Ky.gov
Effective: 8/16/2022

C7.9 Level of Care Assignment

Legal Authority

Introduction

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Practice Guidance

  • The DPP-886A Application for Referral and Needs Assessment should be detailed and complete to ensure that a child is assigned an accurate level of care (LOC) to support appropriate placements. Detailed and thorough DPP-886As support a child’s placement stability by ensuring the child is matched with the best placement to meet their needs. 
  • Within three (3) working days of receipt of the completed LOC packet, Children's Review Program (CRP) determines the child’s assigned LOC and returns the completed CR​P-6 Private Child Care Notice of Level of Care Payment Authorization Reassignment to the billing specialist or desingee who will then forward the form to the SSW. 
    • CRP works with the medical support section to obtain an acuity level for children designated medically complex, which will be considered when assigning the LOC. 
    • Levels may also be assigned upon request for children under the age of four (4) with significant behavioral or mental health needs. In these cases, the SSW must submit to CRP a request letter from a supervisor along with the items listed in procedure number two (2) below. If private child caring (PCC) or private child placing (PCP) staff requests that a child under the age of forty-eight (48) months be assigned a LOC and the SSW and FSOS are not in agreement, a request from the provider will be sent to the Division of Protection and Permanency, Out-of-Home Care Branch Manager, for determination. 
    • The period to complete the screener is ten (10) working days; however, because the screener correlates with assigning the LOC and obtaining mental health services, the SSW is encouraged to complete the screener as soon as possible to minimize delays.

Procedure

The SSW:

  1. Completes the LOC packet for a child who is: 
    1. Four (4) years of age or above; 
    2. Under age four (4) with an expired LOC; or 
    3. ​Any child who is designated medically complex, regardless of age. 
  2. Submits the DPP 886A Application for Referral and Needs Assessmen​t and supporting documentation electronically via TWIST within five (5) working days of the child’s entry into out-of-home care (OOHC) in order to obtain a LOC assignment; 1 
  3. Completes Screener in TWIST no later than ten (10) working days from the child's entry into OOHC; 
  4. Follows the guidelines in SOP C7.9.1 ​Request for Emergency Level o​f Care Assignment if an unforeseen circumstance necessitates a child without a LOC assignment, or with an expired LOC assignment, to be placed; and 
  5. Ensures that the review of the LOC assignment occurs to keep the child’s LOC assignment active. 2

Footnotes​

  1. Supporting documentation may include; 
    • A psychological assessment; 
    • Treatment recommendations; 
    • Individualized education program (IEP); 504 plan; or
    • The Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment, etc. ​
  2. Any child being considered for residential treatment must have an LOC prior to placement. As such, the LOC packet, including the completed DPP-886A and screener,​ must be submitted to CRP before placement is secured. 
  3.  Review of the LOC assignment is outlined in SOP C7.9.2 Reviews of Level of Care Assignment​.​​​​​​​​​

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Documents

Revisions

​7/20/2022 ​​

  • ​Remove DCBS Behavioral Health Referral form;
  • Replace DPP-886 Private Child Care Client Inter-Agency Referral Form with the CRP-6 Private Child Care Notice of Level of Care Payment Authorization Reassignment;
  • Add designee along with billing specialist  ​