Pretesting for Direct Certification with Medicaid Demonstrations

APPENDIX C-2

Semi-structured State Cost log Clarification
Protocol Questions

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SEMI-STRUCTURED STATE COST LOG CLARIFICATION PROTOCOL QUESTIONS

Evaluation of Demonstrations of Direct Certification with Medicaid for Free and Reduced-Price Meals (DCM-F/RP)

Introduction

Thank you for completing the DCM-F/RP demonstration cost workbook for [month year] through [month year]. Your responses will help us understand the amount of time that your agency spent on the various types of activities involved in implementing DCM-F/RP. The purpose of this clarification call is to confirm that we are interpreting your responses in the cost workbook properly. This call will last no more than 30 minutes.

I will ask some questions about specific tabs of the workbook you completed. Do you have an electronic or hard copy of the workbook available to look at as we talk? [If not, I can wait a minute for you to retrieve it.]

1. [If not known:] First, please tell me your position at [agency] and briefly describe your responsibilities, including those for implementing DCM-F/RP.

2. Did you or your staff have any difficulty in completing the cost logs? [If so:] Please elaborate.

3. Please look at the Activity Descriptions tab of the workbook.

   1. Do the activity list and descriptions accurately reflect the types of DCM-F/RP activities that you conducted? [If “other” activities selected:] I see you selected an activity in an “other” category. Can you elaborate on this activity?

   2. [If some activities had no costs:] We noticed you did not report any costs on [activities with no costs]. Can you confirm [activities with no costs] did not occur during the reporting period? Did any of the activities occur but have no associated costs?

   3. Did you conduct any DCM-F/RP activities before July 2016? [If so:] Roughly, what activities and how many labor hours were involved?

4. Please look at the Time Log tab of the workbook.

1. How were the time log data collected? Did the information come from a preexisting time-tracking form or an informal time estimate? Did staff record their DCM-F/RP hours daily, weekly, or monthly?

5. Please look at the Salary Information tab of the workbook.

1. Are the reported salaries precise, or are they averages for the associated staffing position?

2. How was the value of fringe benefits calculated? Does it include mandated benefits? Does it include employer and employee contributions? [If no fringe benefits were reported, ask the respondent to confirm that all fringe benefits were included in the salary on the salary tab.]

6. Please look at the ODC Information tab of the workbook.

1. [If ODCs were reported:] Could you elaborate on the sources of your other direct costs? How were they calculated? How long does it take for such costs to be invoiced and paid by your agency?

2. [If no ODCs were reported:] Could you confirm that no other direct costs were associated with DCM-F/RP (for example, printing and mailing costs for materials provided to school districts, charges for conference calls, or amounts paid to outside contractors for work on the project, such as programming or clerical work)?

Closing

Thank you very much for the information. We really appreciate your time and responsiveness. We will be collecting these cost data twice more during this school year. Each workbook will be due no later than one month after the end of the reporting period. You should already have received the workbook for the next period ([month year] through [month year]). Please feel free to contact me by email or telephone with questions about the workbook or any other data collection activities.