9076 Temporary Emergency Respite Funds (TERF) | ADMINISTRATION-5600-MANUAL
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Georgia Division of Aging Services |
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Chapter: |
9075 Relocation Funds |
Effective Date: |
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Section Title: |
Temporary Emergency Respite Funds (TERF) |
Reviewed or Updated in: |
2021-01 |
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Section Number: |
9076 |
Previous Update: |
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Summary Statement
Temporary Emergency Respite Funds (TERF) are used to assist with the emergency placement of abused, neglected and exploited vulnerable adults.
Basic Considerations
Funds for temporary emergency respite placement of abused, neglected, or exploited at risk adults was appropriated by the Georgia General Assembly effective State Fiscal Year 2015 in House Bill 744. TERF is not intended to resolve issues of chronic homelessness and/or issues of cognitive impairment due to use of alcohol or narcotics. Mental Health crisis should be addressed through the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Crisis Line.
TERF may be accessed by the At-Risk Adult Relocation Team (AART) or by Law Enforcement in situations where AART is not involved (not a facility relocation, whether licensed or unlicensed).
Refer to Chapter 9050 of this manual for more information on AART.
Requirements
Prior to the use of TERF for placement, the following requirements must be met:
Individuals
TERF is used for persons 18 years of age or older with a disability and persons 65 years of age or older found to be:
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Lacking the ability to independently provide for their own basic necessities of life due to disease, disability or cognitive impairment;
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Without family or friends to become involved in the care and decision making of the adult; and
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At imminent risk of harm / threat to health and safety if placement is not provided.
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Or, when a person under the guardianship of the Department of Human Services is in immediate need placement and all other placement options have been exhausted.
Any person who needs emergency treatment should not be processed for TERF placement; calling emergency responders or transporting to the Emergency Room is appropriate in that circumstance.
Situation
TERF may be accessed by the At-Risk Adult Relocation Team (AART) when the following has occurred:
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the Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facilities Regulation (DCH/HFR) has initiated a facility relocation AND
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Law Enforcement is involved in the action AND
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Residents are being abused, neglected and/or exploited
| The relocation may be from either a licensed or unlicensed facility. |
TERF may be accessed by individual law enforcement officers when they become aware of a qualifying individual needing relocation. Examples of these individual situations include, but are not limited to:
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Caregiver is arrested
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Caregiver is hospitalized
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Caregiver is absent/whereabouts unknown
TERF may be accessed by Adult Protective Services (APS) and the Public Guardianship Office (PGO) when all other placement options have been exhausted and the client is at imminent risk of harm if placement is not secured. Examples of these individual situations include, but are not limited to:
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Unforeseen circumstances that has suddenly left the client without a suitable caregiver;
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Imminent risk posed by alleged perpetrator and/or living situation;
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Court appointment for which prior notice was not provided
| APS and PGO staff shall consult with supervisory staff before initiating TERF placement. Supervisors shall assure that all other options have been exhausted before approving TERF placement. |
Procedures Overview
There are three sets of procedures to utilize TERF Funds:
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AART/DAS - relocation with a DAS staff member present
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AART/HFR - relocation without a DAS staff member present
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LE/APS/TERF ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCY – Law Enforcement or Adult Protective Services, including TERF Case Management, is involved with a relocation, usually involving only one or two individuals and does not involve a facility relocation.
Procedures, AART / DAS
These procedures address relocations where AART has a DAS staff member present on-site.
Once the requirements for TERF use are met, the AART will:
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Identify emergency placement options; the TERF Administrative agency may be contacted for this purpose;
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Notify the DAS AART member of the need to utilize TERF;
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Provide any known demographic information for the individual being admitted for care, such as name, date of birth, social security number, and address;
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Give the general condition of the adult, such as medical condition and medication;
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Gather essential personal effects if available. Personal effects may include but are not limited to:
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Identification
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Medications
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Clean Clothing
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Toiletries
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Address Book and/or cell phone
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Transport or arrange for transportation to the identified respite placement;
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Submit a list of residents referred for TERF placements to DAS Fiscal Administration immediately following the relocation.
DAS Staff
Once AART notifies the DAS staff of a person to be placed using TERF, staff will:
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Complete and submit a referral to APS/Central Intake (CI) via the web form for each client
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Locate an appropriate placement in a licensed facility, if an emergency placement has not already been located
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Confirm that there is a bed available in the facility
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Notify AART of the location of the receiving facility
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Notify the receiving facility of the Intake ID for the client
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The TERF invoice template may be given to the receiving facility or the facility informed of where to locate the template and TERF policy/procedures.
Procedures, AART / HFR
These procedures address relocations where AART does not have a DAS staff member present on-site.
Once the requirements for TERF use are met, the AART will:
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Identify emergency placement options; the TERF Administrative agency may be contacted for this purpose
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Confirm that there is a bed available in the facility
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Obtain any known demographic information for the individual being admitted for care, such as name, date of birth, social security number, and address;
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Obtain the general condition of the adult such as medical condition and medication.
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Gather essential personal effects if available. Personal effects may include but are not limited to:
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Identification
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Medications
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Clean Clothing
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Toiletries
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Address Book and/or cell phone
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Transport or arrange for transportation to the identified respite placement.
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Complete and submit a referral to APS/Central Intake (CI) via the web form for each client
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Notify the receiving facility of the Intake ID for
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The TERF invoice template may be given to the facility or the facility informed of where to locate the template and TERF policy/procedures
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Submit a list of residents referred to DAS Fiscal Administration immediately following the relocation.
Procedures, LE / APS / TERF / PGO Administrative Agency
These procedures address relocations where law enforcement or APS is relocating an at-risk adult outside of an AART relocation.
| Step 1 |
Once the requirements for TERF use are met, the Law Enforcement official will contact the TERF Administrative Agency at: 1-844-404-8373 (toll free) |
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| Step 2 |
The TERF Administrative Agency will obtain the following information from the Law Enforcement official:
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| Step 3 |
The TERF Administrative Agency will then identify and confirm with the receiving facility that a bed is available and that the facility will accept the at-risk adult. |
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| Step 4 |
The TERF Administrative Agency will utilize the designated, licensed personal care home list (GAMap2Care) and, if there is more than one licensed, participating facility in the area, call on a rotational basis. |
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| Step 5 |
The TERF Administrative Agency will notify Law Enforcement of the name, location and contact person/phone number for the receiving facility. |
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| Step 6 |
Law Enforcement will transport or arrange for the at-risk adult’s transport to the facility
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| Step 7 |
TERF Administrative Agency will call APS/Central Intake at 1-866-552-4464, Option 3 or complete and submit an APS Referral Form via web. The report must indicate:
The TERF invoice template may be given to the facility or the facility informed of where to locate the template and TERF policy/procedures. |
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| Step 8 |
The TERF Administrative Agency will submit a list of TERF referrals to DAS Fiscal Administration on a weekly basis. If, at any point, the TERF Administrative Agency determines that the reason for the TERF request is for a facility relocation, the TERF Administrative Agency will send an email to the DCH/HFR Director of the Personal Care Home Program and to the DHS/DAS/APS Section Manager. |
Procedures After Placement
Participating Facilities
Once the at-risk adult is at the participating facility, the facility staff will:
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Conduct a comprehensive assessment of healthcare and personal needs to determine if the facility is capable of meeting the needs or the adult.
If the facility cannot meet the adult’s needs, then a transfer to a more appropriate setting must be arranged by the facility. DAS must be notified by telephone call to Adult Protective Services Central Intake (APS/CI) at 1-866-552-4464, Option 3, identifying the client, Intake ID and new location.
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Provide clean apparel and incidentals as needed to include, but not limited to:
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night clothes,
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soap and wash cloths,
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toothbrush and paste,
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shampoo and conditioner,
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deodorant
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Cooperate with Adult Protective Services Staff, TERF Case Management Staff, Public Guardianship Office and/or Law Enforcement (LE)
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Submit an invoice to the Department of Human Services/Division of Aging Services (DAS) to include
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The DAS issued client identifier (Intake ID)
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Dates of Service
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Other required information on invoice template
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Participating facilities must call APS/CI at 1-866-552-4464, Option 3, to obtain the Intake ID when placement is by an individual law enforcement officer/TERF Administrative Agency
Calls should be made after twelve (12) noon the next business day after relocation.
First time providers must submit a completed W9 and Vendor Management Form with the invoice. Links to these forms are found in the References section below.
Refer to Appendix D of this manual for the TERF Invoice Template and instructions.
Adult Protective Services Staff
Once AART or Law Enforcement/TERF Administrative Agency submits the referral to APS/CI, staff will follow the procedures as outlined in MAN 5500.
TERF Supervisor will review the referral to determine if the case meets criteria for TERF Case Management. If the referral “meets criteria” for an Adult Protective Services investigation, an investigation will be opened. APS Investigations or TERF Case Management will follow up with the at-risk adult, to include attempts to locate family members or friends, and to assess whether ERF support is appropriate. APS Investigations will assess the need for protective services and TERF Case Management will determine if extension of transitional services and development of case management services is needed.
LTCO
If an APS investigation is not opened, APS will refer to the Long-Term Care Ombudsman for follow up, to include attempts to locate family members or friends.
DAS Fiscal Staff
Once the invoice is received from the facility, DAS Fiscal Administration staff will:
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verify the invoice is associated with a TERF relocation via Intake ID; Investigation ID is also acceptable.
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validate the invoices against the list submitted by the AART or TERF Agency. Any discrepancies will be discussed with the DAS AART representative present at the relocation or with the TERF Agency;
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process the invoice via DHS policy and procedures for Purchase Orders.
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First 7 days of placement will be paid for out of State allocated funds;
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Placements lasting 8 days to 37 days shall be paid for out of CJCC/VOCA funds.
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DAS Fiscal Administration staff will provide a monthly report to the Director’s Office and filed on the j-drive that includes amounts expended and balance remaining.
Payment Limitations
Payment will be made only after an invoice is received following the procedures described above.
The payment rate for the first 7 days is set at $150 per night per individual. Payment for placements lasting 8 or more days will be paid at a rate of $150 per night or less, as negotiated by the TERF case management team. Payment will be for no more than thirty-seven (37) consecutive nights.
Any waivers to the Payment Limitation policy must be submitted in writing to the Division Director.
Special Considerations
In a situation where an official state of emergency or state of public disaster has been declared by appropriate state of federal officials (such as natural disasters, pandemics, or unexpected or unforeseen conditions), DAS will accept referrals from entities outside of the AART and Public Guardianship Office. Referrals will be accepted from Department of Public Health (DPH), Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) and related facilities who request emergency respite placement for at-risk vulnerable adults.
DPH and GEMA will make referrals directly to the TERF Administrator or DAS Deputy Director. Necessary information will be gathered from the referral source regarding the need for placement. If placement is initiated the TERF Administrator will make a determination on whether or not the referral client can be serviced by the TERF case management unit or meets criteria for an Adult Protective Services investigation.