Rule 24-2-11.3 - Staffing Positions - General RequirementsA. DMH's method to verify proof of a degree to meet an education requirement is an official transcript showing that the applicable degree has been awarded/conferred, including the date of degree award/conferral. Applicable degree completion will only be verified by an official transcript. Letters from institutions of higher learning indicating that the person has met the requirements for degree completion will not be accepted, nor will a copy of a degree diploma. If a provider is required to show proof of degree completion for a staff member and DMH already has an official copy of this person's transcript on file, then the provider should notify DMH. In this instance, DMH will attempt verification via an already on file official transcript. Additionally, any required degree/coursework from an institution of higher learning must be earned from an approved educational institution as defined by DMH in the glossary.B. When a staffing requirement and/or an experience requirement indicates a full-time or fulltime equivalent requirement, this requirement is based on a full-time 40-hour work week. When "full-time" or "part-time" is not specified, the staffing and/or experience requirement refers to full-time, unless otherwise indicated by DMH.C. When credential requirements are referenced and/or a credential is required for a job position or job responsibility, the practitioner's credential should be active/current and in good standing (as defined by the credentialing entity); initial and ongoing verification of such is the certified agency provider's responsibility. Moreover, it is not DMH's intent to regulate the scope of practice of other non-DMH-credentialed practitioners with independent licensing/certification boards. Credentialed individuals should utilize their license and/or certification in accordance with their scopes of practice and in accordance with their licensing/regulating and/or certification board/entity, and/or any applicable laws which govern their practice (Example: Nurse Practice Act/Mississippi Board of Nursing).D. Executive Director refers to the top-level administrator of the organization, as indicated on the provider's application and form submissions to DMH and as determined by DMH. Agencies may refer to their top-level administrative official by a differing title; however, the requirements for the top-level administrative official set forth herein remain.E. Title deviations from the functionality of the positions outlined herein do not exempt the applicable personnel from meeting the requirements set forth for the position.F. All DMH-certified providers who furnish services directly and contractual providers which furnish services under arrangement with the provider are legally authorized in accordance with federal, state, and local laws to act only within the scope of their respective state licenses, certifications, or registrations and in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. This requirement includes any applicable DOM billing regulations or policies. Providers must have and maintain all necessary state-required licenses, certifications, or other credentialing.G. For DMH credentials only, DMH does not have a supervision signatory requirement for provider employees who hold a provisional DMH professional license. In other words, if a DMH Provisionally Certified Mental Health Therapist (PCMHT) is allowed to provide a certain service or meets a certain rule within the DMH Operational Standards, then a fully Certified Mental Health Therapist (CMHT) is not required to provide a signatory for (or in conjunction with) the PCMHT acting within the scope of the PCMHT's practice. This rule only applies to DMH credentials. Moreover, this rule should not be construed as a guarantee of funding from a third-party payer source. Providers should verify signatory requirements pertaining to DMH credentials for payment purposes with any applicable third-party payer source.H. The term, "professional license," is defined in the glossary.I. In addition to this chapter, additional human resources, staffing requirements, and information are covered in other chapters of this manual, particularly in programmatic chapters.