Good news!
The Pennsylvania Department of State is extending the deadline to provide feedback on our 2020 voter outreach and education efforts. If you have not already completed the survey, there is still time to help us understand how best to inform the public about voting and elections in Pennsylvania.
Click here to take the survey.
The new deadline is Friday, February 19, 2021.
Sincerely,
The Pennsylvania Department of State
Immediate Action Required
Dear Lifesharing Provider Agencies:
The Department of Human Services has established a pharmacy partnership to make COVID-19 vaccines available to individuals and caregivers who live and work in Chapter 6500 Lifesharing Homes.
It is critical that each Lifesharing Agency submit the information requested on this spreadsheet and return it to the Department no later than 5:00 pm on Thursday, February 18, 2021.
To enter information, save a copy of the spreadsheet and use the filter button at the top of the column to show only your agency. Complete the requested information for each home operated by your agency, save the sheet, and send it via email.
If you are not serving any individuals in the home, you do not have to enter information in columns H – O.
Please complete columns I – O even if you are already working with a vaccine provider.
The “Agency Contact Person for Vaccine Arrangements” must be a person from the Lifesharing Agency, not a host home provider.
Please contact send an email with any questions you may have.
CMS sent out QSO-21-14 this week. It gives some extensive expectations on visitation (outdoor, indoor, virtual, compassionate care), COVID-19 testing of staff/clients/visitors, communal dining and activities, survey considerations, and recommended resources. Additionally, Kevin Dressler sent the following updates:
Incident Management Bulletin
Reminder: We sent out the draft IM bulletin a few months ago and have not received any feedback. I would love to hear everyone is fine with the way the IM bulletin is written; however we fully expect some comments. The Bulletin mirrors the IM bulletin for the 6400 covered locations for the private ICFs and has some increased requirements for the public ICFs (state centers). Please send all comments to Chris Blauser by March 15, 2021. Thank you.
Vaccine Administration
We want to verify that all ICFs have established a provider to administer COVID vaccines to the people served and staff at each of your ICF locations; if you do not have a provider identified, we can assist in locating a provider for you.
Health Alert Network Updates
Please review the updated Health Alert Network guidance from the PA Department of Health. I listed some of the recent updated or newly developed HANs that may be of interest:
ICF Task Force Meeting Proposed Dates
The meetings for 2021 will be video conferencing through Skype or Microsoft Teams.
Proposed Dates and times:
Let us know if there are any major conflicts with dates.
ICF Taskforce Meeting Topics
As always we would like to make the ICF Task Force Meetings as meaningful as possible. So, please submit to us any topics and ideas that would be of value to you and your organization and we will work to incorporate them into the meetings.
On June 19, 2018, Governor Tom Wolf signed and codified the Employment First Law and established the Employment First Law for people with disabilities. Attached are the 2021 Employment First Annual Report and the 2020 Employment First Oversight Commission Report.
Additionally, the Employment First Oversight Commission Leadership beginning January 27, 2021 has been named. We are proud that RCPA member Steve Suroviec, President/CEO, Achieva, is the chair of the commission. The leadership positions are:
A link to these reports is also available on the Department of Labor & Industry’s Department of Labor & Industry’s website, under the “Employment First Act Documents & Reports” heading. Additional information or alternate formats of the reports may be obtained by contacting Edward M. Butler, OLTL Employment Specialist via email or phone (717-214-3718).
Managing the Impact of Temporary Enhanced Rates for Community Participation Support and Transportation Trip on Individual Support Plans (ISP) and Annual Fiscal Limits
The Home and Community Services Information System (HCSIS) was automatically updated to include the temporary increases to the CPS and Transportation Trip fee schedule rates. Critical revision will not be necessary for most ISPs to implement the change to the fee schedule rates. However, ODP recognizes that the temporary rate increases may result in an individual’s ISP exceeding the CL or P/FDS waiver caps. As a result, ODP Announcement 21-021 provides guidance to ISP teams to do the following:
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Executive Director, Shannon Austin provided guidance to community providers of Supported Employment Services about a rate increase for the provision of services during a period of state mandated mitigation strategies for slowing the spread of COVID-19 in a memo dated February 9, 2021.
For new Supported Employment purchase orders created on or after February 22, 2021, regional rates will be changed to statewide rates, and Job Retention Services will increase. Purchase orders created prior to February 22, 2021, will not be cancelled and re-authorized under the new rate.
The Supported Employment Support Plan, Employment Service Premium. Longevity Premium, Job Mentoring Services and all four phases of Discovery will remain unchanged.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is reissuing Bulletin 00-21-01 to correct errors reported in Attachment 1: Services that Require Access to a Human Rights Team.
The corrections in this document are as follows:
Attachment 2: Individual Plans and Informed Consent remains unchanged.
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