IRIS 1915(c) Waiver Renewal Approved
On December 17, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved Wisconsin's 1915(c) waiver application renewal. The new IRIS 1915(c) Home and Community-Based Services Waiver is effective from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2025.
Scorecards
The IRIS consultant agency (ICA) and a fiscal employer agent (FEA) Scorecards are tools participants can use to help them choose an ICA and FEA. Each agency is represented in the Scorecards by star ratings evaluating customer satisfaction, in addition to more information about the ICA and FEA. You can find the Scorecards on the IRIS Participant Information page.
Electronic Visit Verification
In response to the federal 21st Century Cures Act, DHS is required to implement Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) for Medicaid-covered personal care services and home health services. DHS has created a dedicated webpage where providers can view all current EVV information. Providers are encouraged to visit the webpage frequently.
Beware of scam callers
Recently spam phone calls were made to IRIS (Include, Respect, I Self-Direct) participants and participant-hired workers. The callers sought personal information about the IRIS participant or demanded the IRIS participant make payment to avoid being arrested. The callers said they were from the IRIS program, IRIS consultant agencies, or fiscal employer agents. This is a scam.
The IRIS program takes the security and confidentiality of your personal information very seriously. Your IRIS consultant agency or fiscal employer agent may sometimes call you. However, the IRIS program or your IRIS consultant agency or fiscal employer agent will never ask you for personal or financial information over the phone. They also will never claim that your information is lost or missing or threaten you with arrest.
Be wary of unsolicited calls requesting sensitive personal or financial information. If you get a phone call from someone you do not recognize or if you are not sure if you should provide information to a caller:
- Do not provide or confirm any information to the caller and hang up.
- Write down who the caller was, what the caller wanted, and the caller’s phone number (if possible). Never return a call on the number provided to you in the unsolicited call, and do not trust that the information on your caller ID is accurate. Scammers can spoof their numbers, so it looks like they are calling from a particular organization even when they are not.
- Contact your IRIS consultant or the IRIS Call Center at 888-515-4747 as soon as possible to notify them of the call.
If you have been scammed or if you think your identity has been stolen, you may also report the call to the Federal Trade Commission.
