The State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2024/25 Quarter 3 (Q3) report required by the Work Experience for High School Students with Disabilities Act (Act 26 of 2016) is now available. A copy of the report is available here. It can also be found on the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation’s (OVR) Publications web page.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) staff who work with IM4Q and the IM4Q technical advisors have developed a 2-page information fact sheet for providers. The information sheet is meant to be helpful in informing providers about IM4Q and the provider role in IM4Q. Providers may contact the ODP IM4Q/NCI statewide lead or the IM4Q technical advisors for further information or questions.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has announced the release of the 2023 – 2024 Employment First report. ODP believes that all people with an intellectual disability and/or autism must be encouraged to pursue their vision for an everyday life, which may include working in competitive integrated employment. Competitive integrated employment offers a person an opportunity to achieve economic independence, build self-confidence, enhance self-determination, and meet new people while building new skills. The Everyday Lives: Values in Action publication, developed by the ODP Information Sharing and Advisory Committee (ISAC), which includes self-advocates, reads, “Employment is a centerpiece of adulthood and must be available for every person. The benefits of employment for people with disabilities are significant and are the same as for people without disabilities.” This report serves as an update to all stakeholders on the progress that has been made to support individuals served by ODP on finding and maintaining competitive integrated employment.
Access the 2023-2024 Employment First report here. This document can also be found by visiting the MyODP Employment Home web page.
PennCares Support Services is offering the upcoming training opportunities:
Hearing Voices Simulation, May 21, 9:00 am – 11:30 am. Training to be held at the Legend at Silver Creek.
Participants will get to experience what life is like with auditory hallucinations and a serious mental health diagnosis, such as schizophrenia; increase your empathy, compassion, and understanding towards people living with serious mental illnesses; develop your communication skills to better address the emotional and behavior needs of individuals with mental health diagnoses; and learn practical strategies to support these individuals. Training is geared towards nurses, social workers, mental health professionals, first responders, and curious community members.
Register Here
Dementia Live, June 4, 9:00 am – 1:30 pm, 30-minute time slots. Training to be held at Silver Spring Personal Care Home.
This training is another simulation where participants get to experience what life is like with dementia in order to improve care practices and gain a greater awareness and understanding of the constant struggles affecting persons with dementia as they go about their daily lives.
Register Here
Please share these important PA Family Network workshops and support groups with your network! Register for upcoming events at PA Family Network’s website.
Support Groups
LifeCourse Workshops
Waiver Workshops
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-046. This announcement provides information on how to register for new 2025 Quality Management (QM) Certification classes.
Key things you should know about the virtual class:
2025 SPRING/SUMMER CLASS DATES:
Please review the announcement for additional information and details.
Help shape the future of healthcare technology for Medicare beneficiaries. Register now for an upcoming Question and Answer session with The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Time: 1:00 pm EST
Location: Virtual via Zoom (link will be provided following registration)
Who Should Attend:
Technology developers, patients, caregivers, providers, payers, and other healthcare stakeholders.
Event Description:
Help create modern digital technologies to empower seniors to manage their health journey. We want YOUR ideas. Please join us for a Q&A session on the recent CMS Request for Information (RFI) on Improving Technology to Empower Medicare Beneficiaries. The session will also review how to submit responses to the RFI.
The CMS Office of the Administrator team will be present to hear your valuable input as we shape the future for Medicare beneficiaries. Our panel includes:
Why Attend:
Your insights will directly contribute to improving technology solutions for Medicare beneficiaries. This is your opportunity to help shape the future of Medicare.
Note: Space is limited. Please register early to secure your spot. Official comment should be made in the Federal Register by June 16.
ODP Announces New IM4Q Leads
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) recently welcomed two new leads to the IM4Q community. Abigale Bowen is taking over for Alisha Walker at Ebensburg Center. Mark Costello brings prior IM4Q experience as a monitor to his new position as the IM4Q lead in the Southeast Region. Both introduced themselves at the recent regional meetings. Welcome, Abigale and Mark!
2024-2025 Contacts List
The IM4Q Contacts List (v2.9) can be found here. Please take a moment to verify this information, and if an update needs to be made, please notify ODP and technical advisors at the earliest opportunity. When contact information is not current or correct, then the appropriate people are not informed.
April Regional Meeting Minutes
Consolidated minutes taken from the three regional meetings can be found here. If there are any questions, please contact your ODP regional leads. Dates and Zoom links for the October 2025 meetings are listed at the end of the minutes.
Enterprise Case Management (ECM) Update
The IM4Q ECM work group met with ODP, Public Consulting Group (PCG), and Accenture (the DHS vendor), for discovery sessions related to the IM4Q pre-survey and considerations processes to be implemented within the new platform. The sessions went well, especially with the creation of process flows for each, which provided everyone the ability to visually follow the discussions. The next discovery sessions involving IM4Q will be during the reporting epic, but no firm dates have been provided.
ODP sincerely thanks all the work group members who were able to participate in the sessions and the additional clarification meetings held with the ODP Functional Architect!
ODESA 2.0
The Human Services Research Institute (HSRI), which oversees the National Core Indicators (NCI) Project, still projects implementation of the new data entry platform for most states on July 1. HSRI and the vendor met with ODP, technical advisors, and several local programs to receive feedback on proposed overall changes and what other features would be helpful. However, with the number of customizations needed for Pennsylvania, ODESA 2.0 will not be available for data entry until November, which aligns with when the current ODESA generally opens.
End of 2024 – 2025 Cycle
This is a reminder that all interviews and data entry must be completed by June 30, and there will be no exceptions. If any local programs are experiencing last-minute issues with either of these activities, please contact the technical advisors and your regional lead immediately!
2025 Annual Statewide Training
As a reminder, the 2025 IM4Q Annual Statewide Training (AST) will occur at the Harrisburg Hilton on July 29 – 30. The Institute on Disabilities expects to issue the final agenda, including the link for registration, in the next several weeks. The registration fee is $75 per person. Supports Coordinators are again offered the opportunity to have two attend the AST for the price of one. A block of hotel rooms has been reserved for $159 per night. Any Steering Committee members interested in attending and who need to book a room should contact Mary Kay Cunningham.
The second keynote presentation will feature four panelists long associated with IM4Q: self-advocate Bill Krebs; former Deputy Secretary Nancy Thaler and IM4Q innovator Dana Olsen, both retired from ODP; and former Executive Director Celia Feinstein, retired from the Institute on Disabilities.
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