As all special education providers should be well aware of, the ETTP grant is now being rolled into your fiscal 2017 prospective rates upon reconciliation of the 2015 year. So how exactly is the rate being rolled into the prospective rate you may ask? Once you have completed and submitted your 2017 budget for the ETTP award by program, SED will calculate the per diem basis for which they will include this into your rate for fiscal 2017 utilizing the care days reconciled for fiscal 2015 as the denominator. Keep in mind the use of the ETTP funds are restricted to the program for which the funds have been assigned to by NYSED and collapsed into that program codes’ rate. For example, if I have a full day special class 9100 program and a 9160 full day integrated program for which NYSED has assigned $12,000 and $12,000 to each program for the ETTP grant, SED will calculate the per diem basis as follows;
Based on the example above, an additional 50 cents will be added to the per diem tuition rate for both the 9100 and 9160 programs. However, providers need to be cautious for variations in care days in 16/17 at year end. Should a provider end up with greater care days than what was reported on the 2015 cost report, theoretically the agency will owe back funds, as you were reimbursed more care days than what the per diem reimbursement was based on and vice versa. Also, this becomes very important in rate planning and budgeting for a given year. An agency’s max spending per diem rate needs to take into account the amount of ETTP funds that is calculated into each of your programs’ 2017 prospective rates as to not over or underspend a program.
Albert Borghese, CPA
Manager
Albert is a member of Cerini & Associates’ audit and consulting practice where he focuses on serving the firm’s special education and nonprofit clients. Albert is also involved in the marketing and development of the firm, and frequently participates in recruiting efforts, and research.