Navigating the complexities of Wisconsin's High-Cost Special Education (HCSE) Aid can be daunting. But don't worry, we're here to break it down for you in a fun and easy-to-read format. Let's dive in!
Where to Enter High-Cost Claims?
The HCSE application is located online. To log in, you'll need a Wisconsin Web Access Management System (WAMS) account. After that, contact your district's Application Security Manager (ASM) administrator and provide your WAMS User ID. If you encounter issues, visit the Help with Common SLR Issues page.
Best Strategy for Completing HCSE Claims
Here's a step-by-step guide to make the process easier:
- Identify high-cost students with disabilities.
- List the special education services and classes they received.
- Include high-cost equipment purchases.
- Enter students into the application and delete later if they do not meet the $30,000 threshold.
Licensing Requirements for Service Providers
Yes, the individual providing the services must have a proper license according to DPI requirements.
Understanding Programs and Their Relation to Individuals
A program is a set of special education and related services for children with the same disability-related needs. The Program tab compiles costs and computes daily rates for each program.
Program vs. Child-Specific Costs
- Program costs: Shared services, such as a classroom aide who assists multiple students.
- Child-specific costs: Services clearly connected to one student, like a one-to-one aide or specialized transportation.
Multiple One-to-One Aides
If you have several one-to-one aides for a student who take different shifts or days, this is considered a program cost and should be reported on the Program tab.
Listing Special Education Teachers
It's unlikely you'll need to list all special education staff. HCSE aid is meant for specifically identified students, not the overall fiscal management of special education.
Speech and Language Teacher Costs
A Speech and Language teacher who travels between schools is considered a program cost. The teacher serves more than one student and is not exclusive to any single student.
Units of Service
Identify your high-cost special education students, the programs they participate in, and determine the units of service based on their IEPs. Units of service include:
- Minutes: For services like speech/language, occupational, or physical therapy.
- Periods: For programs that follow a class period schedule.
- Days: For daily services, such as transportation routes.
- Caseload: Allocating a program's costs equally across its caseload.
Specialized Transportation
Specialized transportation scenarios can be a judgment call. Clear 1:1 transportation examples should be entered as child-specific costs. For shared transportation, divide the cost by the number of students and allocate accordingly.
Virtual Learning Due to COVID-19
If the district transitioned to online learning and the student continued to be served based on their IEP, you can claim costs for that student during virtual learning. However, if services weren't provided during this time, they should not be included.
WISEid and Enrollment Days
If you have concerns with data from WISEdata, follow up with your data coordinator. The enrollment number does not impact the calculations for programs or child-specific services. For more information, please follow this
link.
