Members of the ID/A coalition have joined together to advocate for funding in the Governor’s budget for fiscal year 19/20. Attached is a joint petition supported by RCPA, The Arc of PA, UCP of Central PA, and PAR.
Please sign and share widely to increase our efforts to call attention to the Direct Support Professional (DSP) crisis and other budget priorities. Please contact Carol Ferenz, RCPA IDD Division Director, with questions.
ODP Announcement Number 100-18 provides an update regarding feedback to providers after the completion of self-assessments this summer. Due to the amount of analysis needed and the quantity of self-assessments received, ODP began to email providers this week. The email contains a report for each self-assessment completed per service location along with guidance on how to correct areas on the self-assessment that could potentially be non-compliant according to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) HCBS Final Rule.
ODP began emailing residential providers who completed a self-assessment starting Monday, November 5, 2018. It will take at least two weeks for ODP to email all residential providers. Non-residential providers will begin to receive emails starting Monday, November 19, 2018. If a provider does not receive a report for all of their service locations for which they completed a self-assessment by November 30, 2018, please contact ODP via email.
Please note that if a new service location has opened since June 12, 2018 (the date the HCBS Provider Settings Self-Assessment process officially closed), a self-assessment is not required to be completed for that service location. The only exception is for new Life Sharing homes that will provide services to individuals in the Community Living Waiver, for which a self-assessment must be completed. ODP will assess compliance with the CMS HCBS Final Rule for all other new service locations through multiple processes such as licensing, Quality Assessment and Improvement (QA&I), and approved program capacity and noncontiguous clearance.
For questions related to this communication, please contact ODP via email.
As we announced on Friday, September 28, RCPA has joined with six other Pennsylvania Associations that provide Intellectual Disability and Autism (ID/A) services to develop The 2018 Pennsylvania ID/A Services DSP & Frontline Supervisor Compensation Survey. Those associations include: MAX, PAR, RCPA, The Alliance CSP, The Arc of PA, TPA, and UCP of PA. The purpose of this study is to collect reliable and current information regarding compensation practices for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and Frontline Supervisors.
You can access the survey online here and a printable pdf copy here. Help strengthen our collective voice by filling out the survey. Although the requested deadline was October 31, 2018, we are extending the deadline for another week in order to obtain the greatest amount of participation. If your organization has not yet completed the survey, please take the time to do so.
The principal investigator, Dr. Scott Spreat, will collect responses on the online survey platform SurveyMonkey®. There should be only ONE response per provider, even if you belong to more than one association. The survey should be completed by someone in the Human Resources area of your organization, getting assistance as needed from staff members.
If you have any survey-related questions, Dr. Spreat can be reached via email or 215-750-4015. For any other questions, please contact Carol Ferenz, RCPA IDD Division Director.
ODP issued Communication Number 099-18: Requesting an Enhanced Communication Rate for Services for Individuals Who Use Sign Language. This communication provides a process for providers to request an enhanced communication rate for Consolidated, Person/Family-Directed Support (P/FDS), and Community Living Waiver services for individuals who use Sign Language to communicate. The Harry M settlement agreement was approved by a federal court judge on August 20, 2013 to ensure Pennsylvanians are provided with necessary communication assistance services based on their assessed needs. The enhanced communication rate is available for services for individuals who are enrolled in the Consolidated, P/FDS, and Community Living waiver from providers who have signing staff to serve individuals who use Sign Language to communicate.
An enhanced communication rate is available for the following services:
Providers who wish to request an enhanced communication rate must complete the Enhanced Communication Rate Request Form and submit the completed form to: ODP’s Deaf Services Mailbox. The Enhanced Communication Rate Request Form can be accessed at MyODP.
The following documentation must be provided in addition to the form:
Following receipt of a provider’s request, ODP will review the information submitted and determine whether the provider is eligible for the enhanced communication rate. The provider will be notified of ODP’s decision following the review. If additional information or discussion concerning the request is required, ODP will reach out to the contact persons identified on the Enhanced Communication Rate Request Form.
Questions about the contents of this communication may be directed to the ODP Deaf Services Mailbox. This communication obsoletes ODP Announcement 002-17, Requesting Enhanced Communication Residential Habilitation Rates for Harry M Class Members.
ODP Announcement 098-18 announces availability of the recording of the webinar regarding the Consolidated, Community Living, and P/FDS Waiver amendments effective November 1, 2018. The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) held two webinars to discuss the changes made to the waiver amendments as a result of public comment and ODP review. These webinars were held on October 17 and October 23, 2018. The session on October 23 was recorded and is now available online along with the PowerPoint presentation used at the sessions.
The waiver amendments are also accessible online. An online document containing a side-by-side comparison of the waiver in its previous and amended form is available. Contact Carol Ferenz, RCPA IDD Division Director, with questions.
ODP Acting Deputy Secretary Kristin Ahrens, along with the PA Family Network and Vision for Equality, invite self-advocates and their families to attend one of several meet-and-greet sessions. Sessions will be held at various locations throughout the Commonwealth. Registration is free but required. Two webinars will also take place. The listening sessions are announced in ODP Communication Number 097-18.
Please see the event flyer for details on locations, dates, or for webinar registration. Contact Carol Ferenz, RCPA IDD Division Director, with any additional questions.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) announced the release of its comprehensive employment report for the Calendar Year 2017 and Quarters 1 and 2 of Calendar Year 2018 in Communication #096-18. ODP anticipates completing this report on a yearly basis. The publication of this report is the result of approximately 2½ years’ preparation and new process implementation, ranging from an SCO baseline employment survey in August 2016, to the implementation of the six new employment individual monitoring questions in November 2016, to the development of an interactive employment dashboard in June 2018. ODP is excited to share this data with our stakeholders and interagency partners. This exchange of information furthers ODP’s effort to be transparent regarding their standing as an ID/Autism system invested in helping individuals obtain and maintain competitive-integrated employment, and to inform policy development and program innovation in the months and years to come. ODP would like to thank everyone who has played a part in the efforts which have led to the construction of this report and its publication.
Pennsylvania became an Employment First State on March 10, 2016, when Governor Tom Wolf signed Executive Order 2016-03, “Establishing ‘Employment First’ Policy and Increasing Competitive-Integrated Employment for Pennsylvanians with a Disability.” The Executive Order established policy for agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction, requiring competitive-integrated employment be the first consideration and preferred outcome of all publicly-funded education, employment and training, and long-term supports and service programs for working-age Pennsylvanians with a disability.
Priority Number 11 in the Executive Order Recommendations, published in September 2016, is to “Collect and Coordinate Data.” Recommendation #61, specifically, directs the Department of Human Services (DHS) to collect and publish data on program participants enrolled in programs that provide home and community-based services and:
This employment report was developed to meet Recommendation #61. You may view the employment report online here. For questions related to this employment report, please contact your regional employment lead. If you have any questions regarding the ODP Announcement, please submit via email.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has released Communication Number 095-18 with updated Questions and Answers regarding the Community Participation Supports (CPS) Service. The first Q&A documentation 066-17 published in June 2017 is now obsolete. This document covers a variety of situations submitted to ODP from providers of service who have been implementing Community Participation Supports (CPS) and encountering questions such as use of SE modifier, billing practices, variances for individuals who will not meet the goal of 25% community time, how CPS differs from other waiver services, transportation issues, and how to calculate the percentage of time in the community.
The concern regarding some providers not meeting the requirement that at least 25% of individuals’ time is spent participating in community activities, excluding variances as averaged over a year’s time, is addressed — ODP will request a plan for coming into compliance from the agency who has not met this requirement. All waiver settings must meet the federal HCBS settings rule standards no later than March 2022. The 25%+ requirement is one of the objective measures in Pennsylvania’s assurances that prevocational and adult training facilities are compliant with the rule.
In total, there are fifty questions addressed in the Question and Answer Document, Version 2 Updated 10/19/18 that will serve as guidance to providers of service. Contact RCPA IDD Division Director Carol Ferenz with questions.
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