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We would like to introduce our newest Employer tool! The Participant Dashboard allows YOU, the Employer, to: Properly manage and review hours and expenditures Keep track of reimbursements Check status of your employee's time records View accrued hours See your Consultant's contact information To visit the Participant Dashboard please click here.

Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) will be required for Medicaid personal care services effective January 1, 2020. In-Home Attendant Services, Ltd. has started sending surveys out to our CDS Employers to begin training prior to September 2019. If you have not received a survey or have training questions do not hesitate to inbox our general email at cdsfaxes@ihastx.com. Health and Human Services (HHS) provide further information regarding EVV launch on their website. Please click here.

We are pleased to introduce our new Intake team members. They are here to support new hire and enrollment transitions. Our Intake staff is trained and ready for any questions or concerns you may have. Thank you for helping us make them feel right at home! Left: Michelle Buentello - New Hire Specialist (A-J) Direct Line: (713) 400-2438 E-mail: michbuent@ihastx.com Center: Juan Carr - New Hire Specialist (K-Z) Direct Line: +1(346) 293-8306 E-mail: juan@ihastx.com Right: Julia Vallejo - Program Transfer Specialist Direct Line: +1(346) 293-8318 E-mail: julia@ihastx.com

To view Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities Click Here.

To view DSHS Flu Surveillance Activity Report Updates Click Here.

To view the latest update on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services Click Here.

If you, your family or attendant needs help finding a doctor or accessing medical care, HHS says to call 2-1-1 and they can direct you to low or no cost providers in your area.

Here at In-Home Attendant Services the health and well-being of our employers, clients and employees is one of our top priorities. We do understand the concern and uncertainty you may be experiencing surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) and we are working to be responsive to your needs as this situation evolves. We strongly encourage you to use the 24/7 Participant Dashboard and other resources that we have provided for your use at this time. The Participant Dashboard will provide your time sheet status, employee status, external resources and bonus money available. There will be limited staff in the office starting Wednesday, March 18, 2020. Phone calls and email correspondence will still be answered by your consultant. Time sheets that are emailed and faxed to consultants will be entered daily as normal. If you need anything that is urgent that may require you to come into the office please let your consultant know immediately and we will try our best to accommodate you. If you have not been given access to the Dashboard please email Michelle Harrison at michelle@ihastx.com to grant you access immediately. This process only takes a few minutes. As always, the health, safety, and well-being of our clients, employers, employees and designated representatives is of great concern. We will continue to monitor this quickly evolving situation and are here to assist you with your financial management services. For additional information about COVID-19, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov as the situation evolves for the latest updates. Helpful Resource Links: Employee Portal: Click Here. Participant Dashboard: Click Here. E time sheets: Click Here.

For guidance for adults with disabilities on managing personal care attendants please visit this link:https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/TXGOV/bulletins/282b276

The Mayor and HPD announced on ABC that there is no city lockdown planned. There is a lot of intentional misinformation going around - including robo calls. They are looking to prosecute individuals behind this.

Basic Coronavirus (COVID-19) FAQs Q: What precautions does the federal or state government recommend to lower the risk of COVID-19 exposure? A: Current Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for those who are concerned about exposure or symptoms for COVID-19 are accessible online at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html. The Texas Department of State Health Services has some useful resources on its website at https://dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/. Employers may also call the city or county health authorities in their places of operation for further assistance. Q: What does the CDC recommend regarding quarantines? A: The CDC guidelines do not currently include involuntary quarantining for those who have been exposed to a higher-than-normal risk of coronavirus. However, voluntary self-quarantining is mentioned as one way that employees who feel the onset of symptoms can assist in minimizing the risk of spreading disease. Naturally, good judgment and common sense go a long way, and employees who voluntarily self-quarantine should be treated the same way that any other employee would be treated who reports absences due to medical conditions, i.e., apply the company's normal medical absence policy. Q: Has the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) waived the one-week waiting period for unemployment insurance (UI) Benefits? A: Yes, Governor Abbott granted the Texas Workforce Commission’s request to suspend the one-week waiting period. Workers in Texas will be able to receive benefits immediately after their unemployment benefit applications are approved. Q: Is an employer allowed to send an employee home if they are showing signs of illness, such as coughing, sneezing, or report that they have aches or chills? A: Yes, in keeping with an employer’s general duty under OSHA to maintain a safe and healthy workplace for employees, employees who appear to be sick may be asked to go home, but do so as politely and discreetly as possible. However, the employer should be consistent and treat all employees who exhibit risky symptoms the same. Q: Do we need to worry about medical privacy laws? A: Medical information enjoys the highest degree of privacy protection. Other employees do not have the right to gossip about others if the gossip violates their right to be free of a hostile work environment or invasion of privacy. Legitimate concerns about health issues of employees should be discussed with appropriate supervisors, not with others who have no authority to do anything about it. In general, see https://twc.texas.gov/news/efte/medical_information_confidentiality_policy.html. Q: What if we know that an employee has been exposed to COVID-19, but they are showing no symptoms? A: Generally, there is no Texas or federal law that would prohibit a company from telling employees to stay home if they have had a higher-than-normal degree of exposure to individuals actually infected with the disease. As noted above, be consistent and do not base self-isolation orders on factors such as race or national origin. There have been scattered reports of ethnic discrimination, particularly against people who look like they might have come from Asia. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is already warning employers that singling employees out based on ethnic or national origin concerns could trigger a discrimination charge. Q: Would the employer have to pay sick leave to that employee? A: Yes, if the company offers such paid leave. Paid leave policies should be followed - failure to pay for leave owed under a written paid leave policy is a violation of the Texas Payday Law. Q: Could they file unemployment claims and draw unemployment benefits if they are told to go home for medical reasons? A: No, if they are receiving paid leave benefits. While on paid medical leave, they would not be considered "unemployed" under TWC laws and would not be able to claim unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. Q: What if they are not getting paid leave? A: If they are on unpaid leave, they could be considered unemployed if they are out long enough to satisfy the test for either partial or total unemployment (for those definitions, see our book Especially for Texas Employers online at https://twc.texas.gov/news/efte/ui_law_eligibility_issues.html#defin_of_unemployment). Q: Does an employee get unemployment benefits even if they are too sick to work? A: Any claimant who is able to file a claim for UI benefits must meet the eligibility requirements in order to actually draw benefits. Most notably, the claimant must be medically able to work and be available and actively searching for full-time work. Employees on temporary layoff status may be excused from work search requirements if they have a definite return-to-work date less than eight to twelve weeks in the future. Q: Is there any way an employer can avoid the cost of unemployment benefits? A: An employer may be eligible for protection from chargebacks from UI benefits if the evidence shows that the work separation was for medical reasons. However, if the reason for the work separation was merely a cautionary period of time off to minimize potential exposure of others to someone who might be infected, but might not be, chargeback protection would most likely not be extended to the employer. To minimize the chance of unemployment claims being filed, the employer can encourage employees to work from home if the job is such that remote work is possible. Proper recording of work time is necessary, and the employer would need to work with the employees to set up a timekeeping system that works properly and takes all time worked into account. Q: I am concerned that my small shop might be ordered to close its doors to control the pandemic. Would I have to pay for unemployment benefits for my employees? A: If a business shuts down due to a closure order from a governmental entity, Section 204.022(a)(1-2) (see https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/LA/htm/LA.204.htm#204.022) of the Texas Labor Code may allow an employer to ask for chargeback protection. If that were to happen, you should include a copy of the shutdown order with your response to the unemployment claim and argue that the closure was mandated by a local or state order. Q: Can TWC assist us if the pandemic forces a mass layoff? A: Yes – TWC’s Rapid Response Unit can help employers and affected employees access unemployment claim and reemployment services in a very streamlined and efficient manner. For information, see the TWC website at https://twc.texas.gov/businesses/rapid-response. Q: What other alternatives exist to avoid mass layoffs? A: TWC administers the Shared Work Program, which allows partial unemployment benefits for similarly-situated employees whose hours are reduced by a standard amount between 10 and 40 percent – information about that program is https://twc.texas.gov/businesses/shared-work. Q: What other information is on the TWC website about workplace illness issues? A: The following topics in our book Texas Guidebook for Employers may be useful: https://twc.texas.gov/news/efte/medical_leave_laws.html and https://twc.texas.gov/news/efte/fmla.html. Q: What can an employer ask for if an employee tells us she is ready to return to work? A: A question that might come up is whether it is permissible for an employer to require a doctor's release / fitness for duty certificate or something similar if an employee is returning from an absence caused by something that looks or acts like COVID-19. It would be good to keep in mind that many employees may have financial problems relating to inability to pay to see a doctor, so they should take that into account, and also that at least under current conditions, medical documentation should be requested only if a person is known to have been exposed to a communicable disease (not just coronavirus, but also things that are just as infectious, such as colds, flu, and other viral pests). Moreover, medical offices are almost overwhelmed, so issuing documentation will not be high on their priority lists, and tests for COVID-19 are not yet widely available. Finally, requests for medical documentation should be done consistently and fairly for all similarly-situated employees. Aaron S. Demerson Commissioner Representing Employers Texas Workforce Commission

To view COVID-19 Guidance for FMSAs and CDS Employers from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, please visit: https://apps.hhs.texas.gov/providers/communications/2020/letters/IL2020-08.pdf