Committee approves two‑year extension for long‑term care access contractor amid performance questions

The Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget voted to approve a requested two‑year extension of the long‑term care access contract with Conduent (the contractor named in the transcript as the long‑term care access contractor) on Aug. 8.

Gary Williams, assistant secretary with the Louisiana Department of Health Office of Aging and Adult Services, told the committee the contractor serves as the single point of entry for the state's home‑and‑community‑based services and conducts level‑of‑care assessments for waiver programs and long‑term personal care services. "As the long term care access contractor, the conduit the contractor, functions as the single point of entry for all home and community based services," Williams said.

Nut graf: Members approved the extension after asking detailed questions about what the contractor does, how performance is measured, and historical service levels; staff said the contract includes numerous deliverables and that the contractor has processed large call volumes and tens of thousands of level‑of‑care assessments, but lawmakers asked for more historical performance data.

Christy Sawyer, program manager and contract monitor, described operational duties: the contractor performs initial face‑to‑face level‑of‑care assessments, annual and status‑change reassessments, writes person‑centered plans of care, conducts monthly phone contacts and quarterly home visits for LTPCS participants, and manages appeals for terminations or reductions. Sawyer said, "They write our person centered plans of care. They also do our monthly phone contacts, quarterly home visits for our LTPCS participants. They host, they write and host, all of our appeals for any LTPCS terminations or reductions of services. They also do our, IDD screenings." Williams and Sawyer told the committee the contractor has been responsive to requested changes.

Senators and representatives raised performance and oversight questions. Senator Feijerra noted the contract maximum over five years is $37.4 million and asked how staff measure performance. Sawyer said the contract contains 87 deliverables and roughly 127 sub‑deliverables that are tracked monthly. Williams said the extension will not add new funding; rather it continues the contract authority to cover two additional years to 2028 within the approved total.

Members also sought usage statistics. Sawyer said Conduent received roughly 152,830 incoming calls year‑to‑date and completed 49,033 level‑of‑care assessments. "We did complete a total of 49,033 level of care eligibility assessments," she said, and described reasons callers contact the contractor: assessments, referrals, scheduling and requests for information.

Representative Marcel recounted a constituent case involving an 88‑year‑old whose services were stopped and who submitted additional information; committee staff advised that appeals, Medicaid reconsideration processes and interagency coordination can require contacting Medicaid and the program manager directly. Sawyer invited members to contact her for case follow‑up.

The committee voted on a motion to approve the extension; Senator Luno moved that the contract be extended as submitted. The motion carried and the contract extension was approved.