FACES VEMAT Survey

The Department of Social Services may be reducing the financial rates for the Virginia Enhanced Maintenance Assessment Tool program for foster care and NEW adoptions. These rates have been paid to foster parents and adoptive parents to assist with their support of children with special needs for additional parental supervision and support.

At this time we are attempting to determine how parents are utilizing the funds; recommendations for how to allocate the savings from the rate reduction; and recommendations for FACES advocacy on this topic. Please know that there are no requirements for how you use these funds, but if you are using the funds for any of the purposes listed below in the questions it would be very helpful to know this information.

Thank you for taking time to assist us.

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* 1. Please indicate how many VEMAT rating meetings you have participated in for children in your care.

6 or more

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* 2. How many children have you had rated for the VEMAT?

6 or more

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* 3. For each child in your care, currently or previously, with a VEMAT, please indicate the number with each financial rate.

	320	640	960	1280	1600	1920	2240	2560	2880
1 child	1 child 320	1 child 640	1 child 960	1 child 1280	1 child 1600	1 child 1920	1 child 2240	1 child 2560	1 child 2880
2 children	2 children 320	2 children 640	2 children 960	2 children 1280	2 children 1600	2 children 1920	2 children 2240	2 children 2560	2 children 2880
3 children	3 children 320	3 children 640	3 children 960	3 children 1280	3 children 1600	3 children 1920	3 children 2240	3 children 2560	3 children 2880
4 children	4 children 320	4 children 640	4 children 960	4 children 1280	4 children 1600	4 children 1920	4 children 2240	4 children 2560	4 children 2880
5 children	5 children 320	5 children 640	5 children 960	5 children 1280	5 children 1600	5 children 1920	5 children 2240	5 children 2560	5 children 2880
6 or more children	6 or more children 320	6 or more children 640	6 or more children 960	6 or more children 1280	6 or more children 1600	6 or more children 1920	6 or more children 2240	6 or more children 2560	6 or more children 2880

Question Title

* 4. Please Indicate if any of the items below are ways you utilize the VEMAT funding for foster or adoptive children in your home.

Additional groceries for special diet

Medical services when no Medicaid provider was available

Medical services not covered by Medicaid

Therapeutic services when no Medicaid provider was available

Therapeutic services not covered by Medicaid

Respite services, because agency did not have any appropriate respite providers available

Respite services, because agency required VEMAT to be used for payment

Respite services

Co-payments for medical, therapeutic, or medications

Community activities to help youth engage in community

Community activities to help youth learn skills

Community activities

School activity costs

Tutoring, because agency required VEMAT to be used for payment

Tutoring, because school would not pay cost

Tutoring

Child care, because adoption assistance agreement did not cover costs because of child's age

Child care, because adoption assistance agreement did not include child care

Child care, because foster care agency required VEMAT to be used for payment

Child care, because child needed a specific person and no other payment source was available

Other (please specify)

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* 5. On an average, how much would you estimate of the VEMAT was utilized to pay for additional services and support costs for the children?

25%

50%

75%

100%

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* 6. Did the needs of the child require that one parent not work full-time?

yes

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* 7. if you answered yes to the above question, please indicate the reasons for one parent not working.

School interventions and interface

No child care agency able to serve child

Level of supervision needed in home

Lack of services to meet the child's needs

Medical needs of the child

Behavioral needs of the child

Emotional needs of the child

Other (please specify)

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* 8. Were you able to secure a VEMAT review when the children's needs changed? Multiple answers are available so you can consider the number of children you have had in your home.

Yes, immediately

Yes, eventually

Yes, sometimes

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* 9. If you are willing to be interviewed regarding your VEMAT experiences and/or your answers, please provide contact information. We will not share your contact information or name with any source outside of FACES of VA Families.

Name:

City/Town:

ZIP:

Email Address:

Phone Number:

Thank you for taking time to inform us regarding your experiences with VEMAT. The following questions are related to advocacy related to any possible reductions in the VEMAT financial rates.

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* 10. VEMAT rates in Virginia are the highest in the country. The current rates have caused some local agencies to NOT use the VEMAT for foster care, because they cannot sustain the rate within their budgets for children not eligible for federal funds (IV-e). All agencies are REQUIRED to use the VEMAT for new adoption assistance agreements when children have special needs which required special payments while in foster care. The VEMAT for adoption assistance has contributed to deficit spending at VDSS.

Please indicate how you would propose any potential savings by rate reductions be utilized.

Create a pool of funds for children in need of supports and services, not covered by Medicaid, foster care, or adoption.

Develop a pool of funds to create targeted Home and Community-based waiver services through Medicaid.

Other (please specify)

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* 11. Please indicate for a reduction in the amount of VEMAT what you will NO LONGER BE ABLE to provide for the child/children CURRENTLY in your care who ARE currently receiving VEMAT funding.

	20% reduction	30% reduction	40% reduction	50% reduction
pay for medical services not covered by Medicaid	pay for medical services not covered by Medicaid 20% reduction	pay for medical services not covered by Medicaid 30% reduction	pay for medical services not covered by Medicaid 40% reduction	pay for medical services not covered by Medicaid 50% reduction
pay for therapeutic services not covered by Medicaid	pay for therapeutic services not covered by Medicaid 20% reduction	pay for therapeutic services not covered by Medicaid 30% reduction	pay for therapeutic services not covered by Medicaid 40% reduction	pay for therapeutic services not covered by Medicaid 50% reduction
pay for services not covered in foster care	pay for services not covered in foster care 20% reduction	pay for services not covered in foster care 30% reduction	pay for services not covered in foster care 40% reduction	pay for services not covered in foster care 50% reduction
pay for services not covered in the adoption assistance contract	pay for services not covered in the adoption assistance contract 20% reduction	pay for services not covered in the adoption assistance contract 30% reduction	pay for services not covered in the adoption assistance contract 40% reduction	pay for services not covered in the adoption assistance contract 50% reduction
child care by current provider	child care by current provider 20% reduction	child care by current provider 30% reduction	child care by current provider 40% reduction	child care by current provider 50% reduction
school activities	school activities 20% reduction	school activities 30% reduction	school activities 40% reduction	school activities 50% reduction
tutoring	tutoring 20% reduction	tutoring 30% reduction	tutoring 40% reduction	tutoring 50% reduction
pay for respite with current provider	pay for respite with current provider 20% reduction	pay for respite with current provider 30% reduction	pay for respite with current provider 40% reduction	pay for respite with current provider 50% reduction
community activities	community activities 20% reduction	community activities 30% reduction	community activities 40% reduction	community activities 50% reduction
vacation with the family	vacation with the family 20% reduction	vacation with the family 30% reduction	vacation with the family 40% reduction	vacation with the family 50% reduction
full-time parenting care	full-time parenting care 20% reduction	full-time parenting care 30% reduction	full-time parenting care 40% reduction	full-time parenting care 50% reduction
maintain the child in your home	maintain the child in your home 20% reduction	maintain the child in your home 30% reduction	maintain the child in your home 40% reduction	maintain the child in your home 50% reduction

Other (please specify)

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* 12. FACES should be advocating for.... (mark all that apply)

NO reduction in the VEMAT

limited reduction in the VEMAT, if savings can be pooled to offer additional services and supports

VEMAT to consider not only the level of need a child has, but also the age of the child

A phase in period for implementing new rate structure for new VEMAT assessments.

Other (please specify)

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* 13. Please include any comments you wish to make regarding your experience with VEMAT, rate structures, proposed reductions, or other issues related to VEMAT.