Subject:
Title
Approval, Re: Pay Adjustments to comply with Florida’s Medicaid Provider Minimum Wage Requirement.
End
Fiscal Impact:
Up to $1.3M annually, sourced within the department’s existing budget and further offset with a higher Medicaid reimbursement rate to be determined at a later date.
Dept/Office:
Public Safety Group: Fire Rescue Department
Requested Action:Recommendation
It is requested the Board:
1) Delegate authority to the County Manager to approve all necessary actions, including but not limited to a Memorandum of Understanding with the IAFF, to ensure compliance with the Florida Medicaid Provider Minimum Wage Requirements;
2) Delegate authority for the Public Safety Director or the current designee listed on the Medicaid Provider Agreement to sign the required Supplemental Wage Agreement and submit it to Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration; and
3) Authorize the County Manager to approve budget change requests or other administrative actions required to meet Board direction.
End
Summary Explanation and Background:
As a part of the State of Florida’s Freedom First Budget for 2022-2023, Medicaid providers are required to sign a Supplemental Wage Agreement attesting that all direct care employees of providers who are eligible to receive increased reimbursement rates are paid at least $15 per hour. The Supplemental Wage Agreement must be submitted to the Florida Agency for Health Care by October 1, 2022. Failure to comply with the mandate will subject the County to civil liability, including attorney’s fees and costs, beginning on January 1, 2023.
Through the State’s budget, the Agency for Health Care Administration (ACHA) was provided funding for the purpose of increasing the reimbursement rate to Medicaid service providers to help offset the expense relating to this minimum wage requirement. The new reimbursement rates are undetermined at this time, however, according to ACHA, the new rate schedule is expected to be released sometime in October 2022.
The minimum wage requirement is in conflict with a portion of our current IAFF Rank and File Agreement, Article 13, Wages. It is expected that a Memorandum of Understanding with the IAFF will be necessary to bring the current collective bargaining agreement into compliance with the new budget legislation/Medicaid Provider Minimum Wage Requirements.
For more information, please see:
<https://ahca.myflorida.com/Medicaid/Finance/finance/enh_wage/ew_faq.shtml>
Clerk to the Board Instructions:
None