We postponed our scheduled release by a week in order to address some issues related to generating Weekly Summary Logs. We are making the necessary updates and will release the new version on Monday, March 19th. Applying these rule changes is very complex due to the many factors that go into calculating valid hours. We apologize for any inconvenience this delay may cause.
What are the new regulations?
As of January 1, 2012, Progress/Process Notes and Client Centered Advocacy have been combined into a single category with a maximum of 500 allowable hours. Any hours accrued within these two categories, in excess of 500, prior to January 1, are still valid, as long as they are within the pre-2012 rules. Any hours accrued after January 1, in excess of the 500 hour limit, will not be valid toward your requirements. Therefore, you can still only count up to 250 Notes hours pre-2012, but you may be able to accumulate more Notes hours in 2012.
Confusing? Yes, we know. Additionally, the maximum allowable number of hours for Non-Counseling Experience has been decreased from 1,250 to 1,000. Any hours gained prior to January 1, in excess of 1,000, will remain valid, but hours gained after January 1 in excess of the limit will not be valid toward your requirements.
How do the new regulations affect my valid total?
If your valid totals show more than 1,000 non-counseling hours or more than 500 hours of combined progress notes and client-centered advocacy, you will likely see your valid total decrease by some, or all of that excess amount, depending on how much of it was gained after January 1.
Who will be affected?
We estimate that as many as half of our active MFT users could be affected by these new regulations.
How do I know my numbers are right?
An unfortunate side effect of the new regulations is that it becomes more difficult to make sense of the method by which the state computes your valid total. For instance, Client Centered Advocacy hours gained prior to January 1 are accounted for both in the new “Progress Notes and CCA” category, as well as in your valid Non-Counseling Experience total. They are, however, only counted once in your valid total. Also, because hours gained prior to January 1 in excess of the new totals are still valid, you may have valid hours that technically exceed the new totals, but which still count toward your valid total. For these reasons, it becomes very difficult to accurately add up your hours by hand and arrive at your proper valid total. We have spent the last month testing and re-testing our computing algorithms to make sure that they validate your hours accurately against State regulations.
What do I do if my numbers look way off?
First and foremost, DON’T PANIC! It is important to remember that the updates to the software only affect the way in which your valid total is calculated. None of your recorded hours have been changed. Go over your hours carefully and see if you can find anything obviously amiss. In doing so, it may become clear to you how the new regulations are affecting your totals. If after carefully reviewing your hours you still believe that an error has been made, contact our support desk with as many specific details as possible. What was your previous valid total? What is your current valid total? What other numbers have changed or look incorrect to you? The more information you can provide, the sooner we will be able to either correct the error or explain your totals for you. Before contacting our support desk, please familiarize yourself with the new regulations.