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Authors Posts by Cathy Barrick

Cathy Barrick

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-117. This communication is intended to inform all interested parties of the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) publication of updated versions of the Intellectual Disability/Autism (ID/A) Employment Services Definition Question and Answer (Q&A) and the Employment Service Definition Quick Guide for ID/A Waivers and Base-Funded Participants.

NOTE: The release of this communication obsoletes ODP Announcement 19-025 – Now Available Updated ID/A Waiver Employment Service Definition Question and Answer Document and ID/A Waiver Employment Service Definition Quick Guide.

Please review the announcement for more details.

ATTACHMENTS:

The Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Office of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) and the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) host a quarterly Statewide Positive Approaches & Practices meeting. This meeting aims to provide the most recent research and resources for people with mental health and behavioral challenges, intellectual disabilities, autism, and other developmental disabilities to live an everyday life.

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 15, 2026, from 8:30 am – 10:30 am and 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. The topic for the morning session is “The Foundation is Communication.” The topic for the afternoon session is “Sensory or Behavior? Diving into Sensory Processing.” This meeting will be held online via Zoom.

Please see the announcement for additional information.

Register Here

The Zoom link for joining the session will be sent to the email you used to register. This link will be unique to your registration. Please do not share this link.

Questions? Email PATraining.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-116. The purpose of this communication is to inform providers of Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) services and Supports Coordination Organizations (SCO) of the updated provider qualification process.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) require a statewide process to ensure providers are qualified to render services to waiver-funded individuals. The Provider Qualification Process described in the communication outlines the steps the provider must follow to meet these requirements, and the steps Supports Coordinators (SC) must take to transition individuals if needed. This communication does not describe the qualification process for AAW SCOs.

NOTE: The release of this communication obsoletes ODP Announcement 20-110 New Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) Provider Qualification Process.

Providers that are shared across Intellectual Disability/Autism (ID/A) and the AAW must complete the Provider Qualification processes with both their assigned Administrative Entity (AE) for the ID/A waivers and the Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations (BSASP) for the AAW.

Please view the full announcement for complete details.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-114. This communication notifies all interested parties of the recorded webinar that explained the January 2026 Waiver Amendments. This webinar and is now posted on the MyODP website.

The webinar contains a brief high-level overview of Performance-Based Contracting as well as changes not related to Performance-Based Contracting that impact ODP’s Consolidated, Community Living, and Person/Family Directed Supports (P/FDS) waivers.

Please review the announcement for more details.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-113. This communication includes an updated version of the Intellectual Disability/Autism (ID/A) Individual Support Plan Signature Form (DP 1032) that was released with the ODP Announcement 25-012: Updates to the Individual Support Plan (ISP) Bulletin Attachments. After the release, ODP was informed that the MCI Number and the individual’s name needed to be added to each page of the form. This form has also been translated into Spanish.

The revised and translated forms may be found on the MyODP Forms page.

Questions about this communication should be directed to the appropriate Office of Developmental Programs Regional Office.

Please share these important workshops and support groups with your networks! Register for upcoming events at PA Family Network’s website.

Good Life Group, Support Groups

LifeCourse Workshops

Waiver Workshops

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared an update to ODPANN 24-082. This communication advises providers of the availability of the ODP updated Guidance for Reviewing Data for Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) Measures RM-IM 01.2 and 01.3. The guidance and recorded webinar can be found on MyODP at Performance-Based Contracting – MyODP in the Data Folder. Updates appear underlined in red text.

Please view the announcement for more details.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared the Medication Administration January – March 2026 Train-the-Trainer Face-to-Face schedule in ODPANN 25-112.

You may register for one of these sessions after completing the course materials in the Train-the-Trainer course on MyODP’s Medication Administration website. Please see the communication for training dates and more information.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-111. This communication clarifies new qualification requirements for providers of CPS, In-Home and Community Support and/or Companion services in the Consolidated, Community Living, and P/FDS Waivers that were recently approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). These requirements do not apply to services rendered by Support Service Professionals through a Participant-Directed Services option.

These amendments include the following provider qualification requirements:

  • Providers newly enrolling to render Community Participation Support, In-Home and Community Support, and/or Companion must provide Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) home and community-based services to a minimum of 3 separate and distinct participants in the first fiscal year after enrollment.
  • Starting July 1, 2026, currently enrolled providers must render ODP home and community-based services to a minimum of 3 separate and distinct participants each fiscal year. ODP will use the provider’s Master Provider Index number to determine if the provider is rendering any ODP waiver services to a minimum of 3 separate and distinct participants.
  • Additionally, the provider must render ODP home and community-based services each quarter.

Please review the announcement for more details.