School District Administrative Claiming (SDAC) Program FAQs

What is the purpose of the School District Administrative Claiming (SDAC) Program?

The purpose of administrative claiming is to form a partnership between the DSS, MHD, and individual school districts to share in the responsibility for promoting access to health care for students in the school system. Many of the activities performed by school district staff meet the claimable criteria for MHD administrative claiming. The primary purpose of administrative claiming is to reimburse school districts for these activities.

Who does a school district contact if they are interested in participating in the SDAC program?

A school district representative may request the cooperative agreement by calling the MO HealthNet Division at (573) 751-9290, by email at MHDSchoolPrograms@dss.mo.govor mail  a request in writing to:

MO HealthNet Division
Program Operations Unit
P.O. Box 6500
Jefferson City, MO 65102-6500

What is the responsibility of the school district to be enrolled in the SDAC program?

School districts are responsible for the following SDAC functions

  • Sign a Cooperative Agreement with the Department of Social Services.
  • Provide a SDAC program methodology.
  • Providing the quarterly personnel roster of all individuals who will be participating in the SDAC Program
  • Monitoring RMS compliance
  • Performing all functions associated with creating the quarterly invoice such as gathering cost pool data, securing the school district’s Medicaid eligibility rate (MER), and maintaining and defending audit records.
What is the difference between the two cost pools of school district staff?

Any school district staff member who participates in the SDAC and/or Direct Services program and spends part of their working time performing program-related administrative or direct service activities is eligible for inclusion in one of two cost pools. The two cost pools are mutually exclusive, no staff should be included in both pools.

Cost Pool 1 is made of up direct service/therapy personnel. Cost Pool 2 is made up of staff involved in administrative activities rather than direct service activities. Staff that are 100% federally funded should be excluded from participation in a cost pool.

Refer to the School District Administrative Claiming Provider Manual for more information.

What services is Fairbanks contracted to provide?

Fairbanks LLC is responsible for the following SDAC functions:

  • Training school districts on all elements of the SDAC Program
  • Designing and administering a statistically valid Random Moment Sample (RMS) process on a quarterly basis including assigning, collection, coding and compilation of all RMS forms statewide
  • Review school district invoices prior to submission to MHD
  • Quarterly SDAC pre- and post-performance monitoring and quality assurance activities
What is Fairbanks’ contact information?

Fairbanks LLC Client Information Center can be reached via phone at 1-877-285-0388 or via email at info@fairbanksllc.com.

How will Fairbanks be reimbursed for their services?

Funding to reimburse Fairbanks will be obtained through an administrative fee assessed to each participating school district. . The MO HealthNet Division (MHD) will deduct the administrative fee from each quarterly invoice and utilize those funds to make payment to Fairbanks LLC for their services.

Who is responsible for providing training materials and training to cost pool staff?

Fairbanks LLC is responsible for the development of all SDAC training materials and providing training to school district cost pool staff prior to completing any Random Moment Samples (RMS). These materials may be found on the Fairbanks website upon logging in.

What are the training requirements for school district cost pool staff?

Cost pool staff will be required to go through a minimal training prior to completing their RMS form.

How often is SDAC Coordinator training generally offered from Fairbanks?

SDAC Coordinator and Financial training are offered at least 2-4 times per quarter via webinar. The information for these webinars, as well as instructions on how to attend will be sent to SDAC Coordinators at the beginning of each quarter via email. This information is also available on the Fairbanks website. The expectation is that one SDAC Coordinator be trained at least once annually for each district.

Can a school district utilize a 3rd party contractor for school district responsibilities?

Yes, school districts may contract with a 3rd party biller to produce the invoice, including gathering cost pool data, Medicaid eligibility rate (MER), and the indirect cost rate (ICR).

What steps should school districts follow if they currently use a 3rd party vendor but choose to participate in the SDAC program without a third party vendor?

School districts are responsible for submitting a new SDAC program methodology outlining how the requirements listed in the cooperative agreement will be met. School districts also must submit a revised methodology for approval when program or process changes occur (i.e., change in billing entity (third party vendor)) by emailing MHDSchoolPrograms@dss.mo.gov, calling (573) 751-9290 or in writing to:

Department of Social Services
MO HealthNet Division
Program Operations Unit
P.O. Box 6500
Jefferson City, MO 65102-6500

Revised October 2024