Crime Victim Compensation Board Seventeenth Judicial District Provider Packet

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1 Crime Victim Compensation Board Seventeenth Judicial District Provider Packet The Crime Victim Compensation (CVC) program of Adams and Broomfield County (17 th Judicial District) strives to lessen the emotional and financial impact victims of certain crimes endure after the commission of an unlawful act. CVC operates in accordance with the Crime Victim Compensation statute, C.R.S et seq., Standards promulgated by the Division of Criminal Justice and our own jurisdictional Bylaws and Policies. The CVC Board believes that professional mental health services are a funding priority and dedicate nearly 40% of their annual budget to providing mental health services to victims of crime. To ensure that qualified, caring and victim friendly professionals provide quality services; the Board has created mental health policies and guidelines. Enclosed you will find Provider Guidelines to help orient you with the CVC program and our policies; a Quick Guide, and a Mental Health Questionnaire for you to complete. Please review, complete and return the following materials. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to or call. 17 th Judicial District Victim Compensation Program 1000 Judicial Center Drive Suite 100 Brighton, CO Fax Crimevictimcompensation.org Johnna Alig Program Administrator vcomp@da17.state.co.us Nicole Kreutzer CVC Advocate vcomp@da17.state.co.us Jamie Lial CVC Advocate vcomp@da17.state.co.us

2 17th Judicial District Crime Victim Compensation Mental Health Provider Guidelines The 17th Judicial District Crime Victim Compensation (CVC) Board has adopted the following policies, specific to the compensation for mental health treatment of crime victims. With changing needs and trends within the mental health therapy field, some information has or will change and may be amended. Provider Guidelines are reviewed annually. Please note that an application for Crime Victim Compensation funds does NOT guarantee payment of any claim. Therapist Qualifications 1. The Board considers crime victim therapy to be an area of specialization within the mental health field. The Board urges therapists to consider whether they have the training and education to provide accurate information and support to victims of crime. 2. The Board will consider payment of pre-approved sessions only from a licensed therapist, or from a therapist with a Master s degree who is directly supervised by a licensed mental health therapist. The licensed mental health therapist providing direct supervision must review and sign all Treatment Plans submitted by the primary therapist. 3. The therapist must complete and return the Mental Health Therapist Questionnaire along with a copy of their therapist license, or copy of their supervisor s license and a current vitae/resume. Victim/Claimant Approval Process 1. The CVC Board may approve mental health assistance for a victim, relative or witness of certain crimes if they apply for assistance and a. The crime was reported to law enforcement; b. The crime occurred on or before 7/1/1982; c. The crime was reported within 72 hours;* d. An application was filed within 1 year of reporting the crime;* e. The victim has been fully cooperative with law enforcement and prosecution,* and f. The victim was not attributable to a wrongful act or substantially provoked the assailant *The Board may waive these requirements in the interest of justice. 2. Upon completion of a CVC application the Board will review the applicant s request at a regularly scheduled Board meeting. After receiving a complete application, it could take days for the Board to review a request. The CVC Board does not approve emergency sessions. 3. The therapist may, at their own risk and according to their own office policy, see a client before sessions have been approved. The Board recognizes that it may be beneficial for victims to start therapy as soon as possible; therefore, the Board will consider payment for sessions incurred prior to their initial approval. However, the Board is not financially responsible for any sessions incurred prior to Board review and approval.

3 4. If approved, the victim/claimant will receive a letter authorizing three initial mental health assessment sessions in order for the therapist to meet the client and develop a treatment plan. 5. Approval of therapy beyond the three assessment sessions is contingent upon the submission of our Mental Health Treatment Plan from the therapist. This may be followed by an Extension Request if the victim is in need of additional treatment. The Board will review the treatment plan or extension at a regularly scheduled Board meeting. Treatment Plans and Extensions should be submitted by the 1 st of the month to be reviewed at that month s Board meeting. The therapist and the victim/claimant will be notified by letter of the Board s approval decision. 6. Templates of the official Treatment Plan and Extension can be ed to the therapist or can be found on our website; crimevictimcompensation.org in the service provider section. 7. Each victim requires a separate treatment plan or extension. Please include the victim s claim number on the treatment plan. The claim number can be found on the CVC approval letter. 8. The Board may consider sessions for primary victims, the person against whom a compensable crime was committed; secondary victims, an immediate relative, domestic partner or guardian of a primary victim or any person who attempts to assist a primary victim during the commission of a crime. 9. Approvals, awards and denials may be contingent upon fiscal limitations, proximity of relation to a primary victim, age of applicant, or type of crime. Because the demand for mental health assistance is greater than our resources the Board has set financial limits for mental health assistance. 10. As of Sept 2015, funding limits are set at: Primary Victims: $270 Assessment, $2250 Treatment Plan, $2250 Extension Request Total Possible Eligibility: $4770 Secondary Victims: Witness (non family): $270 Assessment, $2250Treatment Plan, $900 Extension Total Possible Eligibility: $3420 $270 Assessments, $540 Treatment Plan, 360 Extension Total Possible Eligibility: $1170. Funding limits are subject to change at any time. 11. Assessments that have been unused for 6 months or approvals that have been unused for 1 year, may be expired or withdrawn so that encumbrances can be transferred back to the general fund for other victims to use. If an award or approval has expired, the victim may call CVC staff for a new approval. Invoices and Billing 1. The Board encourages therapist to bill the CVC Program directly. Payment will be made at the rate of $90 for individual sessions or $45 for group/family sessions. If the therapist requires the victim to supplement their normal rate, the therapist must inform the victim that they will be financially responsible for amounts not covered by the CVC program. Therapists are strongly encouraged to accept CVC payment as payment in full. 2. Bills submitted by the 1 st of the month will be reviewed and processed during that month. Any bills submitted after the 1 st of the month will be processed during that month as time allows. If CVC staff is unable to process late bills, they will be held over for the following month.

4 3. CVC requires a separate bill/invoice for every victim. The bill must include the victims name and claim number, date of service, type of service with CPT code and cost per session. If the victim has insurance, an Explanation of Benefits must be attached. 4. Bills/invoices should be submitted monthly or bi-monthly to ensure that encumbrances do not expire and to ensure accurate maintenance of records. Dates of service more than 180 days old will be approved and paid at the Board s discretion despite a prior approval or encumbrance. 5. The therapist is responsible for tracking funding levels and submitting a treatment plan or extension when necessary. If the CVC program receives a bill that they are unable to process due to lack of funds, the bill will be returned. 6. In accordance with the CVC statute, C.R.S , CVC is the payer of last resort. This means that if the victim/claimant has insurance and the therapist is an insurance provider, the bill must be submitted to insurance first. The bill may be submitted to CVC, with an Explanation of Benefits statement after insurance has processed the dates of services. 7. When a victim has insurance, CVC will consider paying only the victim s responsibility, co-pay or deductible up to $90/individual session or $45/group/family session. For example: Insurance is billed $120. They allow $90. Insurance pays $75. Victim co-pay/deductible or responsible portion is $15. CVC will pay the provider $15 8. Checks are issued once a month. Checks are generally mailed out at the end of the third week or the fourth week of every month. 9. The Board will not cover: a. Missed appointments b. Telephone Consultations, sessions or contact c. Court appearances d. Travel time e. Case management f. Report writing g. Evaluation requests by law enforcement agencies, the Department of Social Services, the court, Community Corrections or the District Attorney s Office. h. Sessions including the perpetrator. i. Interest charged to a client s bill j. Therapy not directly related to the criminal incident. k. Court ordered therapy. l. Clarification or reunification sessions. m. Individual sessions in excess of $90 per session n. Group/Family therapy in excess of $45.00 per person, per session. o. Sessions less than 45 minutes The Board shall not consider payment for a: 1. Therapist or therapist organization where the therapist or therapist organization is under investigation by any governmental agency, including, but not limited to, any law enforcement agency, the District Attorney s Office, the Attorney General s Office, or the Department of Regulatory Agencies;

5 2. Therapist or therapist organization where the therapist or therapist organization has admitted to fraudulent or inaccurate billing, or been convicted of a crime that resulted from fraudulent or inaccurate billing; 3. Therapist or therapist organization where the therapist or therapist organization has admitted or been convicted of crimes committed against clients; and 4. Therapist that provided victim services to their client in a dual role either through profession or as a volunteer. For example, the Board will not consider payment of counseling sessions by a therapist that also operated as a police officer, law enforcement advocate, non-profit advocate, or forensic interviewer for the same victim. This list is not all inclusive. Miscellaneous 1. The Board may approve, upon receipt of a written request from the primary therapist, up to ten sessions for treatment specific to the following: a. Court Support: In-office support related to upcoming scheduled court hearings regarding a victim/claimant s criminal case. The funds are to be requested by submitting a letter and should be billed separately from funds encumbered or requested for ongoing mental health treatment. This is not accompanying a victim/witness to court. 2. The Board may approve a psychiatric evaluation or med evaluation, if the primary therapist writes a letter requesting such. If approved the victim may choose a psychiatrist or doctor of their choosing for the evaluation. These visits will be considered medical treatments and will not be deducted from mental health encumbrances. CVC will work with the chosen psychiatrist/doctor for ongoing treatments.

6 Quick Guide to Frequently Asked Questions 1. Where can I get a copy of the treatment plan/ extension plan? You can find all forms at crimevictimcompensation.org or you can call or and electronic templates can be to you. 2. When will I get paid? CVC processes payments and issues checks once a month. Checks are usually received at the end of the month. 3. Why wasn t I paid? There could be several reasons a. Has the victim been approved for assessments or therapy? If they have, they will receive a letter stating so. b. The therapist cannot be compensated until they submit a copy of their license, resume and returned the Mental Health Questionnaire. c. Is there a current, unused encumbrance available? If not, you may need to submit a treatment plan or extension request. d. Did you submit the bill/invoice by the 1 st of the month? 4. What rate does CVC pay? $90 per individual session $45 per group/family session 5. How much money is available? The Board limits funds to $4770 for a primary victim and $3420 for a secondary victim. These funds are approved in stages. 6. What other services does CVC help cover? Medical/Dental bills Medically necessary devices (eyeglasses, dentures, hearing aids, prosthesis) Funeral/Burial expenses and travel for funeral Replacement of exterior doors, locks, windows Work loss due to physical injuries Loss of income due to a victim s death Crime scene clean-up Relocation 7. Where do I send bills/invoices, treatment plans/extensions? Attn: Crime Victim Compensation 1000 Judicial Center Drive Ste 100 Brighton, CO or fax: or vcomp@da17.state.co.us 8. Who can I call if I have questions? You can call either Nicole ( ) or Jamie ( ). Or you can us at vcomp@da17.state.co.us. 9. I have a client that I believe qualifies for CVC assistance, where can we find an application? We can send one to your client or to your office, just give us a call, or you can find one at crimevictimcompensation.org. 10. Why hasn t my client been approved for assessments yet? There could be several reasons We could be waiting for a completed application or we may have difficulty locating and receiving a completed police report from law enforcement. It can take days to be approved.