Becker County Board approves 0.2 FTE increase to behavioral health case aide to capture Medicaid billing

Becker County commissioners voted to convert an existing behavioral health case aide from part-time to full-time to support newly billable substance use disorder services, department staff said.

Human Services staff requested approval of resolution 01252e to add 12 hours to an existing case aide position so the employee could complete billing and support billing for care coordination and comprehensive substance-use assessments. A staff presenter said the county has been newly eligible to bill Medical Assistance (Medicaid) for those services since May of the prior year but lacked sufficient staff time to complete the complex billing tasks. The department estimated the change could generate up to $114,758 in additional annual revenue using conservative reimbursement-rate assumptions.

As Human Services explained, the plan would not create a new hire but would increase hours for the existing part-time employee, who already performs billing duties. “She can go in and do the billing for those services,” a staff presenter said during committee discussion. Commissioners asked about billing rates, where medical assistance reimbursements apply, and whether the county must post the position; staff said the change would likely be handled as an internal status change and would be administered consistent with county personnel rules and union contracts.

Board action: Commissioners approved the personnel status change and asked Human Services to ensure contract and posting rules are followed where required. The motion passed by voice vote; no detailed roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.

Ending: Human Services will implement the additional hours and pursue the billing changes; staff noted the estimate of additional revenue is conservative and that actual collections will depend on service volumes and successful billing.