Does anyone know what's with SETSS agencies?

amother

Milk ↓

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 1:42 am

amother OP wrote:

Without naming names, I'm not really getting any info from the school and agency I've been working with the last few years. They said Agudah was having meetings with the DOE to get clarity and see if any mutually beneficial deals could be worked out, but I haven't heard any meaningful updates and September is getting closer and closer. Does anyone know what's going on?

I'm in same situation. Keep being told they don't have the info yet.

amother

Vermilion

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 4:32 am

I got an email from the agency that at this point in time they're not providing SETSS, though the case is still ongoing, their recommendation is to make your own inquiries and basically figure things out on your own.
Ok.
My question is, does that include other services like OT and speech?

amother

↑ Freesia ↓

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 10:29 pm

amother Vermilion wrote:

So what's everyone doing? Trying to find students direct?

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 12:07 pm

The coordinator at my school just shared that the agency we worked with (Deena Max) is folding and giving all their cases over to Yeled.

I can only assume this will come with a rate decrease due to the DOE changes as well as people I know who worked for Yeled last year got paid less than me. But she also shared that all the schools in my area are about to commit to all using the same agency so they don't have providers switching to schools with better rates.

The schools will not allow providers to work directly with parents/DOE during school hours because it gets too complicated, the agencies offered caseload management that kept things running smoothly for the schools.

All the providers in my borough are about to get screwed.

amother

Amber ↓

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 12:28 pm

As a parent, I don't really care about the unscrupulous agencies that screwed the kids out of the level of service they were supposed to get. Enhanced rates is supposed to equal enhanced services.I feel the parents have finally gotten justice. I'm not against the agencies, but we all know which ones acted with yashrus and which ones acted like pigs.

amother

↑ Freesia ↓

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 12:36 pm

amother OP wrote:

Wow! I can't believe this... I worked for them last year. I guess I'll be hearing about this soon enough.

Do you think providers are going to go for the lower rate? If everyone bands together and only wants to work direct, won't the schools have to give in and allow it? I'm assuming otherwise the pay cut is going to be pretty steep...

There must be some other solutions... Even if everyone gives $5 an hour (for each hour they work ) to someone in the school to supervis/continate all services it will be worth it ($5 from a bunch of providers per hour will equal decent pay for someone to do this as most schools have a bunch of providers). I'm assuming if an agency takes over the pay decrease is going to be a lot more then that per hour...

amother

Whitewash ↓

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 12:58 pm

amother OP wrote:

Oh my. Is this in Far Rockaway?
What about Deena’s SEIT cases? If the whole thing folding or just the setts part?
And are all the schools forcing us to go through yeled now? They pay terribly.. what about those of us who don’t work in the same school every year? I was always just placed by deena all over (with my input obviously but I bounced around)

amother

↑ Babyblue ↓

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 2:00 pm

amother Amber wrote:

As a parent, why do you feel that you got justice?
Do you know what happens when agencies lower provider rates? A few options:
1. Providers leave the field (as has already been happening) so there is a shortage and your child may not get therapy at all (saying this as a parents whose child did not get therapy for a year because there were no providers)

2. Providers who stay in the field are forced to take on huge caseloads in order to make adequate parnassah. The result is that your child won't get great therapy because the provider has a million students and is working tons of hours.
And then on imamother everyone complains how bad the agency therapists are. Well what do you except when the provider is trying to keep her head above water doing 70+ therapy sessions a week with a caseload of 30+ students?

amother

Lime

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 2:13 pm

amother Amber wrote:

As far as the providers go, enhanced pay was really nothing more than fair pay. $80 an hour or so is not exactly "enhanced'. Providers have a masters degree. They shouldn't be making $41 an hour.

amother

↑ Amber ↓

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 2:53 pm

Haha I'm a provider as well. When my kid's provider is supposed to get enhanced rate @200+ an hour , they are supposed to be seen 1:1. Not in a group. The agency wanted providers to bill each kid separately while the agency made tons of money off my kid and paid the provider...what exactly?! You can't bill for enhanced services and then not provide it. Do you understand this??!! That's called conning the system. I understand not every agency did this but many did.

amother

↑ Amber ↓

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 2:55 pm

amother Lime wrote:

As far as the providers go, enhanced pay was really nothing more than fair pay. $80 an hour or so is not exactly "enhanced'. Providers have a masters degree. They shouldn't be making $41 an hour.

Enhanced pay wasn't fair pay. Enhanced was way more than you got as a provider!!! The agency took more than a $100 slice. You were cheated too.

seeker ↓

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 3:14 pm

amother Amber wrote:

In my opinion the schools should drop the agencies, providers should work independently. A school should always have one person that takes care of all the service providers that come into the school.

And who's paying that person?

I have a loooooot more to say on this subject, much of which I've said before, but no time now. Watching closely, though.

amother

↑ Freesia ↓

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 3:19 pm

seeker wrote:

And who's paying that person?

I have a loooooot more to say on this subject, much of which I've said before, but no time now. Watching closely, though.

There's got to be another solution... What about my idea up thread - that everyone gives $5 an hour (for each hour they work ) for someone in the school to do this? $5 from everyone should add up to a decent amount of pay... And 5 dollars less an hour will still be a lot more pay then the agencies will give if it's though them....or some other solution if we get creative.

amother

Amaranthus

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 3:23 pm

amother Amber wrote:

In my opinion the schools should drop the agencies, providers should work independently. A school should always have one person that takes care of all the service providers that come into the school.

Every school all ready has a person on top of the therapists. There is obviously a lot more that the agencies are doing that we are not aware of.

amother

↑ Freesia ↓

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 3:27 pm

amother Amaranthus wrote:

Every school all ready has a person on top of the therapists. There is obviously a lot more that the agencies are doing that we are not aware of.

This is true as well. I worked in a nice amount of schools and most - not all - had someone on top of them. In not sure what else the agencies where doing - they would come down once a year to observe me. And I guess they are there if I would need any support/suggestions when working with a child (which I never really made use of). They helped the schools by finding them providers...not sure what else they did, would love to know...

Edta they also helped children get enhanced services and helped prepare parents for the meetings - what to say and etc... somtimes they'd come on the phone as support

amother

↑ Amber ↓

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 3:37 pm

amother Freesia wrote:

Why are you one of the owners of an agency? Why would you say that?

amother

↑ Amber ↓

Sun, Aug 25 2024, 3:39 pm

amother Freesia wrote:

On the parent side, my agency was a supposed to help at my meeting but mysteriously went MIA and I almost lost my services. So who needed them?