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Authors Posts by Carol Ferenz

Carol Ferenz

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In order to accommodate guest speakers Deputy Secretary Ahrens and Jenn Newell from the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP), RCPA is adjusting the start time of the IDD Committee meeting scheduled for Thursday, January 9, 2025, to 12:00 pm (instead of 12:30 pm). The meeting will conclude by 3:00 pm.

Our agenda for the meeting will include updates from ODP, RCPA updates, and Provider members sharing their use of technology in delivery of services.

If you have already registered for this meeting, you do not need to re-register. If you have not yet registered, please register here.

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ODP staff provided updates today on the implementation of Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) in Residential programs. ODP is currently making adjustment to the scoring tool for use in February/March for submitting data for tier determinations. All Residential providers who did not previously submit their data must complete the scoring tool using their calendar year 2024 data in February/March of 2025.

ODP will rerun the data for those providers who previously submitted data since some of the measures have been adapted. Those providers will not need to resubmit their information but will be automatically be re-evaluated in case these changes may impact their tier assignment.

In coordination with the rebalancing of Incident Management policies, some changes will be made to the IM measures. ODP is offering helpful resources to assist providers. Please see the PowerPoint from the forum for links to these resources. Also, up-to-date information can be found at MyODP’s website.

ODP intends to publish the updated scoring tool mid-January 2025 as a PDF for providers to review and begin preparing their data. RCPA will share that tool as soon as it is available.

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A message from our national partner ANCOR:

As you know, Congress is winding down, and we only have a few more opportunities to pass the legislation to help create a standard occupational classification for DSPs. We are so close to getting this bill across the finish line–it has passed in the Senate and has also passed in House Education and Workforce Committee. The final stop is passage in the full House of Representatives.

Please help us in reaching out to your Representative and ask them to support the Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals. You can use our action alert to send that message.

We especially ask that you reach out if you have any connections with House leadership offices: Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, Rep. Scalise, or Rep. Emmer. The message to those offices is to put the bill on the calendar for a vote next week.

Thank you so much for all you do and for your strong advocacy efforts. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Thanks!

Elise Aguilar
Senior Director of Federal Relations
American Network of Community Options and Resources
Alexandria, VA
(703) 535-7850

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Please provide us with your input regarding PBC in a very brief survey (only 5 questions). We are asking:

  • How confident are you that you will be ready to submit all data to ODP by the deadline (February/March 2025)?
  • How many staff do you have working on the PBC standards?
  • What are the top 3 challenges you are experiencing in preparing for PBC?
  • What specifically can RCPA do to support your organization to prepare for PBC?
  • What unanswered questions do you have regarding PBC?

Please complete the survey by December 11, 2024. For any questions, contact Carol Ferenz.

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Thursday, December 5, 2024
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET
11:00 am – 12:00 pm PT
Register Here

This spring, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the highly anticipated “Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services” rule (or the “Access Rule”) that, among other things, updates program standards and processes for Medicaid home- and community-based services (HCBS), including HCBS for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Individuals with I/DD rely on Medicaid HCBS to support their independence and ability to live at home in their communities. The changes required by the Access Rule—and how states implement those changes—will have far reaching impact on state I/DD systems and the people they serve.

Join the Policy Information Exchange (PIE) for a discussion with state and provider experts who are thinking through their own approaches to Access Rule implementation. During the webinar, they will dive into the Access Rule’s impact on state I/DD programs, HCBS providers, and community partners, and individuals with I/DD and their families and caregivers. Specifically, they’ll discuss:

  • New and updated requirements related to HCBS incident management and grievance systems, payment adequacy and transparency, access and quality reporting and disclosure.
  • The implications for state I/DD systems—including challenges—as they plot a path to full implementation of the Access Rule within required timelines.
  • Strategies for building effective and collaborative engagement with community partners, people receiving services, providers, case management entities, and direct care workers.
  • Immediate steps that state I/DD systems should take now to assess their HCBS programs, processes, and IT infrastructure needs.

If you can’t make the live session on December 5, visit here to register for the free webinar now, and you’ll receive a link to view the program on demand.

More Details

Facilitators

Panelists

  • Pete Cervinka, Acting Director and Chief Deputy Director, California Department of Developmental Services (DDS)
  • Conor O’Dea, HCBS Policy Advisor, The Vermont Agency of Human Services
  • Lydia Dawson, Vice President of Government Relations, ANCOR
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