Members will hopefully recall that implementation of the Competitive Workforce Factor is scheduled for January 1st, 2020 on a rolling basis, dependent on final approval by the federal Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS).
In order to get this federal approval, the state must submit a waiver amendment to CMS. ARRM has had conversations with department leads on the current status of the waiver amendment wanted to share the most recent information with you.
As of last Friday, August 16, it was shared with ARRM that the department anticipates the waiver amendment to be made available for public comment within the next couple weeks. Public comment must last for thirty days and following that, the department can send the waiver amendment to CMS; the department feels confident that this will happen in October.
The department also shared with ARRM that they have had conversations already with CMS about the Competitive Workforce Factor and will have follow up conversations once the amendment has been sent. Additionally, they shared that they are already in the process of updating their systems so they will be ready for implementation on January 1, 2020. They also wanted to note that if there is concern with any other items that are included in the waiver amendment, they would pull those items out and move the Competitive Workforce Factor separately, to ensure as quick an approval as possible.
It is important to remember that CMS does review public comment, both good and bad. Once the amendment is open for public comment, ARRM will be providing comments, and also providing information to our members on the steps to take to provide your own public comment.
We will continue to monitor the progress of the Competitive Workforce Factor and update you when we have any new information.
-- Sara Grafstrom, Director of State and Federal Policy