Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Truman Posey Brown Was Pittsburgh Baseball Royalty — and MVP in His Caregivers’ Hearts, RCPA Member Mainstay Life Services Highlighted
Carol Ferenz
DHS 2024/25 Budget Presentation Gives Good News for IDD Providers
Today, Secretary Arkoosh presented an overview of the proposed Department of Human Services (DHS) budget in the Governor’s proposed budget he unveiled earlier this week. Governor Shapiro is prioritizing investments in IDD home and community-based service providers so that they can pay competitive rates to attract and retain staff who provide these life-changing services to Pennsylvanians.
Secretary Arkoosh stated, “It’s time to make a change,” and people need “the right service at the right time.” PA is about to embark on a multi-year wait list plan.
In September, Governor Shapiro directed DHS’s Office of Developmental Programs to begin an immediate evaluation and assessment of the rates paid to intellectual disability and autism programs that employ direct support professionals. Building on that, the governor is proposing an increase in reimbursement rates by 12%, which will invest a total of over $480 million, divided by state ($217 million) and federal ($266 million) funding for programs that support ID/A. It is proposed that the rate increase will become effective July 2024. Additionally, one-time supplemental payments to support staffing recruitment and retention were announced. These funds are anticipated to be distributed to providers in May or June 2024 and will total $109 million.
ODP will be working closely with counties to shift to management by budget rather than slots, and effective immediately, the department is adding 1,250 in Community Living and 250 in Consolidated people to the waiver capacity ($78 million in funding).
This budget also invests $934,000 to add American Sign Language and English interpreter services to program serving this population as a distinct service.
While this is very positive news for the ID/A community, this is the proposed budget. We all need to continue to advocate with legislators to support this proposal and give the ID/A services the support they need. Please share your stories with your local legislator and participate in our upcoming capitol day on March 19, 2024. You can register to participate in the event here. Also, we ask that you take the time to thank Governor Shapiro for hearing our voices and addressing our critical needs.
ANCOR Asks for Your Action: Support the Disability Community Act
ICF Updates: Infection Control, Vaccination Survey, and Upcoming Task Force Meeting
Message from Kevin Dressler, Bureau Director, DHS, Office of Developmental Programs:
Infection Control and Vaccination Status Survey
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has put together a short survey (23 questions) to gain an idea of the vaccination status of the people living in ICFs for COVID, Flu, and RSV, as well as to identify difficulties you may have or are currently experiencing with obtaining the vaccines. There is also a section within the survey discussing infection control and prevention. Please take the time to fill out the survey, as ODP will use the information to continue to look for ways to improve access and availability of vaccines and other health-related resources.
Several responded that the survey was not accessible. Participant restrictions have been removed this morning, so you should now be able to complete the survey here.
ICF Task Force Meeting
The next ICF Task Force meeting will be conducted in-person on April 18, from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. We are planning to hold the meeting at the PaTTAN (Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network) building in Harrisburg. We plan to share ICF citation data from January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2023, as well as two trainings. The trainings will be “Plan of Correction Writing and Follow-up,” and training on “Active Treatment.” We will also have the DOH Long Term Care – RISE group provide a presentation on the services and supports they have to offer to ICFs. Lastly, we will have our typical updates from our finance staff, DOH, and ODP Medical Director. Please plan on attending. Updates will be provided as we get closer to the date of the meeting.
ICF Taskforce Meeting: Location
The ICF Taskforce Meeting on Thursday, April 18, 2024, will be held at the following address:
PaTTAN – Central
6340 Flank Drive
Harrisburg, PA 17112
Directions and nearby hotel accommodations can be found here.
US WHD to Host 2024 Prevailing Wage Seminars
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division will offer compliance seminars for contracting agencies, contractors, unions, workers, and other stakeholders on the requirements for paying prevailing wages on federally funded construction and service contracts. Part of the division’s effort to increase awareness and improve compliance, each day-long seminar will include sessions on the Davis-Bacon Act, Service Contract Act, and other related topics. Participants can choose among the sessions offered throughout the day.
The seminars are scheduled on Feb. 27, May 15, and Aug. 29.
Register today. While seminar attendance is free, registration is required. Additional details, including links to the sessions for each date, will be provided to participants after registration.
For additional information on prevailing wage compliance, the division also has an updated video library on the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, the Service Contract Act, and various executive orders.
LebTown: Free Disability Health and Wellness Resource Fair to Share Community-Based Resources for the Disabled
Registration Now Available for DHS 2024/25 Budget Briefing
Secretary Val Arkoosh and leadership from the Department of Human Services (DHS) will host a webinar to discuss the proposed 2024/25 budget for the department. The briefing will take place at 10:00 am on Friday, February 9. If you are unable to attend, the briefing will be recorded and available for viewing afterwards.
Visit here to register for the briefing. DHS encourages individuals to submit questions ahead of the briefing so they can prepare as much information as possible. The Departments will follow up on any questions that they are unable to answer during the webinar.
(If the registration link above does not work, please try copying this link directly into your browser: https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/3049c317-17f6-46ab-8396-1e5f3a370422@418e2841-0128-4dd5-9b6c-47fc5a9a1bde)
Governor Shapiro’s 2024/25 Proposed Budget Invests in ID/A Services
RCPA is happy to share highlights of Governor Shapiro’s proposed budget that recognizes the needs of the ID/A community in a way that Pennsylvanians have not seen for many years.
Governor Shapiro is prioritizing investments in home and community-based service providers so that they can pay competitive rates to attract and retain staff who provide these life-changing services to Pennsylvanians. The governor is proposing an increase in reimbursement rates by 12%, which will invest a total of over $480 million. This will be divided by state ($217 million) and federal ($266 million) funding for programs that support ID/A.
This budget will invest $34.2 million in the Community Waiver and $1.85 million in the Community Base Program, which will allow the Department of Human Services (DHS) to expand the number of individuals participating in home and community-based services programs.
The 2024/25 executive budget invests $213 million toward the Community Waiver Program, $2.1 million in the Autism Intervention Program, and $1.1 million in the Community Base program. It also leverages $266 million in total federal funding to increase resources for providers of home and community-based services.
In addition, this budget invests $934,000 to add American Sign Language and English interpreter services to programs serving those who require these services in order to experience equality in communication.
In response to this announcement, Richard Edley, PhD, President and CEO of RCPA, stated, “Governor Shapiro is really living up to his mandate to ‘get stuff done!’ The disability community has waited decades for a governor that would make systemic fixes a key budget issue, and the day has finally come. This may not solve all the issues that nearly destroyed this critical system of care and support, but it’s a start, which is more than we’ve had in quite some time.”
Read the summary of Governor Shapiro’s proposed budget plan for ID/A services. RCPA will be sharing more analysis of the budget when additional information is released.
Eating Disorders in Autism: A Complex Connection
CapGrow Partners has shared in their blog that in a recent Psychology Today article, licensed psychotherapist Jennifer Gerlach examined the statistics and stereotypes regarding people with autism, as well as people with eating disorders. She describes how research indicates a greater prevalence of eating disorders in autism than is widely recognized. Read the article here.
Visualizing the Behavioral Health Workforce Crisis — CDR Data Talk on Feb. 22
Visualizing the Behavioral Health Workforce Crisis
February 22, 2024, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST
Register Here
Featuring Charles Klinger, Chief Operating Officer, Behavioral Health Alliance of Rural PA (BHARP)
Charles has led a collaborative data project across 24 Pennsylvania counties. It paints a picture of a devastated workforce.
Agencies provide this data, and review it with government and managed care. It is being used to support recruitment and retention efforts.
Charles and his team are working together to find solutions to the BH workforce crisis.
Charles has led the Provider Workforce Staffing (PWS) report in response to the major changes in behavioral health staffing since 2020. Over 20% of available positions remain unfilled, signaling an increased divide between available workers and population need.
This report highlights the costs of adequately filling our network in a clear and comprehensive way. Average rate of pay for a multitude of mental health jobs have been reviewed in the PWS report, from psychiatrists to housekeepers.
Most BH staffing problems arise from lack of available workers. According to Charles’ research, workers are leaving jobs, and there are no candidates available to replace them. Many jobs have consistently remained vacant.
For those from Pennsylvania, the PWS is particularly illuminating, as it focuses on state-specific needs, like the loss of workers in every level from outpatient care, to intensive behavioral health services (IBHS).
Prev