(1) Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (OBRA) costs will be reimbursed under the per diem rate determined under ARM 37.40.307. No further reimbursement will be provided outside the per diem rate.

(2) Each provider must document and submit to the department on a quarterly basis information on the nurse aide certification training and competency evaluation (testing) costs, including but not limited to the costs of training for nurse aides and the costs of actual testing required for nurse aides, incurred at the facility and, in the case of competency evaluation (testing) costs for providers that are not testing entities, incurred in payment of a qualified testing entity's fee for competency evaluation (testing) . The required information must be submitted quarterly on the nurse aide certification/training and competency evaluation (testing) survey reporting form provided by the department and must include the total dollars incurred in each of the categories of facility personnel, supplies and equipment, subcontracted services and testing fees. The reporting form must include a brief description of the items included in each of the four categories.

(a) Acceptable documentation will be any documentation that adequately supports the costs claimed on the reporting form and includes all records and documentation as defined in ARM 37.40.346, such as invoices, contracts, canceled checks and time cards. This documentation is subject to desk review and audit in accordance with ARM 37.40.346. This documentation must be maintained by the facility for six years, three months from the date the form is filed with the department or until any dispute or litigation regarding the costs supported by such documentation is finally resolved, whichever is later.

(b) If a provider fails to submit the quarterly reporting form within 30 calendar days following the end of the quarter, the department may withhold reimbursement payments in accordance with ARM 37.40.346(4) (c) . All amounts so withheld will be payable to the provider upon submission of a complete and accurate nurse aide certification/training survey reporting form.

(3) Medicaid nursing facility reimbursement for the costs associated with training and competency evaluation programs for nurse aides employed in Medicare and Medicaid nursing facilities, as required under OBRA, shall be as follows:

(a) Nurse aide certification training and competency evaluation (testing) costs documented in accordance with (2) and allowable under ARM 37.40.345 will be reimbursed to the extent provided under the per diem rate determined under ARM 37.40.307. No additional reimbursement will be provided for such costs.

(4) For purposes of reporting under (2) , nurse aide tests are those tests which:

(a) demonstrate competency through testing methods which address each course requirement and include successful completion of both a written or oral examination and a demonstration of the skills required to perform the tasks required of a nurse aide;

(b) are performed at either a nursing facility which is currently in compliance with Medicaid nursing facility participation requirements or at a regional testing site at regularly scheduled testing times;

(c) are administered to nurse aides actually employed by the facility; and

(d) do not exceed a third attempt by the individual nurse aide to successfully complete the portion of the test for which costs are reported. The written/oral examination and the skills demonstration may be taken separately if the nurse aide passed only one portion of the test in a previous exam.

(5) Competency evaluation (testing) costs reported by a provider shall include the testing entity's basic fee charged to the facility and other costs associated with competency testing, to the extent allowable under ARM 37.40.345.