2026 CHC & OBRA Waiver Amendments and Renewals Released for Public Comment

The Department of Human Services (DHS) is making available for public review and comments the Office of Long-Term Living’s (OLTL) proposed amendment for the Community HealthChoices (CHC) waiver and the proposed renewal of the OBRA waiver. The proposed amendment of the CHC waiver and renewal of the OBRA waiver will be effective July 1, 2026.

DHS is proposing the following changes to the CHC waiver:

• Add a teleservice option to the following waiver services:
  • Behavior therapy.
  • Benefits counseling.
• Add language to specifically address teleservice delivery of waiver services and the Home and Community- Based Settings (HCBS) rule based on sections added to the waiver application.
• Remove and modify outdated language throughout waiver.

The proposed CHC waiver amendment and a summary of all revisions are available for review here.

Written comments regarding the proposed renewal to OBRA should be sent to the Department of Human Services, Office of Long-Term Living, Bureau of Policy Development and Communications Management, Attention: Keeley Anglin—CHC Waiver Amendment, P.O. Box 8025, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8025. Comments can also be sent via email. Use ”CHC Waiver Amendment” as the subject line. Comments received within 30 days will be considered in subsequent revisions to the proposed amendment.

DHS is proposing the following changes to the OBRA waiver:

• Add a teleservice option to the following waiver services:
  • Behavior therapy.
  • Benefits counseling.
• Revise outdated language regarding the OLTL quality improvement strategy and quality monitoring processes.
• Add language regarding the need for a Service Coordinator to reassess a participant due to a trigger event.
• Add language to specifically address teleservice delivery of waiver services and the Home and Community-Based Settings (HCBS) rule based on new sections in the waiver application.
• Add language to comply with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services Final Rule (Access Rule) to update the complaint process for the fee-for-service waiver and update the timeframe to resolve a complaint from 45 to 60 days due to the additional requirements of the Access Rule.
• Update OLTL’s goals for unduplicated number of waiver participants who are expected to elect participant direction.
• Modify performance measures AA-2 and QP-2 and divide SP-5 into three separate performance measures: SP-5 (amount, frequency and duration), SP-9 (type) and SP-10 (scope).
• Remove and modify outdated language throughout waiver.

The proposed OBRA waiver renewal and a summary of all revisions are available for review here.

Written comments regarding the proposed renewal to OBRA waiver should be sent to the Department of Human Services, Office of Long-Term Living, Bureau of Policy Development and Communications Management, Attention: Keeley Anglin—OBRA Waiver Renewal, P.O. Box 8025, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8025. Comments can also be sent via email. Use ”OBRA Waiver Renewal” as the subject line. Comments received within 30 days will be considered.