Hope Group, LLC

*Autism Speaks - Walk Now for Autism Registration for H.O.P.E. Group's Team is now available. Please REGISTER HERE.

The Arizona Autism Coalition is excited to announce that H.O.P.E. Group, LLC. ( www.hopegroupaz.com) has issued a “Challenge Grant” to the other members of the Coalition. H.O.P.E. Group, LLC. will donate $10,000.00 to the Coalition IF we can sell a minimum of $30,000.00 in Bonzer table sales and increase Coalition’s membership by 25%. The Bonzer table sales must be completed before September 1^{st
2010. The membership portion of the challenge will continue until
November 1, 2010.}

This year’s Bonzer performers are Train with special guest Gavin DeGraw. To start us off, H.O.P.E. Group, LLC. purchased a $10,000.00 table which leaves us with only $20,000.00 left to raise in table sales! The prices of the tables are $3,000.00, $4,000.00, $6,500.00 and $10,000.00. Each table seats 10. Individual tickets can be purchased for $300.00, $400.00, $650.00 respectively. Here is the link for table sales: ^{http://www.beautyofabonzer.com/home/tablereservations.html}^{Please be certain to email or
call Jessica at} ^{jessica@azautism.org}^{to ensure the Coalition gets credit for your table/individual seat
purchase. *** Remember: The Coalition receives 100%
of the proceeds for our table sales.}

Did you know that H.O.P.E. Group can bill Insurance Companies for ABA services? We are contracted providers for TriCare/TriWest, MHN, Aetna, United Health Care and have individual contracts with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of AZ. and Magellan. For more information please call the office at 480-610-6981.

As many of you have heard, because of the Arizona State Budget deficit, the Division of Developmental Disabilities and DES has cut the payments of all services by 10%. In response to these cuts H.O.P.E. Group wants to assure everyone that we will continue our services to our clients as usual. This means that our Providers/Employees will NOT receive a decrease in pay. However, because of the 10% CUT in the payments that H.O.P.E Group will receive from the State of Arizona for the fiscal year 2010: July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010 - we are forced to suspend pay raises for this fiscal year. Again, be assured that our employees will not receive any decrease in pay, just a suspension in the raise you might typically receive. If you have any questions please contact the office at (480) 610-6981. As always THANK YOU for your support and CONTINUED HARD WORK!

H.O.P.E. Group accepts credit card payments for Consulting services. For more information please review the instructions on the "Services" page.

***ATTENTION EMPLOYEES: Please remember that as an employee you have signed and agreed to our HIPAA agreement. All client information is confidential and you cannot share or divulge this information to others. This means that if for any reason, you have to receive a ride to or from work you must call the office and have Sony, our Client Services Manager get a verbal or written consent from the parents allowing you to provide the address to the person giving you the ride. This is a precaution and to make certain that the family’s personal information is protected. Any questions on this process, please contact the office.

"These are our Stories...Is Anybody Listening?" Is a wonderful video from Advocacy United in Tucson. Please click on the attached link and then click on the video to see how potential budget cuts can affect all of us in the disability community. http://WWW.advocacyunited.com

H.O.P.E. Group is a proud member of the Arizona Autism Coalition! Please see the AZ Coalition Website http://azautism.org/for more information.

URGENT: Please take a few minutes to call or email your Legislators – it is urgent that we do all we can to try and stop additional cuts. If you don’t know who your Legislators are, you can go to: http://www.azleg.state.az.us/MemberRoster.asp and click on “How do I find my Legislators”. Then you enter your zip code and it will let you know who your Reps are.

IMPORTANT! If you have taken a class at the H.O.P.E. Group main office OR any satellite location, where you have been trained by a H.O.P.E. Group trainer/H.O.P.E. contracted trainer, you will NOT be given/able to obtain your physical card, certificate, etc. with the exception of your Fingerprint Clearance Card. We are required by law to furnish you with your Fingerprint Clearance Card. If H.O.P.E. Group pays for any (or all) of your training classes, the certifications/cards you receive as a result of that training are considered H.O.P.E. Group property. Please be aware that H.O.P.E. Group is not required to provide you the original OR a copy of your certification(s)/cards - CPR/First Aid Cards, Article IX, etc. H.O.P.E. Group also will not fax copies of your certifications to other agencies, places of employment, schools, etc.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Please take a look at our calendar. We have a new class - "Hab In Action." "Hab In Action" is a class demonstrating NET, working through/fading prompt levels and filling out habilitation reports among other things. What a great way to get informed AND get paid!

HAB REPORTS: Please double check your Habilitation reports before you mail them in to H.O.P.E. Group. When writing reports, please write legibly, the Support Coordinator name, DOB and Parent/Employee Signature is required. Also, the parent must sign the front and the back of the report. If we are unable to read or understand your report it will be mailed back to you and you will have to resubmit a clear, clean and legible copy.

IN ADDITION: When turning in Composite Schedules please be sure to be specific with the services that were worked/performed. Please make certain to write the time, date, and the client name. Thank you!

ANNOUNCEMENT! Please double check your timesheet before you mail them in to H.O.P.E. Group. We have noticed that many are missing items such as: Client/Employee legal names, Month/Day/Year, Provider/Parent/Guardian Signature’s and total number of hours. We cannot process incomplete time sheets.

As of January 1, 2010 the old habilitation reports will no longer be accepted. The new reports must be submitted with your next timesheet. If you are unsure on how to fill out the new reports or you do not have the client’s current Individual Support Program Plan, please contact Starlla Duran.

***When writing Hab Reports, please write legibly. The Support Coordinator name, DOB and Parent/Employee Signature is required. Also, the parent must sign the front and the back of the report. If we are unable to read or understand your report it will be mailed back to you and you will have to resubmit a clear, clean and legible copy.

* It is important to keep track of the amount of service hours your client is authorized to receive so that you do not over-bill. If you have questions please call Sony Escoto at the H.O.P.E office.

Congratulations to our STAR of the month Lilibett Flores. Lilibett has been a provider with H.O.P.E. Group since 2001. We appreciate her attention to detail in all that she does and we thank Lilibett for going above and beyond. We are very lucky to have her! Thank you for your commitment and dedication to H.O.P.E. Group. Way to go Lilibett, keep up the good work!

Do you have a provider or know of one that you think deserves recognition for their great work?? We will select one employee a month who has done an outstanding job. If you know anyone who you would like to nominate to be a star, please nominate them here. When you nominate the employee, please make sure to tell us what makes them stand out!

H.O.P.E. Group, LLC would like to welcome our new Administrative Assistant, Samantha Hurlburt. Welcome to the team!!

To all H.O.P.E Group Employees thank you for organized, clean, no-error time sheets. We really appreciate the effort you put in to making these legal documents as professional as possible!

Did you know that H.O.P.E. Group provides training locations in Phoenix, Glendale and Tucson? If you need dates, times and location information please see the training calendars or call the office.

IMPORTANT: Because of DDD’s new FOCUS system, respite services that are billed at 13 hours or more in a 24 hour period will result in a deduction of 24 hours from your child’s respite authorization – regardless of how many actual hours worked. This is called respite continuous or RSD. Please be aware of this with upcoming fall and winter breaks. If your provider bills under 13 hours of respite in a 24 hour period then the actual amount of hours will be paid to the provider and subtracted from your child’s respite authorization. If your provider bills 13 hours or more of respite in a 24 hour period, you must have prior approval from HOPE Group and you must contact your child’s support coordinator for a respite continuous authorization. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Client Services.

Incident/Accident Report: It is the responsibility of the providers to call us with incidents within 24 hours. If you or your client experience an injury or if there is some other incident while you are working, you must fill out an Incident/Accident Report form and fax or bring in to the office within 24 hours. It is also your responsibility to call the office or emergency phone (if a weekend or holiday) within that 24 hour period as well.

SUMMER IS HERE!! Please be aware that your client and their families may need you to work more hours. Please have your families check with Client Services Manager Sony if they are unsure about what their hours are currently. Please keep track of the amount of service hours your client is authorized to receive so that you do not over-bill.

IMPORTANT! We have been getting a lot of complaints from parents that providers are sending and receiving texts while working. As discussed during your orientation, phone calls and texts should not be occurring during your work time/shift. If you need to reschedule or cancel a shift please be professional and call in advance. It is H.O.P.E. Group’s policy and you are required to follow it. Any infractions could be cause for disciplinary action, so please do not use your cell phone in any manner while you are “on the clock” for H.O.P.E. Group. Thank You!

REMINDER: Please help us be successful during payroll, as it is the busiest time for our staff. We appreciate your cooperation by delaying all non-payroll related questions or concerns until payroll has been completed. Thank you.

IMPORTANT: If you are interested in doing Emergency Respite Relief to possibly pick-up extra hours, please call the office and ask to speak to Maricela Santana, so that you can be added on to the list.

IMPORTANT: If you attend a training class or a lead comes to the home to do some training with you, you do not need to write that on your timesheet. The lead will turn in a separate form for you. If you have any questions please contact Maricela Santana in HR.

Professionalism: Please remember you are representing Hope Group. If you no longer wish to work with a family or there are any issues, please call Human Resources and let them know so they can assist you. Please do not quit or cancel sessions via text.

~ It is very important to include suite # 103 on our address when mailing in your timesheets, if not they may arrive late to our office.

~ If you are administering medications, please contact Maricela in Human Resources as we have a new policy and the appropriate paper work must be filled out.

~ Program Support Providers: If you are interested in working with clients on Consultant written ABA programs, and meet the requirements on the Services section of our website, please email your resume to Diana Davis.

Important: ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT WE COULD NOT POSITIVELY AFFECT THE LIVES OF CHILDREN WITHOUT YOU! The value of your service is priceless! We can not thank you enough for your commitment to HOPE Group.

TAKE NOTE:
~ Do you have your check direct deposited into your account every month? IF SO, we ask that you please still make a point to open the envelope your paycheck stub comes in. Our office often sends other important information in that envelope. Here are some things you may be missing if you do not open your paycheck stub envelope: the Employee Update, Error Notices from previous timesheets, next month's calendar, certification expiration notices, documents for your file that we need sent back, as well as other paperwork. Please do not disregard this envelope just because you received your direct deposit.

~ Please Note: It is VERY important that you submit the correct timesheet(s) for the service(s) you are providing. There are multiple timesheets available online, so please be sure that you are printing and submitting the correct one each month. If you have questions about your timesheet, please call us at the office - that is what we are here for! Services are paid at different rates, so submitting the wrong timesheet can result in incorrect payment, as well as incorrect billing which affects your client's authorization hours. If it is found that an incorrect timesheet was submitted, payment adjustments will generally be made the following month. Because submitting the correct timesheet is your responsibility, we will generally not issue manual checks for owed payment of services and you may have to wait until the next paycheck is issued.

We have many clients throughout the state of Arizona that need your help! If you have even just a few hours of extra time, please contact Client Services Manager Sony Escoto. Also, please check out our Clients in Need section. There are blurbs about some of the clients that need your help.

Please remember that DDD requires that all providers are trained in Adult CPR and First Aid. If you take only a child/infant CPR or First Aid class, you will be required to take Adult CPR or First Aid to remain an active employee. If you have a choice, Hope Group prefers that you take a child/adult combination class, as most of our clients are children.

You may take your CPR or First Aid class through any agency; the instruction you will be given will not vary. Please see additional information in our requirements. These certifications are very important and so we want to thank you for your attention to this matter!

~ CPR and FA Certifications: due to an influx of employees trying to take classes online, we must now have every employee submit the actual card they have been given from their “instructor lead” class. Per policy, online classes are not acceptable and we will therefore no longer be accepting copies of CPR and FA cards. When you renew a certification, please send us your card(s). We will check them, make a copy for your file and then mail them back to you. Thanks for your cooperation!

If you or your clients have any toys, etc. that you would like to donate to our toybrary we would greatly appreciate your generosity. Also, remember that do we have toys, books, games, movies, etc. that you can borrow to use in therapy with your client(s)--come check it out! If you have toys that you’ve borrowed in the past and haven’t returned yet, please do so now so other providers and clients can use them.

IMPORTANT: It is required that all toys be cleaned/disinfected if they will be shared. If you have a sick child in your care, it is extremely important that you keep an eye on the toys that he or she plays with and do not allow other children to play with them. Before you use any chemical to disinfect your child's toy, you should properly read the label. All the toys in our Toybrary have been disinfected, so please ensure that they have been disinfected again before returning them back to the Toybrary.