News

Early Start Specialized Therapeutic Services – AV – service code 116

June 14, 2024

The North Los Angeles County Regional Center (NLACRC) is seeking qualified clinicians to provide Early Start Specialized Therapeutic Services (Service Code 116) to serve Early Start Consumers, under the age of three years, who reside in the Antelope Valley. Consistent with statutory requirements (WIC 4688(a)(5)), there is significant need to support Early Start Consumers and their families, in their home and in natural environments (“in-home services”). All interested applicants must have a physical business office located within or be willing to provide services in the Antelope Valley. This is a special service code that requires the regional center to obtain prior approval by the Department of Developmental Services (DDS), pursuant Program Advisory CFSB 01-1 “Early Start Therapeutic Services” (October 12, 2001). PLEASE NOTE: There is no start-up funding associated with this RFV. North Los Angeles County Regional Center (NLACRC) is seeking proposal submissions for Early Start Specialized Therapeutic Services providers in the Antelope Valley.
Service Description: Early Start Therapeutic Services – Service Code 116 Qualified applicants must have a minimum of two (2) years clinical experience with infants and toddlers from birth through 36 months and be licensed in California as an
• Occupational Therapist,
• Physical Therapist, or
• Speech-Language Pathologist. Start-up Available: There is no start-up funding available for this RFV. Reimbursement: This service is funded at an hourly rate, as established by the Department of Developmental Services. Location: Antelope Valley Project Overview North Los Angeles County Regional Center (NLACRC) is seeking qualified clinicians to provide Early Start Specialized Therapeutic Services (Service Code 116) to underserved communities within the Antelope Valley, a geographic area that has historically had challenges developing services for the Early Start population. Qualified applicants must be licensed in California as an Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, or Speech-Language Pathologist, with a minimum of two (2) years clinical experience with infants and toddlers from birth through 36 months. The delivery of services should be in-home and/or at a site-based location in the Antelope Valley, which includes the following communities: Acton, Lake Hughes, Lake Los Angeles, Lancaster, Little Rock, Palmdale, Pearblossom, Quartz Hill, and any other Antelope Valley community served by NLACRC. PLEASE NOTE: The Antelope Valley is the only geographic area eligible to receive Early Start Specialized
Therapeutic Services under the 116 Service Code due to lack of licensed clinicians in this portion of NLACRC’s catchment area Service Description “A regional center shall classify an individual as an Early Start Therapeutic Services provider if the person provides services for consumers aged birth to 36 months who require specialized services, as deemed necessary based on informed clinical opinion. These services must be identified in the Individualized Family Service Plan. Early Start Specialized Therapeutic Services include but are not limited to: services necessary to increase or maintain health and/or developmental progress; and, when provided as ancillary to these services, family and/or individual education and training; family support and counseling; provider travel; interagency consultation; and consultation with and training for other involved professionals. Vendors shall be individuals offering these services, and shall ensure possession of licenses, certifications, and/ or credentials as required by the State of California to practice in the field being offered. In addition, the vendor shall have at a minimum, one year’s experience working with persons with developmental disabilities.” Proposed Models of Service Individuals who are licensed Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, or Speech-Language Pathologists, with at least two (2) years of pediatric clinical experience will deliver assessment services and one-to-one therapy to children under the age of three in the child’s home or in a clinic-based setting. Individual therapists must be able to complete an accurate and detailed assessment and submit a written report no later than 7-14 days from the initial visit. Developmental evaluations if requested must be completed using a standardized tool, (i.e., Gesell, Bayley III, DAYC, Mullens, etc.). Progress reports are due on a semi-annual basis. Developmental evaluations and subsequent progress reports should highlight development profile and evaluations must indicate developmental levels at all times. Closing reports must also be completed using a standardized tool such as those listed above for evaluations.
Minimum Qualifications for Applicants Potential providers must have prior demonstrable experience including:
• Must be a current vendor or willing to be vendored with NLACRC to provide Early Start Specialized Therapeutic Services (Service Code 116).
• Comply with NLACRC vendorization requirements
• Have a business located or be willing to establish a business within the Antelope Valley
• Hold a current California Professional License from the respective licensing Board
• Occupational Therapists (if included) must meet regulatory requirements for vendorization under Service Code 773, Occupational Therapy. Title 17, Section 54342 (a)(53) states: “A regional center shall classify a vendor as a provider of occupational therapy if the vendor is: (A) An occupational therapist validly licensed by the California Board of Occupational Therapy and who, based on the written prescription of a physician, dentist or podiatrist, provides occupational therapy evaluation, treatment planning, treatment, instruction and consultative services.” The use of an Occupational Therapy Assistant must meet statutory requirements under the Business and Professions Code, sections 2570-2571.
• Physical Therapists (if included) must meet regulatory requirement for vendorization under Service Code 772, Physical Therapy. Title 17, §54342(a)(61) states: “A regional center shall classify a vendor as a provider of physical therapy services if the vendor is: (A) A physical therapist who is validly licensed by the Physical Therapy Examining Committee of the Medical Board of California and who, under medical supervision, treats individuals to relieve pain, develop or
restore motor function, and maintain performance by using a variety of physical means.” The use of a Physical Therapist Assistant must statutory requirements under Business and Professional Code, Sections 2600-2696.
• Speech-Language Pathologists (if included) must meet regulatory requirements for vendorization under Service Code 707, Speech Language Pathology. Title 17 §54342(a)(75) states: “A regional center shall classify a vendor as a provider of speech pathology services if the vendor is: (A) A speech pathologist who is validly licensed as a speech pathologist by the Speech Pathology and Audiology Examining Committee of the Medical Board of California and provides
Diagnostic screening an
Preventative and corrective therapy for persons with speech or language disorders.” The use of a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant must meet statutory requirements under Business and Professional Code, Sections 2538-2538.7.
• Have a minimum of two years clinical experience with infants and toddlers from birth to 36 months
• Be able to demonstrate verbal and written proficiency in English and at least one of the following languages:
• American Sign Language (ASL)
• Arabic
• Armenian
• Chinese – Cantonese
• Chinese – Hakka
• Chinese – Mandarin
• Chinese – Other
• Hindi
• Japanese
• Korean
• Persian (Farsi)
• Russian
• Spanish (preferred)
• Spanish Creole
• Tagalog
• Vietnamese
• Demonstrate multicultural competency and participate in ongoing (i.e., at least once a year) training in Cultural Sensitivity to meet the needs of the identified Antelope Valley communities, including the Hispanic and African American communities.
• Multicultural competency as demonstrated by coursework, direct experience and other experience with these communities will be considered. Additionally, applicants need to include a statement and examples demonstrating how they support clients of diverse populations, needs and different cultural backgrounds, how their agency translates materials, interprets for other languages and provides staff who speak other languages, etc. Per Welfare and Institution Code (WIC) Section 4649.11. Per regulations, (Title 17, Section 54326 (a)(1), “All vendors shall be prohibited from transferring vendorization of their service to another person or entity.” Individual therapists vendored under the 116 service code are the only ones authorized to provide services. Rate of Reimbursement Reimbursement rates will be negotiated either up to the Statewide Median Rate established under statute or at Usual & Customary rate, if the provider meets the regulatory framework, pursuant to the program advisory, which states “the maximum rate of reimbursement for the 116 service code shall be established pursuant to Title 17 CCR, Section 57210(a)(19), or Section 57300(e)” Statewide Median Rates for 116 services (as of 4/01/2022): Service Rate Assessment $ 120.63 per hour Occupational therapy $ 115.02 per hour Physical Therapy $ 113.89 per hour Speech Therapy $ 113.53 per hour
Individual Bilingual Speech $ 130.75 per hour Physical Therapy in-home including mileage $ 124.78 per hour Mileage (if over 10 miles) $ 0.57 per mile APPLICANTS’ CONFERENCE Applicants’ Conference An informational meeting to answer questions about this RFV will be held on October 27, 2021, 1:00 p.m. This meeting is not required for those who wish to apply, but is strongly recommended. Zoom Meeting Details Meeting ID: 824 2937 7067 Passcode: 112382 A. Eligible Applicants Both non-profit and proprietary organizations are eligible to apply. Employees of Regional Centers are not eligible to apply. Applicants must disclose any potential conflicts of interest per Title 17 Section 54500. Applicants, including members of the governing board, must be in active status in regard to all services vendored with any regional center and be financially solvent. Applicants that have been sanctioned in the last 12 months will not be eligible for vendorization. B. Applicant Partnerships and Materials Submitted
Applicants who apply as partners must have full knowledge of the proposal packet and must demonstrate commitment to the project during start-up and ongoing operations. However, if a partner’s sole purpose is to provide financial backing to the project, the financial backer need only show financial commitment. If the partner’s role is only to provide technical support (e.g., drafting the RFV response), the applicant receiving such support is responsible for all language contained in the RFV and the eventual program design. C. Reservation of Rights NLACRC reserves the right to request or negotiate changes in a proposal, to accept all or part of a proposal, or to reject any or all proposals. NLACRC may, at its sole and absolute discretion, select no provider for these services if, in its determination, no applicant is sufficiently responsive to the need. NLACRC reserves the right to withdraw this Request for Vendorization (RFV) and/or any item within the RFV at any time without notice. NLACRC reserves the right to disqualify any proposal which does not adhere to the RFV guidelines. This RFV is being offered at the discretion of NLACRC. It does not commit the regional center to award any grant. Please note that applicants must be in active status with NLACRC and other Regional Centers and may be disqualified for any of the following: receipt of Correction Action Plan (CAP), Sanction or Immediate Danger findings, failure to disclose any history of deficiencies or confirmed reports of consumer abuse, previous failure to perform, or unwillingness to comply with Title 17 and NLACRC best practices. D. Costs for Proposal Submission Applicants responding to the RFV shall bear all costs associated with the development and submission of a proposal. E. Inquiries/Request for Assistance All additional inquiries regarding this application or requesting technical assistance should be directed to resourcedevelopment@nlacrc.org. Technical assistance is limited to information on the requirements for preparation of the application packet. Applicants are expected to prepare the documentation themselves or retain someone to provide such assistance. If an applicant chooses to retain assistance from another
party, the applicant must be able to thoroughly address all sections of the proposal during the interview process and/or demonstrate that the party assisting with the application will have a continuing role in the ongoing operation of the program. F. Proposal Content Requirements
Attachment A: Proposal Title Page
Table of Contents
Attachment B: Statement of Obligation
Attachment C: Program Description
Attachment D: Statement of Equity and Diversity
Attachment E: Applicant/Vendor Disclosure Statement (Form 1891)
Attachment F: NLACRC Cost Statement
Resumes and Certifications for director and all identified staff
Job descriptions of all positions 10. A minimum of two (2) professional letters of reference for the applicant. Letters of reference are required to be on letterhead and signed by the individual providing the reference. References from members of the applicant’s family, staff, or governing board will not be accepted. NLACRC Proposal Writing Guidelines The applicant is required to submit an electronic copy in a PDF format. An applicant will be disqualified from consideration for failure to follow instructions, complete documents, submit required documents or meet the submission deadline. All proposals submitted must adhere to the following requirements:
• Use Standard size format so proposal will print out on a standard 8 ½ x 11 paper
• Proposal must be typed using a standard font (12 point).
• Every page must be numbered consecutively.
• The Proposal Title Page must be the first page of the proposal.
• The proposal must include a Table of Contents that corresponds to the proposal.
• All sections of the Content Requirements must be addressed in the proposal. G. Submission of Proposals
All proposals must conform to the attached Proposal Writing Guidelines and Content Requirements. The applicant must submit the completed proposal via email to resourcedevelopment@nlacrc.org. No fax copies will be accepted. The proposals must be complete, typewritten, collated, and page numbered. Deadline for Submission of Proposals Ongoing until resource need declines.