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Authors Posts by Carol Ferenz

Carol Ferenz

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CDC has launched a new four-year phase of funding for the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, the only collaborative network to track the number and characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities in multiple communities throughout the United States. Over the next four years, CDC will invest more than $20 million to continue tracking at nine sites previously included in the ADDM Network, while also launching activities at one new site.

All 10 sites will track ASD among 4-year-old and 8-year-old children. Four of the sites will also track transition planning and co-occurring conditions among 16-year-old children with ASD. In addition to the 10 funded sites, our CDC-managed site in Georgia, the Metropolitan Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program (MADDSP), will also conduct ASD surveillance activities among 4-, 8-, and 16-year-old children.

Read more about the ADDM Network sites.

ODP Announcement 22-123 announces that a new Room and Board Residency Agreement (DP 1077) has been developed to align with 55 Pa. Code Chapter 6100 requirements. Please note that if a provider agency has a current, accurate room and board contract (DP 1051) in the participant’s file, the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is not requiring provider agencies to complete the new DP 1077. The intent is for provider agencies to begin using the new Room and Board Residency Agreement § 6100.687 (DP 1077) form when a new contract is needed.

ODP is continuing to revise the Room and Board Bulletin that was put out for public comment in the summer of 2021. Once this bulletin is finalized, ODP will communicate with stakeholders regarding the release of the Room and Board Bulletin that will contain the requirements found in the 55 Pa. Code Chapter 6100 regulations.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your ODP Regional Office.

ODP Announcement 22-122 is to remind providers that this is the time of year to being the Provider Qualification process. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) require a statewide process to ensure providers are qualified to render services to waiver-funded individuals. The Provider Qualification Process described outlines the steps the Assigned AE and provider must follow to meet these requirements and the steps Supports Coordinators (SCs) must take to transition individuals if needed. This communication does not describe the qualification process for SC organizations

The release of this communication obsoletes ODP Announcement 22-005 Provider Qualification Process. In addition, the qualification process for Providers enrolled in the Adult Autism Waiver can be found in ODP Announcement 20-110.

Providers that are shared across Intellectual Disability/Autism (ID/A) and the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) must complete the Provider Qualification processes with both the AE for the ID/A waivers and the Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations (BSASP) for the AAW.

Providers must submit the qualification documentation (Posted on MyODP — DP 1059 and the Provider Qualification Documentation Record with all required supporting documentation) by 03/31 of the year that their requalification is due.

Failure to meet this deadline will affect the assigned AE’s ability to requalify the provider by the due date of 04/30. The updated ODP Provider Qualification Documentation Record contains all instructions and qualification requirements.

For inquiries regarding this communication, contact the ODP Provider Qualification inbox.

ODP Announcement 22-121 reports that the recording of the presentation provided by the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) staff during the webinar on December 1, 2022, which was to provide an overview of the heightened scrutiny process and to listen to public comments, is now posted on MyODP.

Public comments are being accepted until 11:59 pm on December 19, 2022. Please review ODP Announcement 22-117: Open for Public Comment: Proposed Heightened Scrutiny Service Locations to be Submitted To CMS. This announcement gives a background description of Heightened Scrutiny, the documents available for public comment, and how to provide public comment

Questions about this communication should be directed via email.

The goal of this series is to provide information on how each diagnosis could impact communication and offer strategies to support effective communication. This series can be found on MyODP under Trainings > Special Populations > Infographics.

Diagnosis or conditions include:

Alzheimer’s Disease DeafBlindness Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Angelman Syndrome Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder Reactive Attachment Disorder
Apraxia of Speech Down Syndrome Rett Syndrome
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Dyslexia Schizophrenia
Autism Spectrum Disorder Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Sensory Processing Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder Hearing Loss Stroke
Central Auditory Processing Disorder Huntington’s Disease Stuttering
Cerebral Palsy Idiosyncratic Speech Tourette Syndrome
CHARGE Syndrome Language Deprivation Traumatic Brain Injury
Communication Disorder Limited English Proficiency Usher Syndrome
Conduct Disorder Long COVID Visual Impairment
Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Multiple Sclerosis
Cortical Visual Impairment Parkinson’s Disease

Please contact the ODP Special Populations Unit via email with any questions.