Can a grantee hire 2 part-time employees instead of a full-time employee to fulfill grant obligations?
No. A CWC being paid using grant funds must be a full-time employee who for purposes of the grant agreement is an employee working at least 30 hours a week. (Note this is a correction from the webinar).
When is the end of the grant period?
The end of the grant period is June 30th, 2026.
Does funding amount for salary include cost of benefits?
Yes, it does. Benefits are defined as traditional employee benefits, such as various kinds of insurance, retirement contributions, etc.
How do we report if a CWC employee position is vacant?
Every six months you’ll fill out a report that will update us on the number of positions you have filled. We will determine vacant positions by comparing this number to the number of CWCs you agreed to employ in your grant.
Employers need to sign off on competencies for their employees who are seeking to be certified. How does this work? What if we cannot sign off on the competencies?
An employee will present the employer with a competency form from their Wellness Coach Certification application. An employer is merely checking off whether they believe their employee has demonstrated the capacity to offer those skills and competencies. Please reach out to us if you have any questions. If after consideration, an employer cannot sign off on the competencies of their employee, then the employee will not be able to be certified as a Wellness Coach.
Do Coaches need to be certified before they are hired?
Grantees may hire an individual before they are certified but will not be able to draw down grant dollars for the CWC salary until that individual is certified.
Will we be able to extend the funding to a second year?
Grantees must perform all grant obligations within the grant period as prescribed within their grant agreement which ends June 30th 2026.
How is payment of the grant structured?
You will initially receive 25% of your grant award. Then at specified times within the grant agreement you will turn in your progress reports and your budget documents. At these times, you will be reimbursed for costs that exceed the initial 25%.
Are there exceptions to the degree requirements for Wellness Coach Certification?
There are no exceptions to the current degree requirements for Wellness Coach certification.
How does supervision work?
Supervision recommendations are dependent on setting – within schools, the appropriate supervisors are Pupil Personnel Services Credentialed (PPS-C) individuals, including credentialed school nurses, or licensed behavioral health practitioners. Outside of school settings, the appropriate supervisors are licensed behavioral health practitioners, Supervision specifics, such as ratio of supervisees to supervisor and cadence, we leave to our employers to determine based on the needs and capabilities of the organization.
Are there guidelines or restrictions for the indirect cost funds?
We do not prescribe exactly what indirect costs must be used for. They must aid in your performance of the grant, which is to provide CWC services at your sites, otherwise, these funds are meant to be flexible.
Does HCAI have any information on the rates for CWC services in the multi-payer fee schedule?
We do not. These rates are determined by the Department of Health Care Services and will be shared by them when they are public. You can learn more about the Fee Schedule here.
Will there be opportunities for budget modifications?
Yes. If these requests are made in a timely manner (i.e, not within the last reporting period) HCAI will work with grantees to update their budgets in ways that both assist grantees and deliver more CWC services to children and youth. Please contact us as soon as possible when these requests are needed. Any budget update must not increase an awardee’s grant amount.
How do I find certified CWCs looking for employment opportunities?
Please go to our Linkedin Page. This is a private group for CWCs seeking employment and for employers actively seeking to employ CWCs at their organization.
Are we allowed to braid or blend funds so long as we ensure funds are going directly to the grant activities?
Yes. As long as all funds given to you by HCAI are being spent in the proper categories, you may use other funding to support grant-related activities.
If our staff is certified and began working before the grant was executed, can we use grant funds to reimburse their salary for this time before the grant period?
No. Grantees can only use grant funds for expenses incurred during the grant period.
Can R-CWCs be paid using the CWC salary funds?
Yes. R-CWCs can be paid using internship or CWC salary funds. This is up to the discretion of the employer.
How many CWCs can one person supervise?
We recommend a max of 4:1 CWC to supervisor ratio, but we leave these decisions up to employers.
Do school sites have to be K-12, or can we include students up to age 25 at adult schools or community colleges?
CWCs may provide services to anyone up through the age of 25.
How does a school become eligible for the Multi-Payer Fee Schedule?
You will need to enroll with the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). We suggest contacting them to learn more about the enrollment process. CWCs are scheduled to be reimbursable through Medi-Cal and be added to the Multi-Payer Fee Schedule in January 2025. You can learn more about the Fee Schedule here.
