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Alice Burns; Follow @alicelevyburns on Twitter, Molly O’Malley Watts, and Meghana Ammula; Follow @meg_ammula on Twitter
Home and community-based services (HCBS) waivers allow states to offer a wide range of benefits and to choose — and limit — how many people receive services. The only HCBS that states are required to cover is home health, but states may choose to cover personal care and other services, such as private duty nursing. Those benefits are generally available to all Medicaid enrollees who need them. States may use HCBS waivers to offer expanded personal care benefits or to provide additional services such as adult day care, supported employment, and non-medical transportation. Because waivers may only be offered to specific populations, states often provide specialized benefits through waivers that are specific to the population covered. For example, states might use an HCBS waiver to provide supported employment only to people under age 65.
States’ ability to cap the number of people enrolled in HCBS waivers can result in waiting lists when the number of people seeking services exceeds the number of waiver slots available. Waiting lists reflect the populations a state chooses to serve, the services it decides to provide, and the resources it commits. In addition, states’ waiting list management approaches differ with regard to prioritization and eligibility screening processes, making comparisons across states difficult. States are only able to use waiting lists for optional services, so the number of people on waiting lists can increase when states offer a new waiver or make new services available within existing waivers; in these cases, the number of people receiving services increases, but so does the number of people on a waiting list. In many cases, people may need additional services, but the state doesn’t offer them to anyone or only offers them to people with certain types of disabilities. The unmet needs of those people would not be reflected in the waiting list numbers. Finally, although people may wait a long time to receive waiver services — 45 months on average — many of the people waiting for services receive other types of HCBS while they wait [read the full article].
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program that provides funds and discounts for families and households struggling to afford internet service. You are likely eligible if your household’s income is below 200% of the Federal Poverty Line. Visit here to check your household’s eligibility.
Eligible households may receive assistance of up to $30 a month in discounts for broadband service and/or a one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, desktop, computer, or tablet purchased through a participating provider. See the flyer for more information. Visit here to apply for the Affordable Connectivity Program and learn more.
ACP Information Session
The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development is hosting a webinar to provide an overview of the ACP for interested stakeholders. The webinar will cover more information on the ACP, who is eligible, how to apply, ACP outreach grant opportunities, and a Q&A session. Visit here to register for the ACP Overview webinar.
ODP Announcement 22-120 communicates that registration for the January – June 2023 Certified Investigator (CI) Initial Certification Course classes (also known as cohorts) are now open on MyODP. Due to continued concerns regarding COVID-19, the January – June 2023 CI Initial Certification cohorts of the course will be provided virtually rather than in person.
If you do not have a MyODP account, use the MyODP login page and follow the instructions under “Is this your first time here?” If you are not sure whether or not you have a MyODP account, contact MyODP Support or Kiyona Duncan.
For assistance with registration, contact Kiyona Duncan. For questions regarding course content, contact Amanda Black.
ACL invites you to a webinar in their series on strengthening advocacy in the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Settings Rule, “Getting the Services You Need From the Waiver,” on Wednesday, December 14, 2022, 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm EST. Register for the webinar here.
The HCBS Settings Rule can improve community-based services and supports for people with disabilities and older adults for decades to come. This webinar will provide insight into one of the main strategies stakeholders can use to get the promise of the rule into everyday life: influencing the services that are included in the waiver application.
The webinar will highlight why you should pay attention to the waiver application and what is in an application, with a focus on Appendix C – Services. It will also look at what states have to put into the application and highlight best practices for commenting on your state’s waiver application.
Live captioning will be provided. A video replay and transcript will be made available following the event on ACL’s HCBS Settings Rule web page.
Speakers:
Contact Erin Shea with any questions.
ODP Announcement 22-118 reminds Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) providers of the expectation to support individuals to access all available and recommended vaccinations and promote health and safety by providing helpful reminders about holiday gatherings.
ODP expects that providers will ensure that all individuals supported have timely opportunities to remain up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccination as defined by the CDC and are educated on how to practice heathy habits. This announcement also shares resources available to support people in making safe decisions during the holiday season.
From the Office of Developmental Programs:
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) will be renewing all existing exceptional residential rates for individuals who have a current NEA, approved through 12/31/22, for the second half of the fiscal year. Providers should ensure that all individuals with exceptional rates have a current Health Risk Screening Tool (HRST).
This extension will require a critical revision to the individual’s ISP. The rate segment has been entered into PROMISe and is available for use. Please work with Supports Coordinators and Administrative Entities to ensure the ISP is updated and approved.
Thank you,
Rick Smith l Director
PA Department of Human Services, Office of Developmental Programs
Bureau of Financial Management and Program Support
625 Forster Street Room 412, Harrisburg, PA 17120
717-783-4873
MyODP