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Critical Incident Reporting for OCDD
Critical incidents for OCDD Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver participants are defined in OCDD Operational Instruction #F-5: Critical Incident Reporting, Tracking and Follow-Up Activities for Waiver Services.
OCDD waivers include:
- New Opportunities Waiver (NOW)
- Residential Options Waiver (ROW)
- Supports Waiver (SW)
- Children's Choice Waiver (CC)
OCDD is responsible for monitoring all critical incidents to ensure appropriate follow-up occurs and steps are taken to help prevent similar incidents in the future.
Critical incident reporting requirements apply to:
- Participants of all OCDD waiver services and/or their family members
- Licensed Direct Service Provider Agencies (DSPAs)
- Approved Support Coordination Agencies (SCAs)
- Local Governing Entities (LGEs)
These entities must follow OCDD’s guidelines for identifying, documenting, and responding to critical incidents involving participants receiving OCDD HCBS waiver services.
Critical incident categories for OCDD are:
- Abuse (Child, Adult, Elderly)
- Neglect (Child, Adult, Elderly)
- Exploitation
- Extortion
- Death
- Fall
- Major Illness
- Major Injury
- Involvement with Law Enforcement
- Loss or Destruction of Home
- Major Behavioral Incident
- Major Medication Incident
- Restraint Use (Personal, Mechanical, Chemical)
NOTE: Any incident/action that results in a visit to an acute care facility, emergency room, or urgent care center qualifies as a critical incident and should be reported. Visits to an acute care facility, emergency room, or urgent care center are not separate categories of incidents, but are covered in the incident categories previously mentioned.
If you are not reporting to OCDD, select the appropriate agency below to access their informational page for reporting critical incidents.
Statewide Incident Management System (SIMS)
The Statewide Incident Management System (SIMS) is the online application used for reporting, tracking, and following up on critical incidents involving OCDD HCBS waiver participants. SIMS provides authorized entities with a secure, web-based platform for submitting critical incidents, as defined in OCDD Operational Instruction #F-5: Critical Incident Reporting, Tracking, and Follow-Up Activities for Waiver Services.
Effective July 8, 2019, SIMS became the official system for critical incident reporting for OCDD.
The following service providers will not enter critical incidents into SIMS:
- Licensed respite providers
- Day habilitation centers and vocational programs
- Self-Direction participants, their authorized representatives, or care workers
These entities will continue to send a hard copy Critical Incident Report Form to the Support Coordinator for the involved OCDD waiver participant, and the Support Coordinator will enter into SIMS.
For Detailed instructions on applying for a SIMS account, see below:
For detailed instructions on updating a SIMS account, see below:
Do not attempt to change or reset your own password. If you are locked out of your active account in SIMS or need a password reset, please complete the SIMS Request Form
For detailed Instructions on reporting issues within SIMS or accessing SIMS, see below:
For other support questions regarding your SIMS account, email [email protected].
Policies:
- OCDD Operational Instruction #F-5: Critical Incident Reporting, Tracking and Follow-Up Activities for Waiver Services
- OCDD Restraint Policy #701: Policy on Restraint Use in HCBS Services
- OCDD Complaint Policy #602: Customer Complaint Policy
- LDH Policy 145.1: LDH Policy on Client Abuse and Neglect
Training Materials:
- SIMS and WellSky training videos for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), Support Coordinators (SCs), and Local Governing Entities (LGEs)
- Presentation on Statewide Incident Management System (SIMS): About SIMS Workflow for Entering Incidents
- Presentation on Critical Incident Reporting for OCDD: OCDD Operational Instruction #F-5 and the Statewide Incident Management System (SIMS)
Visual Workflows:
- Visual workflow for Direct Service Provider Agencies (DSPAs): DSPA Key Responsibilities in Critical Incident Reporting
- Visual workflow for Support Coordination Agencies (SCAs) SCA Key Responsibilities in Critical Incident Reporting
Forms:
Reporting Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation, or Trafficking
Reporting for Children (0 to 17 years old)
- Contact the Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services' Children Protective Services (CPS) at 1-855-4LA-KIDS (1-855-452-5437) and local law enforcement.
Reporting for Adults (18 to 59 years old)
- Contact the LDH's OAAS Adult Protective Services (APS) program at 1-800-898-4910 and local law enforcement.
Reporting for Elderly Adults (60 years and older)
- Contact the Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs' Elderly Protective Services (EPS) at 1-833-577-6532 and local law enforcement.
Reporting for Nursing Homes and Privately Owned intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities (ICF/ID) Providers
- Contact LDH's Health Standards Section (HSS) at 1-877-343-5179.
To file a complaint, concern, or dissatisfaction involving services administered by OCDD or its contracted entities, contact your Local Governing Entity (LGE) or call 225-342-0095.