Chapter 9: Authorization & Purchasing Goods and/or Services

This chapter follows a series of stages: creation, approval, delivery, and payment. The goods or services must be documented as necessary to assist the client in reaching his or her goal. Therefore, all authorizations made through the electronic CMS must be tied to a current service or training objective listed on the client’s ILRP or Waiver Plan. In addition, authorizations must receive IL program administrator’s approval before executing the purchase order.

The client and the ILR teacher are responsible for researching and identifying the items or services the client requires and considering comparable benefits when available. Comparable benefits should be sought to the extent feasible and used in each case prior to expending case funds. Full consideration must be given to any comparable benefits available. Private insurance, Veteran’s Administration, Medicaid and Medicare, city/county resources, private or public organizations, and any other resources, must be used to help meet the cost(s) of any purchased service except where the use of such benefits would delay the provision of services. Most authorizations are straightforward and require little investigation. Other purchases, depending on the source, may require extensive assessment and cost estimates or quotes.

The Independent Living program has received approval from the Department’s appointed authority to purchase certain AT goods and/or services under the agency’s Gifts & Bequests (G&B) fund that allow the client to achieve the IL goal reflected within the client’s ILRP or Waiver Plan. Such AT goods and/or services are directly related to and necessary for the completion of a client’s S.M.A.R.T. objectives.

Please visit Gifts &Bequests Fund Guidelines for more information.

If additional goods and/or services are necessary to assist the client with addressing disability skills training services as written in the approved IL plan, but are unavailable under G&B, the ILR teacher may authorize under the IL client’s plan an amount not to exceed $25.00. Any authorization in amount equal to or exceeding $25.00, requires program administrator approval prior to the creation of the authorization.

Per protocol, comparable benefits must be applied first, and steps taken to identify any comparable benefits must be documented. The Department does not authorize for additional goods or services that exceed the requirements of the client’s IL goal and objectives, or maximum allowable amount under the IL plan per policy for the life of any open case. For cases that are reopened with good cause, the maximum allowable purchases not covered by comparable benefits, may apply to the newly open case.

Case file documentation is required to justify all purchases recommended under the IL plan by the ILR teacher and program administration approval is required before purchases can be made.

When considering what goods and services to purchase for a client, always ask the following questions:

1. Whenever possible, ILR teacher should demonstrate equipment/devices to ensure clients can use the item as intended.
2. Is this good or service necessary and does the client’s disability require it to successfully participate in his or her plan?
3. Are there economical goods and services that will enable the client to achieve his or her IL goal?
4. Are there other parties or entities responsible for providing or contributing to the cost(s) of the goods and services?

When making a purchase under a client’s plan using any Department credit card, please note the following:

• Cards cannot be used for online purchases; only in-store.
• Please take the receipt or multiple receipts to a plain piece of paper and scan it to the attention of the Accounting Tech 3 or Accounting Department.
• Before emailing or mailing the receipts to headquarters, per Accounting’s instructions please indicate what program the purchase should be charged to (i.e., IL Younger or IL Older Blind).
• Include client case number(s) and case authorization ID number(s).
• Include the client’s case number and the case authorization ID number to be supplied to Accounting. Accounting requires an emailed copy of the original receipt followed by the original being mail to the Department.

Routine Authorizations

ILR teachers will create an authorization in the CMS, which will appear on the IL support staff’s homepage. Once reviewed for accuracy, the IL support staff will:

• assign the authorization to the IL Program Administrator, who will review and process assigned case authorizations, then will reassign the case authorization to the IL support staff
• enter all approved items to be ordered on an IDB vendor order form
• send the order as an attachment via email or fax the order to the vendor.

Note: Items must total $75 to qualify for free shipping or per requirement of the respective vendor to attain free shipping. If the items do not total $75 or per vendor requirement, the order will not be sent until such time as it reaches that limit, unless supervisor approval is obtained.

Once the order is acknowledged by the vendor’s sales representative, the IL support staff will:

• Complete the delivery instructions in the CMS.
• Assign the authorization in CMS to the Accounting Technician
• Print the authorization as a PDF and email to the Accounting Technician 3 (with a read receipt).

Once the items have been shipped by the vendor, the vendor sends an email with the invoice number, which should be recorded on the IDB Order Form, along with the following:

• Teacher’s initials
• Client last name
• Authorization number for each client
• Grant fund to charge the item
  • 7001 Older Blind
  • 7002 Younger Blind
  • 7003 Gifts and Bequests (G&B)

Eligible items can be found for these two areas as follows:

• IL Program Manual, Appendix A
• Gifts &Bequests Fund Guidelines

Received items will be sorted according to ILR teacher and client, then checked to make sure they are operational. Items will be mailed to those ILR teachers who are not domiciled in Polk County and delivered in person by IL support staff to those who are.

The following information is to be recorded on the packing slip before a copy is made and placed in the Accounting basket in the main office:

• The client’s last name,
• authorization number, and
• billing code.

A copy will be filed in the appropriate IL program folder by IL support staff.

Note: Authorizations for orders will be processed by the Accounting Technician 3 monthly. Back-up in the absence of the Accounting Technician 3 will be the Accounting Supervisor.

Bulk Orders

The IL support staff is responsible for placing, inventorying, and disbursing all aids and devices once the IL Program Administrator has approved the order.
The following aids and devices may be ordered in bulk:

• Signature guides
• Letter, envelope writing guides
• Check writing guides
• Medium orange bump dots
• Small orange bump dots
• Medium clear bump dots
• Small clear bump dots
• Locator dots
• Talking keychain watch
• Dental flossers
• Easy thread needs
• Talking alarm clock

Bulk orders for aids and devices will be processed separately from client aids and devices orders. The purpose for this is to keep case management accounting separate from agency accounting (ex. office items, teacher demo kits, etc.). As with any other order, a bulk order will only be submitted once the dollar amount meets or exceeds the minimum to receive free shipping from the vendor.

The IL support staff will inventory the bulk order as soon as it is received to verify the order was processed and charged correctly. The IL support staff will enter the items and quantity into the aids and devices inventory spreadsheet.

The IL Support Staff will deliver the order invoice to the Accounting Technician 3.

Process to authorize for aids and devices distributed by Accounting Technician 3 (i.e., long white canes, cane tips and learning shades)

The following aids and devices require preapproved case note and case authorization by the IL Program Administrator. These include long white canes, cane tips, and learning shades. These aids and devices are distributed by the Accounting Technician 3 to IL support staff, who will disseminate the items to the respective ILR teacher.

The process for ordering is as follows:

• Prior to case authorization, check the IL client plan to ensure the aid and/or device is a qualified training tool under the client’s IL plan.
• ILR teacher will prepare a case note then case authorization for the respective aid and/or device. The IL teacher will enter in the “Custom Text or Special Delivery Instructions” of the Case Authorization within the CMS that the aid and/or device is coming out of the teacher kit. The ILR teacher will also include in the “Custom Text or Special Delivery Instructions” where the item should be charged: Gifts & Bequests/IL Older Blind or Gifts & Bequests/IL Younger Blind (G&B/ILOB or ILY). NOTE: This is done so Accounting will make the proper journal entry for the item.
• Submit the case authorization to the IL Program Administrator for review and processing.
• The IL Program Administrator will review, and process based on the IL Plan S.M.A.R.T. Objectives.
• The IL Program Administrator will re-assign the case authorization to the IL support staff.
• The IL support staff will print a PDF of the Internal Memo authorization and email it (with a read receipt) to the Accounting Technician 3.
• Aids and Devices not coming out of the IL teacher kit (ex. canes, cane tips, and learning shades) will be fulfilled by the Accounting Technician 3 after receipt of the emailed PDF of the Internal Memo case authorization.
• The Internal Memo case authorization will be printed by Accounting Technician 3, who will attach the memo to the aid and/or device and deliver to the IL support staff.
• Aids and/or devices delivered to the IL division’s office will be shipped by IL Support Staff to each respective ILR teacher not domiciled within Polk County assigned to deliver the item(s). ILR teacher(s) domiciled in Polk County will be notified when their authorized order has been delivered by the Accounting Technician 3.

ILR Teacher Aids, Devices, & Equipment Inventory Kits

Process to authorize from ILR teacher kit:

Independent Living teachers are issued teacher kits to carry with them in the field and keep select aids and/or devices on hand within the kit for quicker delivery to Independent Living clients.

• Before delivery of any aid(s) and/or device(s) to a client, the ILR teacher must review the client’s IL plan and objective(s) prior to issuing training aid(s) and/or device(s) to ensure they relate back to the training objective or IL service plan.
• ILR teacher must create a case note then Internal Memo case authorization for the aid(s) and/or device(s).
• The IL teacher will enter in the “Custom Text or Special Delivery Instructions” of the case authorization that the aid(s) and/or device(s) is/are coming out of the teacher kit. The ILR teacher will also include in the “Custom Text or Special Delivery Instructions” where the item should be charged to: G&B/ILOB or G&B/ILY. NOTE: This is done so accounting will make the proper journal entry for the item.
• Case notes and Internal Memo case authorizations must be entered in the case management system within 10 business days of the date of service and/or delivery.
• ILR teacher must submit the case authorization to the IL supervisor for review and case management processing.
• IL support staff will print a PDF of the Internal Memo Authorization and email it (with a read receipt) to the Accounting Technician 3.
• The aids and devices named below are the qualifying items that require no prior IL supervisor authorization approval; however, they require case management processing as instructed above:
  • Signature guides
  • Letter, envelope writing guides
  • Check writing guides
  • Medium orange bump dots
  • Small orange bump dots
  • Medium clear bump dots
  • Small clear bump dots
  • Locator dots
  • Talking keychain watch
  • Dental flossers
  • Easy thread needles
  • Talking alarm clocks

Finally, there are a few training aids, devices and equipment issued directly to each ILR teacher that are kept in their own inventory that may be transferred directly from their teacher’s transfer box to each active IL client based on client’s training needs and what is reflected in the client’s IL plan. The ILR teacher will:

• Need to prepare a case note and case authorization for any aid, device and/or equipment issued from this kit.
• Record the inventory transferred from the kit with the IL client’s name, date of transfer, and items transferred.
• Later, replenish aids, devices, and/or equipment issued from kit by placing order through IL support staff.

ILR Teacher Demo Kits (Suitcases)

ILR teachers also carry with them an ILR teacher’s demo kit. They should consider making a request to replenish their supplies from this demo kit (i.e., in issued supplies to include bump dots, batteries, etc.) at least on a quarterly basis; generally, just prior to the Quarterly Staff In-service Training & Meetings. All dem kit replenishment requests must be reasonable and necessary to allow the ILR teacher to perform their respective job duties. A teacher kit list was supplied outlining some basic supplies issued. Orders shall be submitted to the respective IL support staff member who will submit a final order to the IL Program Administrator prior to the quarterly staff training and meetings so supplies can be ordered and disseminated.

Any items from the teacher demo kit that need to be replenished will undergo the same procedure as regular (routine) authorizations (See section on Routine Authorizations earlier in this chapter).

Loaner/Donated Equipment

IL loaner equipment can be given to an active client if it is related to client’s training plan and is available. The terms and conditions of accessing program loaner equipment are outlined in the Three-Month Acceptance of Loaner Equipment Form found in Appendix P.

There is also an Acceptance of Donated Equipment Form (i.e., Client receiving donated equipment from IL program) found in Appendix Q for any donated equipment accepted by clients.

Office Supply Orders

Office supplies will be ordered from Amazon or Staples depending which vendor has the lower price, after approval by the IL Program Administrator.

Amazon has a minimum order requirement for free shipping and will deliver to any address entered in the order. The order is placed and distributed by IL support staff. Staples also has a minimum order requirement for free shipping but will deliver only to the 524 Fourth Street address in Des Moines. The order is placed by the Accounting Technician 3.