Other Professional Services

Service Standard

Other Professional Services Service Standard print version

Subcategories Service Units
Legal Services Per hour
Permanency Planning Per hour (new)
Income Tax Preparation Per hour (new) 

 

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Description:

Other Professional Services allow for the provision of professional and consultant services rendered by members of particular professions licensed and/or qualified to offer such services by local governing authorities.
 

Limitations:

Legal services exclude criminal defense and class-action suits unless related to access to services eligible for funding under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP).
 

Services:

Other Professional Services allow for the provision of professional and consultant services rendered by members of particular professions licensed and/or qualified to offer such services by local governing authorities. Such services may include:

  • Legal services provided to and/or on behalf of the HRSA RWHAP-eligible PLWH and involving legal matters related to or arising from their HIV disease, including:
    • Assistance with public benefits such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
    • Interventions necessary to ensure access to eligible benefits, including discrimination or breach of confidentiality litigation as it relates to services eligible for funding under the HRSA RWHAP
    • Preparation of:
      • Healthcare power of attorney
      • Durable powers of attorney
      • Living wills
         
  • Permanency planning to help clients/families make decisions about the placement and care of minor children after their parents/caregivers are deceased or are no longer able to care for them, including:
    • Social service counseling or legal counsel regarding the drafting of wills or delegating powers of attorney
    • Preparation for custody options for legal dependents including standby guardianship, joint custody, or adoption
       
  • Income tax preparation services to assist clients in filing federal tax returns that are required by the Affordable Care Act for all individuals receiving premium tax credits.
     

Universal Standards:

Service providers for Other Professional Services must follow HRSA/DSHS Universal Standards 1-46 and 161-166.
 

Service Standards and Measures:

The following standards and measures are guides to improving healthcare outcomes for people living with HIV throughout the state of Texas within the Ryan White Part B and State Services Program.

Standard Measure

Legal Services:

Service agreements must be developed and signed by both the attorney and the client. Clients should work together with legal staff to determine the objective(s) of the representation. 

Attorneys must document the following in the client’s record: 

  • How the legal service is related to the client’s HIV status
  • Types of services provided
  • Hours spent in the provision of services
  1. Percentage of clients receiving legal services for assistance with public benefits with documentation of the public benefits assistance provided and outcomes.
     
  2. Percentage of clients receiving legal services for preparation of documents with documentation of completion of a healthcare power of attorney (POA), durable POA, and/or living will.

Permanency Planning: Clients receiving assistance with permanency planning should have documentation of the type of service needed and the outcome of permanency planning.
  1. Percentage of clients receiving permanency planning services with documentation of services needed and outcomes.

Income Tax Preparation: Agencies must be licensed and/or qualified to offer income tax preparation services. Clients receiving assistance with income tax preparation should have documentation of the assistance provided and outcomes.
  1. Percentage of clients receiving income tax preparation services with documentation of the assistance provided and outcomes.

Case Closure: Cases may be closed when:

  • The legal or benefit issue has been resolved
  • The client has not had direct program contact for three months
  • The client voluntarily discontinues the service
  • The client improperly uses the service
  • The client has not complied with the client services agreement
  • The client is deceased

Documentation of case closure, including the reason for case closure, should be made in the client’s record. If the case is closed for a reason other than the objectives of the services have been met, the agency must notify the client about case closure in writing.

Note: Staff should not inactivate clients in Take Charge Texas (TCT) at the time of case closure or graduation, unless the case is being closed due to a deceased client.
  1. Percentage of closed cases with documentation of case closure, including the reason for closure.

 

References

Division of Metropolitan HIV/AIDS Programs, HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB). Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) National Monitoring Standards for RWHAP Part A Recipients. Health Resources and Services Administration, June 2022.

Division of State HIV/AIDS Programs, HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB). Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) National Monitoring Standards for RWHAP Part B Recipients. Health Resources and Services Administration, June 2022.

Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. Policy Notice 16-02: Eligible Individuals & Allowable Uses of Funds. Health Resources & Services Administration, October 2018.

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