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(a)General reporting. Except where otherwise specified under this title, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) follows the requirements, methods, and procedures set forth in subsections (b)-(h) of this section to determine costs appropriate for use in the reimbursement determination process. (b)Cost report requirements. Unless specifically stated in program rules, each provider must submit financial and statistical information on cost report forms provided by HHSC, or on facsimiles that are formatted according to HHSC specifications and are pre-approved by HHSC staff, or electronically in HHSC-prescribed format in programs where these systems are operational. The cost reports must be submitted to HHSC in a manner prescribed by HHSC. The cost reports must be prepared to reflect the activities of the provider while delivering contracted services during the fiscal year specified by the cost report. Cost reports or other special surveys or reports may be required for other periods at the discretion of HHSC. Each provider is responsible for accurately completing any cost report or other special survey or report submitted to HHSC. (1)Accounting methods. All financial and statistical information submitted on cost reports must be based upon the accrual method of accounting, except where otherwise specified in §355.102 and §355.103 of this title (relating to General Principles of Allowable and Unallowable Costs, and Specifications for Allowable and Unallowable Costs) and in the case of governmental entities operating on a cash or modified accrual basis. For cost-reporting purposes, accrued expenses must be incurred during the cost reporting period and must be paid within 180 days after the end of that cost reporting period. In situations where a contracted provider, any of its controlling entities, its parent company/sole member, or its related-party management company has filed for bankruptcy protection, the contracted provider may request an exception to the 180-day requirement for payment of accrued allowable expenses by submitting a written request to the HHSC Rate Analysis Department. The written request must be submitted within 60 days of the date of the bankruptcy filing or at least 60 days prior to the due date of the cost report for which the exception is being requested, whichever is later. The contracted provider will then be requested by the HHSC Rate Analysis Department to provide certain documentation, which must be provided by the specified due date. Such exceptions due to bankruptcy may be granted for reasonable, necessary and documented accrued allowable expenses that were not paid within the 180-day requirement. Accrued revenues must be for services performed during the cost reporting period and do not have to be received within 180 days after the end of that cost reporting period in order to be reported as revenues for cost-reporting purposes. Except as otherwise specified by the cost determination process rules of this chapter, cost report instructions, or policy clarifications, cost reports should be prepared consistent with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), which are those principles approved by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Internal Revenue Service (IRS) laws and regulations do not necessarily apply in the preparation of the cost report. In cases where cost reporting rules differ from GAAP, IRS, or other authorities, HHSC rules take precedence for provider cost-reporting purposes. (2)Recordkeeping and adequate documentation. There is a distinction between noncompliance in recordkeeping, which equates with unauditability of a cost report and constitutes an administrative contract violation or, for the Nursing Facility program, may result in vendor hold, and a provider's inability to provide adequate documentation, which results in disallowance of relevant costs. Each is discussed in the following paragraphs. (A)Recordkeeping. Providers must ensure that records are accurate and sufficiently detailed to support the legal, financial, and other statistical information contained in the cost report. Providers must maintain all workpapers and any other records that support the information submitted on the cost report relating to all allocations, cost centers, cost or statistical line items, surveys, and schedules. HHSC may require supporting documentation other than that contained in the cost report to substantiate reported information. (i)For Texas Department of Human Services (DHS) contracted providers, each provider must maintain records according to the requirements stated in 40 TAC §69.205 (relating to Contractor's Records) and according to the HHSC's prescribed chart of accounts, when available. (ii)For Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation (TDMHMR) contracted providers, contractors must keep financial and supporting documents, statistical records, and any other records pertinent to the services for which a claim or cost report is submitted to HHSC. The records and documents must be kept for a minimum of five years after the end of the reporting period. If any litigation, claims, or audit involving these records begins before the five-year period expires, the contractor must keep the records and documents for not less than five years or until all litigation, claims, or audit findings are resolved. If a contractor is terminating business operations, the contractor must ensure that: (I)records are stored and accessible; and (II)someone is responsible for adequately maintaining the records. (iii)For nursing facilities, failure to maintain all workpapers and any other records that support the information submitted on the cost report relating to all allocations, cost centers, cost or statistical line items, surveys and schedules may result in vendor hold as specified in §355.403 of this title (relating to Vendor Hold). (iv)For Intermediate Care Facilities for Persons with Mental Retardation, Home and Community-based Services, Service Coordination/Targeted Case Management, Rehabilitative Services, and Texas Home Living programs, failure to maintain all workpapers and any other records that support the information submitted on the cost report relating to all allocations, cost centers, cost or statistical line items, surveys and schedules constitutes an administrative contract violation, procedural guidelines and informal reconsideration and/or appeal processes are specified in §355.111 of this title (relating to Administrative Contract Violations). (v)For all other programs, failure to maintain all workpapers and any other records that support the information submitted on the cost report relating to all allocations, cost centers, cost or statistical line items, surveys and schedules constitutes an administrative contract violation. In the case of an administrative contract violation, procedural guidelines and informal reconsideration and/or appeal processes are specified in §355.111 of this title. (B)Adequate documentation. To be allowable, the relationship between reported costs and contracted services must be clearly and adequately documented. Adequate documentation consists of all materials necessary to demonstrate the relationship of personnel, supplies, and services to the provision of contracted client care or the relationship of the central office to the individual service delivery entity level. These materials may include, but are not limited to, accounting records, invoices, organizational charts, functional job descriptions, other written statements, and direct interviews with staff, as deemed necessary by HHSC auditors to perform required tests of reasonableness, necessity, and allowability. (i)The minimum allowable statistical duration for a time study upon which to base salary allocations is four weeks per year, with one week being randomly selected from each quarter so as to assure that the time study is representative of the various cycles of business operations. One week is defined as only those days the contracted provider is in operation during seven continuous days. The time study can be performed for one continuous week during a quarter, or it can be performed over five or seven individual days, whichever is applicable, throughout a quarter. The time study must be a 100% time study, accounting for 100% of the time paid the employee, including vacation and sick leave. (ii)To support the existence of a loan, the provider must have available a signed copy of the loan contract which contains the pertinent terms of the loan, such as amount, rate of interest, method of payment, due date, and collateral. The documentation must include an explanation for the purpose of the loan and an audit trail must be provided showing the use of the loan proceeds. Evidence of systematic interest and principal payments must be available and supported by the payback schedule in the note or amortization schedule supporting the note. Documentation must also include substantiation of any costs associated with the securing of the loan, such as broker's fees, due diligence fees, lender's fees, attorney's fees, etc. To document allowable interest costs associated with related party loans, the provider is required to maintain documentation verifying the prime interest rate in accordance with §355.103(b)(8)(C) of this title for a similar type of loan as of the effective date of the related party loan. (iii)For ground transportation equipment, a mileage log is not required if the equipment is used solely (100%) for provision of contracted client services in accordance with program requirements in delivering one type of contracted care. However, the contracted provider must have a written policy that states that the ground transportation equipment is restricted to that use and that policy must be followed. For ground transportation equipment that is used for several purposes (including for personal use) or multiple programs or across various business components, mileage logs must be maintained. Personal use includes, among other things, driving to and from a personal residence. At a minimum, mileage logs must include for each individual trip the date, the time of day (beginning and ending), driver, persons in the vehicle, trip mileage (beginning, ending, and total), purpose of the trip, and the allocation centers (the departments, programs, and/or business entities to which the trip costs should be allocated). Flight logs must include dates, mileage, passenger lists, and destinations, along with any other information demonstrating the purpose of the trips so that a relationship to contracted client care in Texas can be determined. For the purpose of comparison to the cost of commercial alternatives, documentation of the cost of operating and maintaining a private aircraft includes allowable expenses relating to the lease or depreciation of the aircraft; aircraft fuel and maintenance expenses; aircraft insurance, taxes, and interest; pilot expenses; hangar and other related expenses; mileage, vehicle rental or other ground transportation expense; and airport parking fees. Documentation demonstrating the allowable cost of commercial alternatives includes commercial airfare ticket costs at lowest fare offered (including all discounts) and associated expenses including mileage, vehicle rental or other ground transportation expense; airport parking fees; and any hotel or per diem due to necessary layovers (no scheduled flights at time of return trip). (iv)To substantiate the allowable cost of leasing a luxury vehicle as defined in §355.103(b)(7)(C)(i) of this title, the provider must obtain at the time of the lease a separate quotation establishing the monthly lease costs for the base amount allowable for cost-reporting purposes as specified in §355.103(b)(7)(C)(i) of this title. If the lease of the luxury vehicle occurred prior to January 1, 1997, then the provider must obtain the separate quotation prior to submitting its 1997 cost report in order for the allowable costs to be reported on the cost report. Without adequate documentation to verify the allowable lease costs of the luxury vehicle, the reported costs shall be disallowed. (v)For adequate documentation purposes, a written description of each cost allocation method must be maintained that includes, at a minimum, a clear and understandable explanation of the numerator and denominator of the allocation ratio described in words and in numbers, as well as a written explanation of how and to which specific business components the remaining percentage of costs were allocated. (vi)To substantiate the allowable cost for staff training as defined in §355.103(b)(12)(A) of this title, the provider must maintain a description of the training verifying that the training pertained to contracted client care-related services or quality assurance. At a minimum, a program brochure describing the seminar or a conference program with description of the workshop must be maintained. The documentation must provide a description clearly demonstrating that the seminar or workshop provided training pertaining to contracted client care-related services or quality assurance. (vii)Documentation regarding the allocation of costs related to noncontracted services, as specified in §355.102(j)(2) of this title, must be maintained by the provider. At a minimum, the provider must maintain written records verifying the number of units of noncontracted services provided during the provider's fiscal year, along with adequate documentation supporting the direct and allocated costs associated with those noncontracted services. (viii)Adequate documentation to substantiate legal, accounting, and auditing fees must include, at a minimum, the amount of time spent on the activity, a written description of the activity performed which clearly explains to which business component the cost should be allocated, the person performing the activity, and the hourly billing amount of the person performing the activity. Other legal, accounting, and auditing costs, such as photocopy costs, telephone costs, court costs, mailing costs, expert witness costs, travel costs, and court reporter costs, must be itemized and clearly denote to which business component the cost should be allocated. (ix)Providers who self insure for all or part of their employee-related insurance costs, such as health insurance and workers' compensation costs, must use one of the two following methods for determining and documenting the provider's allowable costs under the cost ceilings and any carry forward as described in §355.103(b)(10)(E) of this title. (I)Providers may obtain and maintain each fiscal year's documentation to establish what their premium costs would have been had they purchased commercial insurance for total coverage. The documentation should include, at a minimum, bids from two commercial carriers. Bids must be obtained no less frequently than every three years. (II)If providers choose not to obtain and maintain commercial bids as described in subclause (I) of this clause, providers may claim as an allowable cost the health insurance actual paid claims incurred on behalf of the employees that does not exceed 10% of the payroll for employees eligible for receipt of this benefit. In addition, providers may claim as an allowable cost the workers' compensation actual paid claims incurred on behalf of the employees, an amount each cost report period not to exceed 10% of the payroll for employees eligible for receipt of this benefit. (III)Providers who self insure must also maintain documentation that supports the amount of claims paid each year and any allowable costs to be carried forward to future cost-reporting periods. (x)Providers who self insure for all or part of their coverage for nonemployee-related insurance, such as malpractice insurance, comprehensive general liability, and property insurance, must maintain documentation for each cost-reporting period to establish what their premium costs would have been had they purchased commercial insurance for total coverage. The documentation should include, at a minimum, bids from two commercial carriers. Bids must be obtained no less frequently than every three years. Providers who self insure must also maintain documentation that supports the amount of claims paid each year and any allowable costs to be carried forward to future cost-reporting periods. Governmental providers must document the existence of their claims management and risk management programs. (xi)Regarding compensation of owners and related parties, providers must maintain the following documentation, at a minimum, for each owner or related party: a detailed written description of actual duties, functions, and responsibilities; documentation substantiating that the services performed are not duplicative of services performed by other employees; time sheets or other documentation verifying the hours and days worked; the amount of total compensation paid for these duties, with a breakdown detailing regular salary, overtime, bonuses, benefits, and other payments; documentation of regular, periodic payments and/or accruals of the compensation, documentation that the compensation is subject to payroll or self-employment taxes; and a detailed allocation worksheet indicating how the total compensation was allocated across business components receiving the benefit of these duties. (I)Regarding bonuses paid to owners and related parties, the provider must maintain clearly defined bonus policies in its written agreements with employees or in its overall employment policy. At a minimum, the bonus policy must include the basis for distributing the bonuses including qualifications for receiving the bonus, and how the amount of each bonus is calculated. Other documentation must specify who received bonuses, whether the persons receiving bonuses are owners, related parties, or arm's-length employees, and the bonus amount received by each individual. (II)Regarding benefits provided to owners and related parties, the provider must maintain clearly defined benefit policies in its written agreements with employees or in its overall employment policy. At a minimum, the documentation must include the basis for eligibility for each type of benefit available, who is eligible to receive each type of benefit, who actually receives each type of benefit, whether the persons receiving each type of benefit are owners, related parties, or arm's-length employees, and the amount of each benefit received by each individual. Cont'd...
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