DMAS Wage Survey Underway

VHCA (1/23/2009)

Nursing facilities should now be receiving via mail a request from the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) to provide wage data to support the development of inflation factors for the nursing home rate setting function.  As in past years, this survey is mandatory and must be completed by all nursing facilities participating in Medicaid. The data is needed to support the development of rates; and must be collected in a manner more timely than cost reports; therefore, DMAS requires that all facilities provide the requested data.

The part of the survey related to wage data is identical to the survey undertaken last year. Over the years, the Department has worked with nursing facility provider representatives to clarify the instructions for filling out the survey regarding the employees that should be included and the time period for which data should be submitted.

The instructions clarify that the wage survey data should be consistent with nursing staff costs and hours later filed on the cost report, unless the facility corrects an error before submitting its cost report. For nursing facilities with a December 31 fiscal year end (FYE), there should be a direct match between the data reported on the wage survey and data reported later on Schedule S-1 of the PIRS 1090 cost reporting forms. Furthermore, total nursing staff costs on the wage survey should equal total nursing staff costs on Schedule S-1 as well as total nursing staff costs on Schedules A-4 and N of the PIRS 1090 cost reporting forms.

For nursing facilities that a FYE other than December 31, they should use the same data sources as would be used for the cost report, but for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2008.

DMAS once again has established the ability for facilities to electronically submit their data online. DMAS encourages facilities to report the data by clicking on the 2008 Nursing Facility Wage Survey posted on the DMAS website.  The survey is due by March 2nd. If you have any questions, please contact Carla Russell at 804.225.4586 or by email.