Does anyone know what's with SETSS agencies?

↑ seeker ↓

Mon, Aug 26 2024, 1:15 pm

amother Cyclamen wrote:

The only people that were benefiting from enhanced rates were the agency!
The point is to cut out all these agencies and have each provider bill themselves with all the money going directly to the provider.
The providing agencies are telling the schools to help them fight to stay in business but really every school needs to deal with their providers. Let’s all agree that the agencies are really not needed and drive up these insane enhanced rates that benefitted none of the children or providers only their own pockets!

I am a provider who worked both independently and for a couple of different agencies, and was a parent whose kid received services from a private provider and a couple of different agencies.

There were agencies that were just taking money and laughing their way to the bank but on the whole the agency model provided a variety of benefits to all parties.

1. Providers - received much higher rates through agencies. Until last year, it was very difficult to get enhanced rates without professional help. Agencies have access to lawyers etc because of their size (cheaper by the dozen). Providers also benefited from being paid on a schedule. I hear the DOE has improved in that regard but as recently as a few years ago it was very fickle, good luck paying your household bills while trying to figure out where your money is. Agencies also often offered W2 payment, so you didn't have to deal with estimated tax payments. Not to mention their help with placements because not everyone can fill a caseload through word of mouth.

2. Schools - as services caught on and there were more cases to keep track of, it made a lot of sense to have an agency take over the case management. Now when they think a kid needs help, they send them to the agency instead of having to walk the parents through a process themselves, wait and hope the parent files all the right paperwork, finds a provider, etc while the whole time the kid is languishing in class and probably starting to make trouble.

3. Parents - many many parents were confused about the process of getting their kids help on their own. Lots of time was lost and lots of parents just dropped the ball entirely. Then even the parents who could work the DOE often couldn't find a provider. By having larger scale and higher rates, the agencies could get providers where the parents couldn't.

It's a gross oversimplification to say the agencies were just money grubbers and good riddance.

amother

↑ Bone

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 10:02 pm

amother Cyclamen wrote:

My only question is what will happen with supervision now. If therapists decide to play hookey and yes show up then not show up how will we, the parents know?

amother

Razzmatazz ↓

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 10:22 pm

First of all, schools shouldn't be charging providers for rent and overhead. I am coming down to help YOUR students. I am sorry, I know the agencies gave schools a ton of money, but the fact that the money is gone now doesn't mean that I need to lose out by not only paying the school more money than that alleged "overhead" that I cost, but I will also have to pay taxes on that money I'm not earning, because as far as the BOE is concerned, I'm making 85 an hour and I will have to pay taxes on that.

The reality is also that services are mandated by law. A parent can have a provider come down to service a child, and the school can't really stop them. So it isn't like the school is renting us a room, like a landlord. I'd do services in class if I need to, the fact that they provide a therapy room so that there aren't 16 therapists constantly walking in and out and sitting around class disturbing others isn't my issue. It isn't fair that schools are banding together to ensure, mafia style, that providers not have a choice and will therefore be forced to pony up money, which is what I am hearing is happening, especially with Yeshivas.

Additionally, and maybe most importantly, part of the reason this is an issue in the first place is because of likely-illegal, underhanded tactics done by some of the agencies which made it to mainstream media, culminating in the NYT article that spurred a lot of these changes. (See Brad Lander's report on agencies which directly attributes the articles). If you think the New York Times isn't interested in school administrators asking for kickbacks in exchange for employment, you've been hiding under a rock

↑ seeker ↓

Fri, Aug 30 2024, 1:19 am

I'm curious where this idea comes from that the agencies gave money to the schools. Do you actually know people who did this? Because the schools I'm familiar with I'm quite sure got no kickback. Granted I have limited access to people high enough in the ranks to know, but there are two I can think of that I'm confident about. The benefit that the schools got from the agencies was that they could outsource about 85% of special ed related headaches. And if they'd previously hired someone in house for those headaches then I guess having the agency cover the headaches would save them that salary.

↑ seeker ↓

Fri, Aug 30 2024, 2:22 am

amother Topaz wrote:

I’m a parent of a boy in BP. I got an email that my kids yeshiva is only working with providers from Yeled now.
Practically soeaking, what does that mean for us, on student’s end?

Shouldn't make any practical difference to you. It means that you might get communications from Yeled when you need to sign forms or such, and it means that the school might lose/switch some providers if any of their providers don't want to work for Yeled. The providers that want to stay will become part of Yeled, and it will probably be most of them because job security is nice.

amother

↑ Topaz

Fri, Aug 30 2024, 2:24 am

seeker wrote:

Curious, is Yeled going to be the monopoly agency now?

↑ seeker ↓

Fri, Aug 30 2024, 2:26 am

amother Topaz wrote:

(I’m so sorry for all the providers who are going through whatever this upheaval is, from what I understand it doesn’t seem like any providers are gaining)

Providers who were not being paid well by agencies OR providers who were anyway taking the DOE rate straight are gaining because now they can potentially get good rates from the DOE.

But nobody gains from the confusion of the abrupt rollout, that part is unconscionable.

amother

↑ Trillium

Fri, Aug 30 2024, 2:22 pm

Im a related service provider
I emailed a bunch of councilemen, senators a d a jewish organization, to see of they cam shed some light, as well as to see if they are aware that therapists are upset ( and nervous) and if the doe is aware therapists want a raise( basically aware of therapists thoughts) iv gotten 1 response, which was, a forwarded to a higher up to see if they can add. ( did this twice, amd both times, crickets)
Amyone have any other suggestions of who to reach out to?

amother

Myrtle

Fri, Aug 30 2024, 4:45 pm

amother Aqua wrote:

parents never knew. services happen in school. but if a kid isn't being pulled out regularly for resource room, the teachers will know.

Having seen what truly happens from the schools perspective, some agencies played “hooky” more than the providers. There were many instances where providers didn’t show up and the agency billed and kept quiet and the kid lost out, as long as the agency still got their cut… I’ve seen it from a school and a provider’s view, I dont like to badmouth anyone but some agencies exploited the system and brought this on. Now we will go back to the system we had before the agencies came in. Those in the know, know what I’m referring to, we saw this coming….

amother

↑ Mintcream

Fri, Aug 30 2024, 4:47 pm

amother Trillium wrote:

Honestly nobody cares that related service providers want a raise. And the city has no more money it all went to the migrants.

amother

↑ Whitewash

Fri, Aug 30 2024, 4:49 pm

amother Myrtle wrote:

Except not. Sounds like yeled is taking over as a monopoly. They pay notoriously low. Seems very unfair. I’d rather bill directly. The schools should have the responsibility of coordinate student services. I don’t think that’s out of the realm of responsibility of a school

amother

↑ Amber ↓

Fri, Aug 30 2024, 5:18 pm

bsy wrote:

Im a provider. Never played hooky or games. If I was sick, I tried to text parents if I was out more than a day or 2. Don't understand how people are billing when not even in school.

I'm also a provider. If I was out, I always tried to make it up. And if I wasn't able, I didn't bill. I never worked through an agency. The teachers and principals know if you are absent. There are no games. The people I work with are upstanding and honest.