Navigating Service Adjustments: A Comprehensive Guide for Students

This article provides an overview of the policies and procedures surrounding service adjustments for students, drawing upon various guidelines and regulations. It aims to clarify the rights and responsibilities of students, educational institutions, and relevant agencies in ensuring equitable access to education and support services.

Behavioral Health Services and Supports Adjustments

Counties are mandated to allocate 35% of their total local Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) funds for Behavioral Health Services and Supports (BHSS). These BHSS categories encompass a wide range of services, including:

Children’s, Adult, and Older Adult Systems of Care
Outreach and Engagement
Workforce Education and Training
Capital Facilities and Technological Needs
Early Intervention Programs
Innovative Behavioral Health Pilots and Projects

A significant portion, 51%, of the funds allocated to BHSS must be directed towards Early Intervention Programs, with 51% of that amount specifically serving BHSA-eligible individuals aged 25 and younger. While counties have the flexibility to fund other BHSS categories, they are required to report planned and actual expenditures for each category in their Integrated Plan and Behavioral Health Outcomes, Accountability, and Transparency Report (BHOATR). Innovative Behavioral Health Pilots and Projects can be incorporated across all BHSS categories.

Counties are encouraged to maximize the utilization of other available funding sources, such as Medi-Cal, for BHSS services, although they are not obligated to exhaust these sources before using BHSA funds. Collaborative efforts are also supported, with counties able to pool resources for multi-county BHSS projects, which should be reported in their respective Integrated Plans.

Systems of Care

Counties have the option to allocate BHSS funds to provide Children’s, Adult, and Older Adult Systems of Care services, including substance use disorder services, to BHSA-eligible and priority populations. These services align with Part 4 for Children’s System of Care and Part 3 for Adult and Older Adult System of Care. However, services funded under BHSS cannot include Housing Interventions or services for individuals enrolled in a Full Service Partnership (FSP), as these should be funded under their respective components.

Read also: Managing Alcohol Use in College

Outreach and Engagement

BHSS funds can be utilized for Outreach and Engagement (O&E) activities aimed at reaching, identifying, and engaging individuals, families, and communities in the behavioral health system, as well as reducing disparities. Evidence-based and community-defined evidence practices can be incorporated into these activities.

BHSS O&E activities focus on broad engagement of unserved and underserved populations, distinct from those funded under Early Intervention Programs, Housing Interventions, or FSP programs. While Early Intervention programs must include an outreach component, and FSP funding may be used for outreach activities, these activities should be tracked separately within their respective programs.

BHSS funds can be used to engage individuals in housing interventions, particularly when these activities are not funded under Housing Interventions. For instance, outreach to individuals in encampments to connect them to housing programs can be supported. When collaborating with non-behavioral health community programs, only costs directly associated with outreach and engagement activities for mental health and substance use treatment are eligible for BHSS O&E funding.

Examples of O&E activities include:

Collaboration with community-based organizations, housing agencies, street medicine providers, harm reduction programs, community leaders, schools, early care facilities, tribal communities, primary care providers, senior centers, hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and faith-based organizations.
Direct outreach to engage individuals who may benefit from behavioral health services, including peer support services and Enhanced Community Health Worker services under Behavioral Health Community-Based Organized Networks of Equitable Care and Treatment (BH-CONNECT).
Providing basic necessities like food and clothing to engage unserved individuals and their families in the behavioral health system.
Strategies to reduce disparities by engaging individuals and families from priority communities to design outreach strategies and conducting outreach through community sites frequented by these populations.

Workforce Education and Training

Counties can allocate BHSS funds for Workforce Education and Training (WET) activities, benefiting county-operated and contracted providers within the behavioral health delivery system. Efforts to increase the racial, ethnic, and geographic diversity of the workforce, including the incorporation of individuals with lived experience, are encouraged across all WET activities. BHSS funds for WET activities must be spent within ten years, and all transfers into WET are irrevocable.

Read also: Organizational Growth via L&D

WET activities should supplement, not duplicate, funding from other state-administered workforce initiatives, such as the BH-CONNECT workforce initiative. Counties should prioritize available BH-CONNECT and other state-administered programs whenever possible.

BHSS funds should be used to:

Supplement workforce activities funded through BH-CONNECT and other state-administered programs (e.g., stipends for childcare or transportation to supplement a retention bonus available through the BH-CONNECT workforce initiative).
Create WET programs within the county that complement state-administered workforce programs.

Allowable WET activities must address the needs of the county behavioral health delivery system and include:

Workforce recruitment, development, training, and retention
Professional licensing and/or certification testing and fees
Loan repayment
Retention incentives and stipends
Internship and apprenticeship programs
Continuing education
Efforts to increase the racial, ethnic, and geographic diversity of the behavioral health workforce (e.g., individuals with lived experience)
Staff time spent supervising interns and/or residents who are providing direct county behavioral health services through an internship or residency program.

BHSS funds for WET activities cannot be used to:

Address the workforce recruitment and retention needs of systems other than the county behavioral health delivery system, such as criminal justice, social services, and other non-behavioral health systems.
Pay for staff time spent providing direct behavioral health services.
Off-set lost revenues that would have been generated by staff who participate in WET programs and/or activities.

Counties may also use BHSS funds to support administration and coordination of all WET programs and activities (e.g., hiring a WET coordinator). Certain WET activities require a commitment to employment in the county behavioral health delivery system over a certain time.

Read also: Preparing for Higher Education

Workforce Recruitment, Development, Training, and Retention

Counties can use BHSS funds for county-operated and county-contracted behavioral health workforce recruitment, development, training, and retention activities, including:

Supporting workforce recruitment, including recruiting culturally and linguistically competent staff.
Providing financial incentives to recruit or retain employees.
Providing supported employment services to employees and individuals seeking employment.
Creating and implementing promotional opportunities and policies that promote job retention.
Establishing Regional Partnerships to support recruitment and retention.
Providing wellness activities that promote retention and decrease burnout.

Training and technical assistance activities may include:

Education and training programs and activities for prospective and current employees, contractors, and volunteers.
Collaboration and partnerships to develop curricula and provide training to groups such as individuals receiving services and their family members; individuals from underrepresented racial/ethnic, cultural, and linguistic communities; and other unserved or underserved communities.
Activities that incorporate the input of individuals receiving services and their family members and, whenever possible, utilize them as trainers and consultants in WET programs and/or activities.
Activities that promote cultural and linguistic competence and incorporate the input of diverse racial/ethnic populations that reflect California's general population into WET programs and/or activities.
Payment to trainers for training, technical assistance, and consulting, and travel expenses of trainers and participants, including mileage, lodging, and per diem.
Other costs of providing training, such as materials, supplies, and room and equipment rental costs; also staffing support around administrative tasks, such as paperwork and billing.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of the training and its impact on service delivery.

Employees, contractors and volunteers in non-behavioral health systems, such as criminal justice, social services and health care may participate in training and technical assistance programs and activities; however, they cannot be the sole recipients.

Behavioral health career pathway activities may include:

Programs to prepare individuals receiving services and/or their family members for employment and/or volunteer work.
Programs and coursework in high schools, adult education, regional occupational programs, colleges, and universities that introduce individuals to and prepare them for employment.
Career counseling, training, placement programs, and/or outreach that increase access to employment to unserved and underserved groups and individuals who share the racial/ethnic, cultural, and/or linguistic characteristics of individuals receiving services, their family members, and others in the community with behavioral health needs.
Supervision of employees that are in a Behavioral Health Career Pathway Program.

Workforce staffing support may include:

Staff to plan, recruit, coordinate, administer, support, and/or evaluate WET programs and activities when the staff is not funded through any of the other funding components.
Staff to support Regional Partnerships when performing activities that address the following:
- Shortages within the workforce or shortages of workforce skills identified as critical by the Regional Partnership.
- Deficits in cultural and/or linguistic competence.
- Promotion of employment and career opportunities for individuals receiving services and their family members.
Staff to provide ongoing employment and educational counseling and support to individuals receiving services and/or their family members who are entering or currently employed in the workforce.
Staff to provide education and support to employers and employees to assist with the integration of individuals receiving services and/or their family members into the workforce.

University Adjustment System (UAS)

The University Adjustment System (UAS) facilitates the submission of adjustments for individual undergraduate and professional students online. Advisors can submit adjustments through the system, which routes them through electronic workflow for approvals and uploads them to Compass/Howdy. The UAS also enables advisors to track the routing process and confirm completion.

If a course required under a previous catalog is no longer available, students eligible to graduate under that catalog should consult with their academic advisor or dean to identify suitable alternative courses. Course substitutions require dean approval. The university retains the right to modify requirements as deemed necessary, with due notice in the catalog.

Each degree program at Texas A&M University has its own unique program and catalog requirements. Advisors should refer to the specific catalog the student is officially following in Compass to determine remaining program requirements and acceptable adjustment courses. Generating a new degree evaluation in Howdy is also recommended for reference. University general degree requirements are outlined in Texas A&M University Student Rule 14.

Curricular Exceptions

A curricular exception request is required for the following adjustments:

Catalog Term Changes (exceptions to Student Rule 14.5)
Core Curriculum Adjustments (exceptions to Student Rule 14.11)
Foreign Languages (exceptions to the Foreign Language Core Curriculum Requirement for all degree programs)
Residency (exceptions to Student Rule 14.20)

The following fields must be completed in the UAS curricular exceptions request:

Advisor Error: Indicate if the exception is due to an advisor error.
Type of Request: Select the type of curricular exception being requested. If "Other" is selected, provide a detailed explanation.
Request Items: Use the "Add Item(s)" button to enter specific courses or waivers for the request. Multiple items can be included.

Rights and Responsibilities of Students with Disabilities in Postsecondary Education

More high school students with disabilities are pursuing postsecondary education. Understanding their rights and responsibilities, as well as the obligations of postsecondary schools, is crucial for a successful transition.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Title II) prohibit discrimination based on disability and apply to nearly every school district and postsecondary school in the United States.

While both laws apply to school districts and postsecondary schools, the responsibilities differ significantly. Postsecondary schools are not required to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) like high schools. Instead, they must provide appropriate academic adjustments to ensure non-discrimination based on disability. If housing is provided to nondisabled students, comparable, convenient, and accessible housing must be provided to students with disabilities at the same cost.

Admission

A postsecondary school cannot deny admission to a student who meets the essential requirements simply because of a disability.

Informing the school about a disability is voluntary. However, it is necessary to request academic adjustments or ensure assignment to accessible facilities.

Academic Adjustments

Academic adjustments are determined based on the individual's disability and needs. They may include auxiliary aids and services, as well as modifications to academic requirements to ensure equal educational opportunity. Examples include:

Priority registration
Reduced course load
Course substitutions
Note takers
Recording devices
Sign language interpreters
Extended testing time
TTY in dorm rooms (if telephones are provided)
Adaptive software or hardware

Postsecondary schools are not required to lower or substantially modify essential requirements, fundamentally alter the nature of a service, program, or activity, or create an undue financial or administrative burden. They also do not have to provide personal attendants, individually prescribed devices, or readers for personal use.

Requesting Academic Adjustments

Students must inform the school of their disability and need for academic adjustments, following the school's reasonable procedures. It is recommended to request adjustments as early as possible.

Documentation

Schools may require documentation of a current disability and the need for academic adjustments, prepared by a qualified professional. The documentation may include:

Diagnosis of the current disability
Information on how the disability affects a major life activity
Information on how the disability affects academic performance

An individualized education program (IEP) or Section 504 plan may be helpful but is generally not sufficient documentation. Students may need a new evaluation, which they are responsible for paying for.

The school is expected to work interactively with the student to identify appropriate academic adjustments.

Addressing Ineffective Adjustments

If an academic adjustment is not working, the student should inform the school promptly to work together to resolve the problem.

Postsecondary schools cannot charge students for providing academic adjustments or charge students with disabilities more for participating in programs or activities.

Grievance Procedures

Practically every postsecondary school must have a Section 504 Coordinator, ADA Coordinator, or Disability Services Coordinator. Contacting this person is the first step in addressing concerns. The school must also have grievance procedures for raising concerns and ensuring prompt and equitable resolution of complaints.

HECA Compliance Matrix

The HECA Compliance Matrix lists key federal laws and regulations governing colleges and universities, including summaries, reporting deadlines, and links to resources. It serves as an informational clearinghouse for laws, rules, and regulations impacting higher education institutions.

Standardized Exams and High-Stakes Tests: ADA Requirements

Standardized examinations and other high-stakes tests are essential for educational and employment opportunities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires testing entities to offer exams in an accessible manner to individuals with disabilities.

The Department of Justice (Department) published revised final regulations implementing the ADA for title II (State and local government services) and title III (public accommodations and commercial facilities) on September 15, 2010. This publication provides technical assistance on testing accommodations for individuals with disabilities who take standardized exams and other high-stakes tests.

The ADA covers exams administered by private, state, or local government entities related to applications, licensing, certification, or credentialing for secondary or postsecondary education, professional, or trade purposes.

An individual with a disability is defined as someone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity or bodily function. The determination of disability should not demand extensive analysis and must be made without regard to mitigating measures. A history of academic success does not preclude an individual from being entitled to testing accommodations.

Testing entities must ensure that test scores accurately reflect the individual’s aptitude or achievement level.

Documentation for Testing Accommodations

Any required documentation must be reasonable and limited to the need for the requested testing accommodations. Requests should be narrowly tailored to determine the nature of the disability and the need for accommodations.

Past Testing Accommodations

If a candidate requests the same testing accommodations previously received on a similar exam, provides proof, and certifies the current need due to disability, the testing entity should generally grant the same accommodations without further documentation.

Formal Public School Accommodations

Candidates who previously received testing accommodations under an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a Section 504 Plan should generally receive the same accommodations.

Private School Testing Accommodations

If a candidate received testing accommodations in private school for similar tests under a formal policy, he or she should generally receive the same accommodations.

First Time Requests or Informal Classroom Testing Accommodations

An absence of previous formal testing accommodations does not preclude a candidate from receiving testing accommodations.

Qualified Professionals

Testing entities should defer to documentation from a qualified professional who has made an individualized assessment of the candidate that supports the need for the requested testing accommodations. Reports from qualified professionals should take precedence over reports from testing entity reviewers who have never conducted the requisite assessment of the candidate for diagnosis and treatment.

tags: #before #making #service #adjustments #allowed #by