As a measure to continue to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19, the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) issued a Directive to regional centers on December 23, 2020 that authorizes regional centers to pay an increased rate of reimbursement for overtime hours for Participant-Directed Respite Service under Service Code 465. Overtime hours may be necessary to pay respite staff to work hours beyond a full-time schedule in order to limit the number of participant-directed respite workers entering a person’s home. This Directive is effective retroactive to December 1, 2020 and will remain in effect until further notice.
If you are already authorized and receiving Participant-Directed Respite Services under Service Code 465: If you have a need for overtime hours, please contact your Service Coordinator who will work with you to determine the amount of needed overtime hours, create the authorization and inform the appropriate Financial Management Services (FMS) agency. The FMS agency handles the employment aspects of participant-directed respite workers such as issuing paychecks with withholdings, processing payroll taxes, issuing W-2 tax forms, and covering respite workers under the agency’s employment insurance policies. The FMS agency will work with you and your respite workers to report their approved regular and overtime hours on their timecard for payment.
If you are authorized and receiving Respite Services through:
- An Agency (Service Code 862):
Employer of Record – Families hire, train, supervise, and schedule a worker of their choice to provide respite services. The agency handles Employer of Record duties similar to a FMS agency under Participant-Directed Respite Services.
Full Service – The agency handles all Employer of Record duties in addition to recruiting, screening, hiring, training, supervising and scheduling the respite workers.
- Family Member Reimbursement (Service Code 420): A family member obtains the respite workers and manages the respite services and is required to comply with all related laws as the employer.
At this time, overtime hours for respite workers under Service Codes 862 and 420 are currently not an option. If you would like to request overtime respite hours, the method of service delivery will need to change to Participant-Directed Respite Services (Service Code 465). More information about these services can be found by clicking on this link: Participant-Directed Services.
If you would like to transition respite services to Participant-Directed Respite Services, please contact your Service Coordinator who will create an authorization for the same amount of respite service hours you are currently receiving and also create an authorization for any needed overtime hours. The Service Coordinator will also work with you to set up the relationship with a Financial Management Services (FMS) agency which will handle employment aspects of the participant-directed respite workers. The FMS agency will work with you and your respite workers to report their approved regular and overtime hours on their timecard for payment.
Questions on this notice should be directed to your Service Coordinator. To review the DDS Directive, click here.