PORT ANGELES — Clallam County commissioners have approved three fee-for-service contracts for fiscal year 2023 adult disability services.

The companies awarded the contracts on Tuesday were Concerned Citizens and Morningside, both of Port Angeles, and Pierce, Jones & Associates of Sequim for services provided from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.

The commissioners also called for requests for proposals for adult developmental disabilities services for fiscal year 2024, which runs from July 1, 2024, to June 2025. They are due to the commissioners by 3 p.m. Nov. 20.

“These are fee-for-service contracts that are funded through our state Department of Social and Health Services/Developmental Disabilities Administration contract,” said Kelley Lawrence, the county’s developmental disabilities employment coordinator.

In a later email, she gave the following explanation: The amount of the county’s state contract is determined by the number of clients served and their acuity level. DDA assigns each client a maximum number of hours of service each month. Then DDA multiplies the total of those maximum hours times the state’s payment rate and that equals what is provided DDA in the state contract.

The current state contract for July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, is for $2,337,520, but if that amount is exceeded, the state will provide more funding, Lawrence said.

She said a certain number of clients qualify for services and, based upon their acuity, each are assigned a maximum number of hours that they can be served. And then the state takes that maximum number of hours and that equates into a dollar amount.

“And so we are getting the maximum that a provider can serve. And, generally, a client is not served the full amount due to illness, or a client goes on vacation. So that’s why there’s always money left over during the contract period,” Lawrence said.

Commissioner Mark Ozias asked how new clients would be accommodated during the contract period or if they would have to wait until the next funding cycle kicks in.

Lawrence said they will be entered into the system, and the state will monitor the dollars every month.

“So, they will see if they need to send us (a contract amendment), but generally that has not been the case. Services can begin immediately when someone is referred to us from the state.”

Commissioner Randy Johnson asked if they would have a problem if, for example, 200 new clients needed to be served.

Lawrence said: “We wouldn’t because the state would send us more money. They would send us an amendment to this contract.”

Ozias said: “I think this particular line of service provision is a little bit different than most every other that we discuss. Which I think is the genesis of the confusion here because it is such a proscribed dollar amount for a specific number of individuals and dedicated funding stream.

“We don’t often have that direct of a correlation between state dollars and service provision where we are truly are just the agency that is coordinating the work on behalf of the state.”

_______

Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at brian.gawley@ peninsuladailynews.com.