public Health Emergency Ending

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Public Health Emergency ending resulting in end to continuous coverage.

Background:

In January 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared a public health emergency (PHE) in response to the outbreak of COVID-19. Congress passed legislation that ensured anyone enrolled in Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) was guaranteed to keep their health coverage during the PHE. This is known as the “continuous coverage requirement” and also applies to kids and pregnant people covered by Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+). Congress recently passed a bill that ends the continuous coverage requirement in spring 2023. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has formally extended the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). The PHE can be extended for up to 90 days at a time and is expected to end on May 11, 2023. The Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, issued a Statement of Administration Policy on Jan. 30, 2023, that the Administration plans to extend the PHE to May 11.

What this means:

During the Public Health Emergency, Medicaid (managed by the county of residence) continued to send out redetermination packets and request for financial verifications. However, no one’s Medicaid coverage ended due to lack of redetermination submitted or verifications because of the ‘continuous coverage’ legislation. You likely continued to submit your packets as normal.

Beginning May 12th, the redeterminations that are sent out and requests for verifications that are sent out MUST be responded to within the time frame given, or eligibility will be affected.

 Suggestions from Health Care Policy and Finance (HCPF) on how to plan for the ending of PHE:

  1. Health First Colorado and CHP+ will return to normal eligibility renewal processes with renewals due in May and notice will be sent starting March 2023.
  2. The Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) will take 12 months (14 months including noticing) to complete renewals for each of the approximately 1.7 million people currently enrolled.
  3. Members should:
    1. Update their contact information to ensure you receive your packet and you can be reached.
    2. Respond to and sign renewal paperwork to make sure you keep your Health First Colorado and CHP+ coverage if they are still eligible.
    3. Members can find out their renewal dates and access more information by going to the Health First Colorado Website.

 Additional info:

Creating a Peak account is an easy way to update member information (including address and contact information), access case information such as contact information on file, renewal dates, an online mailbox where all case communication is available (including redeterminations, requested verifications, and eligibility determinations), and coverage. Peak will also have a notice on the account home page if a redetermination is due or if documentation is needed. Use this link to access the PEAK Website.

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Celebrating IDD Awareness Month

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In the spirit of IDD Awareness Month, we would like to share & celebrate the story of Joe B. (9-8-82 to 12-12-22). Joe was born without the Corpus Callosum and as a result he was non-verbal and used a wheelchair all his life. But Joe never let his challenges define him or stop him from living life to the fullest. Joe graduated from UCCS Pueblo with honors for a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. Joe discovered that visual art gave him a voice. The below paintings were part of a series in which each painting was partially black and white, partially color to respect how art brought color to his world. “Content provided by his HHP, Billie”