The Legal Services Society (LSS) is pleased to announce a number of improvements to the Disbursements Tariff effective April 1, 2012. For all costs or expenses incurred on or after the implementation date, you must bill using the simplified tariff.
The Disbursements Tariff has been redesigned and reduced from 46 to 30 pages. Authorization limits remain unchanged for most items. Changes include:
- Revised language to take e-billing and e-authorization into account (e.g., removed requirement for lawyers to submit invoices with their billings).
- Removal of seldom-used expert items (e.g., accountants, nurses), though authorization/billing for these items may still be sought/submitted under the Miscellaneous item.
- Clarified language and cautions for some items and removed tariff codes.
- A revised General introduction that includes:
- Requesting prior authorization: revised guidelines to determine whether a disbursement request is reasonable to include:
- Does the disbursement relate to the primary issues identified on the referral form or will it assist in resolving a primary issue?
- Is this an economical option for this disbursement?
- Retroactive disbursement authorization requests: added a section on retroactive authorization requests and a link to the new Retroactive Authorization Requests — Disbursements policy.
- Invoices: changed the requirement to keep invoices from two to five years.
- Requesting prior authorization: revised guidelines to determine whether a disbursement request is reasonable to include:
- Revisions to Disbursement Items as follows:
- Binding charges: Added a qualification that binding is billable if binding documents is expected or required by the court or administrative tribunal
- Computer-assisted legal research: Added a $50 disbursement for pay-per-use DIVORCEmate as part of computer-assisted legal research, provided certain prerequisites are met. You will need to provide the LSS 7-digit CMS case number when activating a new DIVORCEmate client file to verify it is a legal aid client and to obtain the reduced $50 pay-per-use fee from DIVORCEmate.
- Medical records, reports, and testimony — Records and reports: Updated the BCMA Scale A rates.
- Mediation — Meterage: Clarified that mediators can bill up to $115 without prior authorization.
- Miscellaneous: Reduced two miscellaneous categories to one general miscellaneous category (authorization required).
- Service of court documents: Added a qualification that counsel not use an agent for service outside the jurisdiction unless unusual circumstances exist.
- Travel — Car rental: Removed the authorization requirement where travel is authorized, but added cautions.
- Travel — Meals: Expanded meal allowances to allow lawyers to bill the per diem rate for lunch ($13.25) where travel is authorized and lawyers are out of the office for a full day (a.m. and p.m.)
- Transcripts: Reorganized and reformatted the entire section.
- Quick Reference: Added a quick reference guide.