Learn more about CFSS in Minnesota
| Update | Description | Date of Update |
|---|---|---|
| MN Care Force Initiative | The state has secured funds for an incentive providers can apply to pay direct support workers in early 2025. Best Care is completing the application to be considered eligible to distribute funds to active employees at that time. Please see the state's website for more information: https://pcgus.jotform.com/team/mncareforce/portal | 12.13.2024 |
| ID required for check pickup. | Employees who have arranged to pickup a check will be required to show their ID. | 01.1.2019 |
| COVID-19 Precautionary Memo. | To: All Clients and Employees From: The Best Care Team The purpose of this notice is to provide clear and actionable guidance for safe operations through the prevention, early detection and control of COVID-19 in our community. Please read and adhere to the following guideline as it can assist with disease prevention and control at home and in our community for clients and caregivers. Best Care asks all caregivers to cooperate in taking steps to reduce the transmission of communicable diseases including COVID-19. Caregivers are reminded of the following: *Stay home when you are sick. *Wash your hands frequently with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds. Utilize hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if soap is unavailable. *Cover your mouth with tissues whenever you sneeze and discard used tissues in the trash or cough into your sleeve. *Avoid people who are sick with respiratory symptoms. *Clean frequently touched surfaces. Avoid touching your face, eyes or mouth. *It is critical that caregivers not report to work while they are experiencing respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills or fatigue. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that employees remain at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100 degrees F or 37.8 degrees C) or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications. Many times, with the best of intentions caregivers report to work even though they feel ill. Clients, please continue to engage your friends, families and neighbors in developing a back-up plan for care if your caregiver /PCA is unable to work their scheduled shift. You can learn more about the coronavirus threat on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website here: http://bit.ly/2TPampJ; on the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) website here: http://bit.ly/2WcruY8; and on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) website here: http://bit.ly/2xENReB; Any questions or concerns regarding the above, contact our office at (651) 330-2550. Thank you, The Best Care Team | 03.15.2020 |
| Payroll Schedule Changes Effective 5.29.2020 | Due to recurring DHS payment delays we are changing our regular Payday from Thursday to Friday effective May 29th 2020. Timesheets will still be due every Thursday and the pay periods are not changing. We are simply moving the payday forward one day starting May 29th. A revised payroll calendar is posted on our website. | 03.2.2020 |
| PPE | Best Care has a limited supply of PPE, but we are supplying PPE to the most vulnerable individuals and where there is a Covid-19 diagnosis. Call our office or contact your QP to learn more. | 03.20.2020 |
| COVID-19 Response | To: All Clients and Caregivers From: The Best Care Team Best Care has developed a business continuation plan to support clients and caregivers, and maintain business continuity during events like the current Coronavirus threat. Best Care’s top priority is to ensure the health and safety of caregivers, people we serve and members of our communities during this event. Best Care has policies, procedures, plans and infrastructure in place to ensure continued operations during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) event. Best Care’s business continuity strategy focuses on identifying core business functions and shifting employees to a virtual (or home-based) workplace. Best Care’s core functions can all be performed remotely, and Best Care has the IT infrastructure to support telecommuting. Best Care is prepared to have all of its employees working from home as the situation escalates as needed. It is our goal that if there is an impact on service levels it will be minor and temporary. The people we serve and their caregivers will continue to be able to submit service documentation, receive phone support and receive timely payments. Coronavirus Response as of Today Below are the actions that the company has taken so far to address the Coronavirus threat. Best Care has activated our Emergency Response Team. The team’s responsibility is to: Monitor State and Federal information outlets for updates to the ongoing threat. Make determinations about procedures that are required to protect clients and caregivers. Provide ongoing communication to clients and caregivers. Best Care has drafted a Coronavirus prevention and response plan and communicated it to all employees. The plan includes detailed information about prevention of disease and procedures for self-quarantine in the event of infection. Quarantine Plan As communities identify cases of Coronavirus and take community-wide action to quarantine, Best Care will likewise escalate disease prevention and social distancing plans. Plans include closing of the office if necessary, suspension of most in-home Qualified Professional supervisory visits, and remote enrollment of caregivers. In-Home Visits Occasionally Best Care conducts in-home visits to enroll recipients and caregivers, or to make Qualified Professional supervision visits. This practice has the potential to expose people who have high risk for Coronavirus complications to the disease and to increase the spread of the virus. Best Care will complete all enrollments and Qualified Professional visits electronically or via mail with phone support to ensure the health and safety of those we serve, as well as administrative staff. As always, the Best Care team will put the needs of the people it serves first while taking necessary precautions to protect the health and safety of the clients and caregivers we serve. Best Care will continue to collaborate with the State and other partners as we work together to minimize the impact of this pandemic. Any questions or concerns regarding the above, contact our office at (651) 330-2550. | 03.25.2020 |
| PPE Survey | On April 17th Best Care sent a survey to clients and caregivers to determine PPE needs for when we are able to improve our PPE supply. | 04.17.2020 |
| PPE Kits Available for Curbside Pickup | Individuals who responded to our PPE survey were invited to pick up a PPE kit curbside at our office starting 5.26.2020. Check for our email and call the office to arrange a pick up time. | 05.26.2020 |
| Frontline Worker Pay eligibility | View Frontline Worker Pay updates in English, Hmong, Somali, and Spanish The Frontline Worker Pay application will be open June 8 through July 22, 2022. Eligible workers will have 45 days to apply for Frontline Worker Pay. Applicant support will be available to assist applicants in multiple languages. Remember, you don't have to be first in line when the application opens. The application will be open for 45 days and the funds are not first come, first served. The money set aside for this program will be split equally among all approved applicants after the 45-day application period, the 15-day appeals period and the appeals review period. | 06.08.2022 |
| Clients and Caregivers can now request ppe at: www.bestcareppe.com | Since the start of the Covid-19 crisis, Best Care has provided PPE to the most vulnerable clients and caregivers. Then when PPE supply levels improved, we started making PPE kits available to people who responded to our survey. Now we have created a convenient online PPE request form where clients and caregivers can request a PPE kit for curbside pickup. You can find a link to the PPE request form on the Covid-19 Resources and Information page of our website or visit www.bestcareppe.com. | 06.15.2020 |
| Important company changes regarding overtime. | Click here to view important company overtime changes effective 7.4.2019. | 06.7.2019 |
| Covid 19 Preparedness Plan Update | Best Care Covid Response Policy was updated to conform with the State of MN Covid 19 Preparedness Plan Template | 07.07.2020 |
| 2019 Preventative Health Insurance Open Enrollment. | The Preventative Health Insurance Plan sent open enrollment notices in August 2019. Click here to view the notice. Click here to learn more about the MEC plan. | 08.26.19 |
| Temporary Parent/Spouse PCA Allowance Update | This notice is to provide an important update regarding the State of Minnesota Temporary Parent/ Spouse PCA allowance that went into effect December 1st, 2020, which allowed parent of minors and spouses to be paid as PCAs. This temporary allowance was extended in May 2023 and is set to end on November 11, 2023. This is the last date a spouse or parent of a minor can submit time as a PCA. To continue to utilize all approved PCA units, you will need to find additional staff to work the hours that were previously worked by the spouse or parent. You can contact our Intake department at 763-710-2031 to onboard the new PCAs you would like to hire. Additionally, there may be options for those interested in remaining paid staff for their spouse or minor child. Clients on a waiver (such as DD, CADI, CAC, BI, EW and AC) may be eligible for the Consumer Directed Community Supports (CDCS) program. Clients without a waiver may be eligible for the Consumer Support Grant (CSG) program. Both programs require you to choose a Financial Management Services (FMS) provider, which Best Care offers. Here are some considerations for a client or representative using CDCS or CSG: A set budget amount based on the assessment – may be smaller compared to PCA hours. Flexible pay rates. Ability to purchase approved goods and services. The client is the employer, not the agency. Different required program tasks such as writing a plan and tracking a budget. **Please note, switching programs takes time so contact us right away if you choose this option. Your county is the best place to start to see if you are eligible for the CDCS or CSG programs. Please reach out to your county/waiver case manager or your county’s Disability Services department for more information and next steps. If you wish to pursue FMS services with Best Care, you may do so under our affiliated company Best Care FMS, but you can choose any FMS provider. Below are Best Care’s FMS contacts who can help you with questions, along with a link to all FMS providers in Minnesota: Best Care FMS Contacts: Tony Engesser: 612-297-0026 Tony@bestcaremn.com Raina Marti: 763-329-7533 Raina@bestcaremn.com | 10.05.2023 |
| Name Change | Things may look different, but that Dosen't mean we've changed as an organization. We're extremely fortunate to be ushering a in a new chapter in home care. Dedicated to getting support for those in need, how they need it. Welcome to Best Care! | 10.16.2019 |
| Payroll Changes | We are happy to announce that are moving our payroll software from Intuit to Paylocity. We are making this change to provide better service to caregivers, and because our old payroll software could no longer accommodate the number of caregivers we serve. Payroll records prior to the change will remain in the Intuit Workforce Site Here. New Pay Stubs are available in the Paylocity Employee Self-Service Portal at https://access.paylocity.com/. To login click "Register New User"; then enter: Company ID: 99514 Last Name: SSN: xxx-xx-xxxx (must include dashes) Home Zip Code: | 11.1.2019 |
| Temporary Parent and Spouse PCA Allowance | Temporary Parent and Spouse PCA Allowance In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Human Services (DHS) is temporarily allowing parents of minors and spouses to work as PCAs from December 1, 2020 through February 7, 2021. If you are interested in temporarily working as a PCA for your minor child or your spouse who receives PCA services, you must go through the PCA hiring process. You cannot work as a PCA until the following have been completed: • Pass a DHS background study • Complete the online PCA and CFSS training and certification (DHS training) • Sign and return a Provider Enrollment application to Best Care • Our team can provide you with the necessary hiring paperwork and can walk you through each step. To aid the hiring process, please have ready: • 2 forms of Identification o The IDs must include the full & correct spelling of legal name(s). Examples of acceptable IDs include driver’s license, social security card, birth certificate or passport. We also suggest completing the online PCA and CFSS training and certification test as soon as possible. You will receive a certificate at the end of the training, which Best Care will need a copy of for your employee record. **Please Note: If you would like to work as a temporary PCA and you are currently the Responsible Party for the person you want to work for, you will need to identify a temporary Responsible Party. DHS does not allow a person to be a Responsible Party and a PCA for a client at the same time. The temporary Responsible Party will need to complete the Responsible Party Agreement and Plan form which can be completed and collected during the hiring process. To learn more about the allowance, click HERE to view the announcement from DHS. Call us at (763) 710-2031 to begin this process today! Thank you, The Best Care Team | 11.16.2020 |
| Check Pick Up Changes | As part of our recent payroll software changes, we are no longer printing checks in our office as part of our payroll process. Instead, paper checks are printed by the payroll company in Chicago, sent to our office, then we mail them to you. This means people who receive physical checks may receive their payment in the mail one day later than usual. Direct deposits and payroll cards are not affected by the change and you will receive those within the same timeframes as before. These changes also affect our ability to offer same day check pickups. We will only issue same day check pickups in the event of our error. For example: we had both of your timesheets but missed one; or we paid you the wrong amount. Any other check pickups will only be available next day. | 11.4.2019 |
| Paylocity Issues | The paylocity payroll software migration is moving along as scheduled. Thank you for your patience during the transition. There are a few known issues that we are working to resolve and some you should be aware of: 1. Disregard timehseet functions of paylocity. We continue to accept timesheet app, scanned, faxed, electronic, or paper timesheets. 2. There were some issues with not all the correct data coming over. We are working to resolve these issues as quickly as possible. Please let us know if you notice anything that is not right. 3. Paylocity brought over prior earnings information so that the year to date information would be correct. However, previous checks in paylocity do not match the amounts of the previous checks. To see accurate check stubs that were issues before the transition use the https://workforce.intuit.com site. 4. We are working on having the directory feature disabled. | 11.4.2019 |
| Late Timesheets | As we grow the number of late timesheets we receive is becoming a administrative and financial burden for the company. Effectively immediately we are changing the way we handle late timesheets. In the past, we have been able to receive and enter timesheets for payroll, despite whether the timesheet was late. This will not be the case anymore. Timesheets are due every Thursday. If you submit your timesheet after Thursday, it will not be automatically processed for payroll. You will have to submit an unscheduled check request for the late timesheet, by going to bestcarepayroll.com. | 11.4.2019 |
| Distribution Plan for Temporary Rate Increase | On 12.18.2020 Best Care Posted and sent its Distribution Plan via email and text to all employees. You can view a copy of the plan here Click Here. | 12.18.2020 |
| Distribution Plan for EW AC ECS 2024 | On 12.26.2023 Best Care Posted its Distribution Plan in accordance with requirments. You can view a copy of the plan here Click Here. | 12.26.2023 |
