Tazewell County CPMT approves July financials, moves to formalize disaster contingency plan and add Medicaid review notes

The Tazewell County Community Policy and Management Team met Aug. 22, 2022, at the Tazewell County Department of Social Services and approved July financial reports and several fund allocations while agreeing to draft a Disaster Contingency Plan to preserve CPMT operations in emergency situations.

The decision matters because the contingency plan will establish backup meeting arrangements and temporary decision-making authority for the CPMT in situations when a quorum cannot meet in person, and the team directed staff to explicitly note in case summaries when Medicaid funding options have been examined for residential placements.

Lori Gates-Addison, CPMT Chairperson, called the meeting to order at 10:08 a.m. The body recorded attendance and approved the July 25, 2022 minutes (motion by Jeff Brintle; seconded by Melinda Smith) and the July financial report (motion by Jeff Brintle; seconded by Melinda Smith); both motions were reported as passed unanimously. The CPMT also approved encumbered WRAP funds for July (motion by Jeff Brintle; seconded by David Taylor) and July Safe & Stable funds (motion by Jeff Brintle; seconded by David Taylor).

David Taylor, CPMT Vice Chair and a member of the Tazewell County Department of Social Services, reported he is integrating sections of the department’s existing disaster-contingency material into a CPMT-specific Disaster Contingency Plan. Taylor said the draft will include backup in-person locations ("members would meet at the Tazewell County Fairgrounds in person"), and members discussed adding internet and phone options to allow remote participation. The CPMT also discussed a temporary delegation of authority to the Chairperson and Vice Chair to approve or disapprove CSA funding requests if a quorum could not be assembled; the coordinator said members should submit written suggestions so the coordinator can merge them into a draft for review and a future formal vote to include the plan in the Tazewell County Local CSA Policies and Procedures Manual.

The team continued work on the Office of Children’s Services self-assessment materials. Members reviewed SECTION I: Governance and completed individual Organizational Structure and Management Philosophy worksheets; the CSA Coordinator will consolidate responses into a single digital document to populate the self-assessment workbook.

Because the county’s usual fourth-Monday December meeting would fall on a holiday (Dec. 26), the CPMT voted to move its December meeting to Monday, Dec. 19, 2022 (motion by David Taylor; seconded by Melinda Smith). The coordinator also announced that Mona Cordle is resigning as Parent Representative and that Kathy Alley, a retired Tazewell County special education teacher, has accepted the Parent Representative position; the coordinator will provide standard ethics and confidentiality paperwork.

Melinda Smith announced a field-day accommodation event for self-contained students.

The CPMT entered a closed session to discuss foster care, CPS, Cumberland, Court Services and Tazewell County Schools cases and related funding (motion by Melinda Smith; seconded by Jeff Brintle). After reconvening, the body certified the closed meeting under Virginia Code §§2.2-3711 and 2.2-3712 (recorded: AYES 5, NAYS 0, ABSENT 4) and approved the case funding decisions discussed in closed session (motion by Jeff Brintle; seconded by David Taylor).

During review of FAPT-approved requests, Chairperson Lori Gates-Addison asked whether Medicaid funding had been pursued for all residential service plans; the CSA Coordinator said that when caseworkers had Medicaid funding information it was included in summaries and that Sheri Hale, Foster Care Supervisor, confirms the Medicaid application process is completed for foster care cases. The coordinator said she would add the comment "Medicaid process for funding has been examined" to future service-plan summaries and had emailed FAPT members and program managers a listing of Virginia Medicaid-funded residential facilities for reference.

The meeting adjourned at 11:20 a.m.; the CPMT scheduled its next meeting for Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.