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Authors Posts by Carol Ferenz

Carol Ferenz

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ODP Announcement 23-012 shares an updated AAW Provider Information Table to reflect changes made with the January 1, 2023, waiver amendment. This information includes waiver language, guidance, and provider qualifications. The requirements in the AAW will become effective when Appendix K flexibilities expire, six months after the expiration of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency.

The updated Provider Information Table includes these highlights:

  • Providing information on the delivery of direct services using remote technology (teleservices);
  • Introducing the AAW Travel Policy;
  • Introducing Remote Services, a new service in the AAW;
  • Adding waiver language and guidance on relatives providing the Life Sharing component of Residential Habilitation;
  • Providing clarification on the requirements for Supports Coordinators and in-person monitoring;
  • Noting the responsibility of Residential Habilitation providers to complete and update the Health Risk Screening Tool (HRST) for the individuals they serve;
  • Including the Place of Service codes and Electronic Visit Verification information for each service definition;
  • Adding other changes designed to align the AAW, where practical, more closely with the Consolidated, Person/Family Directed Support and Community Living waivers; and
  • Expanding sections on provider qualifications for each service.

Providers are reminded that they are responsible for being aware of any changes to definitions of services they provide and ensuring that individuals who furnish direct services are fully qualified prior to providing services to AAW participants. Questions or comments about this communication should be addressed to Tom Flynn.

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Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

The Office of Development Programs held a webinar to provide an overview of the Adult Autism Waiver Amendment that went into effect January 1, 2023. The session was recorded and will be available for viewing in the near future.  Many of the changes will go into effect six months after the Public Health Emergency and Appendix K flexibilities end. The slides from the session provide clarification regarding Remote Supports, Teleservices and Assistive Technology.

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Join the Disability Employment Technical Assistance Center (DETAC) for a webinar about how Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and their programs serve ticket holders in the Ticket to Work program. The webinar will cover the structure of the Ticket to Work program, how involvement can lead to diversified funding for CILs, and how the program can help people with disabilities find employment in the community.

Speakers 

  • Robert Pfaff, Social Security Administration
  • Kris Carrier, New Horizons Independent Living Center

The webinar will take place Tuesday, February 14, 2023, from 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm. Register here to attend the webinar.

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Greenspace Health has their next educational panel in the calendar, focused on a topic relevant to all of you — the value of therapeutic alliance. Dr. Brent Mallinckrodt, co-author of the 18-item “Brief Revised Working Alliance Inventory” (BR-WAI), will share the importance of the client-clinician relationship, the three vital components of a strong therapeutic alliance, and how to best use the BR-WAI in practice. To round out the conversation will be Emily Miller, a Master’s Level Psychotherapist and National Clinical Counselor from Pinebrook Family Answers in Pennsylvania, speaking on her experience of using the BR-WAI in practice and the impact it’s had on her clients’ outcomes.

You won’t want to miss this opportunity to learn more about one of the most important predictors of positive symptom change for people in care: the working alliance.

Register here: How To Measure and Improve Therapeutic Alliance — February 23 at 1:00 pm EST.

Watch this short video for highlights from the last educational panel hosted by Greenspace Health, featuring the Yale Measurement-Based Care Collaborative!

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Image by Werner Moser from Pixabay

ODP Announcement 22-009 states that, in an effort to implement best practices and streamline requirements and operations between Intermediate Care Facilities (ICF) and Home and Community-Based Setting (HCBS) service providers, the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) intends to align incident management regulations and policies for ICFs with the already-existing regulations and policies for HCBS services.

Specifically, ODP plans to do the following:

  • Rescind the class 3 bulletin (statement of policy) that is currently codified at Pa. Code Chapter §§ 6000.901 — 6000.985 (relating to incident management) and issue a new class 3 bulletin that aligns with ODP Bulletin 00-21-02 (Incident Management for HCBS services) to the fullest extent possible.
  • Update Code Chapter 6600 to include new sections on definitions, incident management, and individual rights to align with the 55 Pa. Code Chapter 6100 regulations, to the fullest extent possible.

ODP is pleased to announce the release of the draft class 3 bulletin and the proposed 55 Pa. Code Chapter 6600 regulations for review and informal public comment in order to obtain meaningful input from stakeholders early on in the process of changing regulations. After the informal comment period ends, ODP will review and evaluate these comments, incorporating them when practical into the bulletin and regulations. The 30-day informal public comment period begins on February 2, 2022, and ends on March 4, 2022.

Interested persons are invited to submit written comments regarding the draft class 3 bulletin and Pa. Code Chapter 6600 regulations. Written comments should be addressed to Laura Cipriani, Department of Human Services, Office of Developmental Programs, 625 Forster Street, Room 510, Harrisburg, PA 17120. Comments may also be submitted to ODP via email using subject header “ICF Regulations.”

Questions about this communication should be directed to Laura Cipriani.

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ODP Announcement 23-011 states that Support Service Professionals/Supports Brokers who were initially certified two years prior to the effective date of this waiver must complete the Supports Broker Certification program on or before the end of the third-year anniversary of the initial certification. Supports Brokers who were initially certified three or more years prior to the effective date of this waiver must complete the Supports Broker Certification program on or before July 1, 2023.

The Temple University Institute on Disabilities will offer six one-day virtual recertification training sessions. Dates are listed in the announcement.

Please contact the Participant Directed Services (PDS) Regional Lead in your area if you have questions.

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Message from the Office of Developmental Programs:

Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Acting Secretary Val Arkoosh today advised Pennsylvanians of upcoming changes to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Due to the passage of the recent federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, starting in March, SNAP recipient households will no longer receive the Emergency Allotment (EA) additional payment created during the COVID-19 public health emergency and will resume receiving one SNAP payment per month.

This change will happen for all SNAP recipients, with households receiving letters via mail about the change in SNAP payments.

“We know this additional SNAP payment has been a lifeline for people over the past three years and that ongoing economic uncertainty and high food prices are contributing to food insecurity for many Pennsylvanians. There is help available for you and your family through Pennsylvania’s heroic charitable food partners,” said Acting Secretary Val Arkoosh. “I urge anyone who can donate food or resources, now is the time to help your local food assistance programs as they prepare to meet this potential additional need.”

With funds made available due to the federal COVID-19 emergency, DHS began providing EAs as a second monthly payment to SNAP recipient households that were receiving benefits since March 2020. The EAs increased the SNAP budget amount to the maximum available amount for their household size or, since early 2021, were a minimum of $95. These payments were distributed separate from the initial payment as an extra payment each month.

Due to federal legislation, this February will be the last month EAs are sent; and starting in March, SNAP recipients will only receive one regular SNAP payment.

Additionally, the 2023 cost of living adjustment for Social Security Income (SSI), which is also set by the federal government, prompted an 8.7 percent increase to SSI income. SNAP eligibility thresholds — also set at the federal level — did not rise proportionally. Because of this, approximately 249,000 households will experience a decrease in their base SNAP benefits by an average of $40 per household, which will take effect in March when EAs end. The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) anticipates approximately 5,000 to 20,000 households will be disenrolled from SNAP due to the SSI increase. These federal changes will primarily affect older Pennsylvanians and seniors.

Pennsylvanians who need to report changes to their household size, income, or expenses are encouraged to report any changes either online via the myCOMPASS PA mobile app or by calling DHS’s Customer Service Center at 877-395-8930 (or 215-560-7226 for Philadelphia residents). This will help ensure households are receiving the maximum SNAP benefit based off their individual circumstances.

DHS recognizes the impact these changes may have on households and wants to make sure families that need food assistance know where to go for help:

  • SNAP recipients who are pregnant or have kids under 5 may be able to get help buying food from PA WIC. You can call 800-WIC-WINS or apply online.
  • You can call 211 or visit PA 211 to connect with various local food resources.
  • Visit Feeding PA to find local food banks and other food assistance programs.
  • Go to the DHS website or PA Department of Agriculture website for information on assistance programs and other resources.
  • If you are a SNAP eligible senior citizen, apply to receive additional vouchers redeemable at more than 800 farm stands and more than 200 farmers’ markets in Pennsylvania. The Senior Food Box Program can also provide you with additional shelf-stable groceries. Learn more about these programs from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

“Our charitable food network works tirelessly every day to be a resource and safety net for their communities. With a reduction in SNAP benefits coming, they will likely be left to absorb much of the impact,” said Acting Secretary Arkoosh. “If you are able to help, I strongly encourage you to support your local food banks and pantries as they prepare to meet this need. Small donations can grow into a big difference, so please do what you can so they can continue their life-saving work.”

For more information about SNAP Emergency Allotments, visit the DHS website.

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ODP Announcement 23-010 is to communicate that the Temple University Harrisburg Certified Investigator Program and the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) will be facilitating Forums for Certified Investigators (CIs) and others involved in the incident investigation process as well as to announce the posting of Q&A documents from past CI Forums on MyODP.

Please submit questions related to the Investigatory Plan that you would like answered during the forum to Amanda Black by close of business Friday, March 3, 2023. The next session date and time is Friday, March 10, 2023, at 10:00 am – 11:30 am. The topic of discussion will be “Investigative Planning.” Registration for March 10, 2023, is open.

For any questions regarding registration for the CI Forums, please contact Amanda Black.

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Date: February 8, 2023
Time: 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm ET
Registration Required
Closed captioning will be available.

In this webinar, the Department of Long-Term Services and Supports (DLTSS) will be discussing state requirements and opportunities for resuming Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) operations when we approach the end of the Public Health Emergency (PHE). This includes:

  • CMS resources to support states in unwinding PHE flexibilities, including considerations for HCBS;
  • An overview of HCBS-related PHE flexibilities to unwind, with a focus on the 1915(c) HCBS in 1915(c) waivers and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) approval process;
  • An overview of HCBS-related PHE flexibilities that can be made permanent in 1915(c) waivers and the CMS approval process; and
  • Other considerations for HCBS programs when unwinding from the PHE.

Following the presentation, webinar participants will have the opportunity to ask questions.

Register Today!

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ODP Announcement 22-108 serves as an update to “Required Provider Qualification (PQ) Training on Common Health Conditions That May Be Associated with Preventable Deaths.” ODP added a new provider qualification to the Consolidated, Community Living, and Adult Autism Waivers for residential services. All provider staff who will spend any time alone with a participant during the provision of residential services must complete a “Department approved training on the common health conditions that may be associated with preventable deaths in people with an intellectual or developmental disability.” This applies to provider staff that are direct employees of an agency, contracted employees of an agency, or volunteers.

A list of Department approved trainings to meet this requirement is available at MyODP. This page lists each organization with currently approved training(s). The approved training(s) that must be completed for the organization are listed next to the “details” bullet underneath the organization. To meet the qualification requirement, staff are required to complete approved training(s) through one organization listed.

ODP will now allow Fatal Five trainings developed by residential provider agencies to be used if the training has been reviewed and approved by their regional Health Care Quality Unit (HCQU). To ensure content is clear, comprehensive, and adequately covers each condition, the HCQU Registered Nurse (RN) for that specific provider agency will review the training according to the guidelines provided by ODP.

Questions relating to this announcement may be directed to the ODP Provider Qualification Unit for Consolidated and Community Living Waiver providers. Adult Autism Waiver providers should send questions here.

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