(1) You create your spending plan with the assistance of the care consultant using the new freedom self-assessment and the CARE assessment.

(2) The spending plan must be approved by both you and the care consultant.

(3) You and your care consultant must identify how many personal care service units you intend to purchase prior to the month you plan to use them (service month).

(4) The value of those units is deducted from your new freedom budget.

(5) The rest of the funds can be used for other covered goods and services or saved.

(6) Once a service month begins, the number of personal care units may not be altered during that month.

(7) The maximum number of personal care units that can be purchased from the monthly budget is calculated from the individual budget as described in WAC 388-106-1445, divided by the individual provider average wage including mileage.

(8) Prior to the service month, you may elect to use savings funds to buy additional personal care.

(9) You may choose to have your personal care provided by an individual provider (IP) or a home care agency.

(10) Each unit will be deducted from your new freedom budget at the average IP wage rate including mileage.

(11) The balance of your individual new freedom budget will be available in your NFSP to save or purchase other goods and services up to the limit described in WAC 388-106-1455(2).

(12) If you have a change of condition or situation and your new freedom budget increases due to a new assessment or exception to rule, you may purchase additional personal care from an IP or home care agency mid-month at the average IP rate, including mileage during the month your budget changed.

(13) You may assign your predetermined personal care units to a different provider during the month of service.

(14) Under chapter 388-114 WAC, individual providers for one or more department clients who work more than forty hours in a work week, are entitled to overtime and the responsibility for paying the extra cost as follows:

(a) If the department approves the individual provider to work more than forty hours per week as described in WAC 388-114-0080, the department will pay the extra cost for overtime up to the number of service hours the individual provider is approved to work and the payment for these extra costs will not be charged to your budget; and

(b) If you assign more overtime hours to your individual provider than the department approved, you must pay the extra costs for the unapproved overtime hours and the additional cost will impact your monthly budget and may reduce the number of service hours you are able to purchase from it.