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Authors Posts by Carol Ferenz

Carol Ferenz

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ODP Announcement 22-080 informs stakeholders that 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. It also announces the posting of Q&A documents from past CI Forums on MyODP.

The session date and time is Friday, August 12, 2022, at 10:00 am – 11:30 am.
Topic: Investigatory Process
Registration for August 12, 2022, is open. Registration will close at the end of the day on August 10, 2022.

Please submit investigatory process questions and provide input on future forums. Complete this questionnaire by close of business Wednesday, July 27, 2022.

For all CI Forum-related questions, please send an email to Amanda Black.

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The Office of Developmental Programs and Keystone Peer Review Organization, Inc. (“Kepro”) will host a Supports Intensity Scale – Adult (SIS-ATM) Basics training webinar, which will provide an overview of the SIS- ATM and PA Supplement assessments as well as tips on how to prepare for the assessment interview to ensure quality outcomes. Both sessions will cover the same material, so you only need to register for one session. Choose the preferred session date below to register.

Wednesday, August 3, 2022: 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Wednesday, August 10, 2022: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

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The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) has updated the Benefits Planning Provider Agreement to include two more services as well as some updated language. The document includes the full agreement, along with example templates for the deliverables for each service.

Jennnifer Radick, Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist with OVR that specializes in the Ticket to Work Program and Benefits Counseling/Planning, has shared a letter reaching out to employment service providers. If, after reviewing this agreement, you are interested in becoming an OVR Benefits Planning Provider, you can contact Jennifer using the below information:

Jennifer Radick, MS, CRC
Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist
Department of Labor & Industry
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
Bureau of Central Operations
(610) 329-4814

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The PA Family Network invites you to attend this free workshop:

Using LifeCourse to Plan and Problem Solve
Tuesday, July 12, 2022        6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Wednesday, July 20, 2022    11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Family members attending the workshop will be welcome to attend a 30 minute family-only networking opportunity after the presentation.

See the flyer for more information, including registration instructions.

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The purpose of this bulletin is to provide guidance to the county and private children and youth social service agencies, county mental health/behavioral health programs, early intervention (EI) programs, and managed care organizations on the process for referring children to the county intellectual disability and autism program when a child has a diagnosis of an intellectual disability, developmental disability, and/or autism (ID/DD/A) (information regarding eligibility and diagnostic criteria can be found here) or when it is suspected that a child may have one of these diagnoses.

Referring the child to the county ID/A program can provide eligible children and their families with access to information, services, and supports in the community, as well as assistance with preparing for life’s transitions through childhood into adulthood.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) wants to improve services and supports to all children and their families or legal guardians so that children can grow to adulthood living in a home with loving adults. The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP), the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), the Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF), the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS), and the Office of Medical Assistance Programs (OMAP) work closely together to ensure children with ID/DD/A and their families have access to high quality services that support the child’s growth and development. Please visit here for further information about each DHS Office addressed in this bulletin.

During the registration and eligibility process for services, the county ID/A program or TSM provider should offer families information about the Charting the LifeCourse framework and tools that were developed by the UMKC Institute for Human Development, UCEDD.

If stakeholders have any questions about the bulletin, they should send their questions via email.

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ODP Announcement 22-079 announces the start of Cycle 2 of the Quality Assessment & Improvement (QA&I) Process. Cycle 2, Year 1 of the QA&I Process will begin on August 1, 2022. All materials and resources related to the QA&I Process will be posted on the MyODP Training & Resource Center (MyODP). Please note that you must be logged into MyODP to access the information.

Please direct any inquiries, issues, or concerns regarding this communication to the QA&I Process inbox.

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Message from RCPA member PATF:

Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) recently hosted a round table event with Congresswoman Madeleine Dean and several of our borrowers and partners to discuss the importance of PATF’s programs — information about assistive technology (AT), funding resources, financial education, and the loan programs!

We heard how PATF’s loan programs make it possible for people to get the AT they need. We also heard from several partners about how they use our other publications, including Smart Homes Made Simple and financial education curriculum.

Attendee Paul Gordon is a social worker and a wheelchair user. He spoke with Rep. Dean about how he benefitted from PATF’s services.

Paul needed to replace his van’s wheelchair lift so that he could continue to travel to work. With funding from the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and a loan from PATF, he was able to get a wheelchair lift installed in his van.

“Given the excellent condition of my van, replacing the wheelchair lift will provide years of service without having to purchase a new vehicle. This is a much more affordable option for me,” said Gordon.

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The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is offering a webinar in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education for employers, workers, families, and advocates interested in understanding the application of Rehabilitation Act Section 511 and the protections it offers workers employed under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

WHD also recently published a new Field Assistance Bulletin, and this week published three fact sheets providing new guidance and clarification on these critical protections:

WHD is committed to protecting workers with disabilities — see their recently published blog, along with the Office of Disability Employment Policy, on Protecting the Rights of Workers with Disabilities and Advancing Competitive Integrated Employment. Additional information on Section 14(c) and Section 511 can be found on the DOL website.

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Over the past 24 months, direct support professionals (DSP) have experienced high risks of infection, hardship, and exhaustion. Many have become ill and lost loved ones. The voices of DSPs and frontline supervisors matter now more than ever.

Show them you care about their wellbeing by sharing this confidential survey. The University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration, in partnership with the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals, developed this survey to better understand the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on direct support workers and identify the most effective ways to protect DSPs, frontline supervisors, and the people they support.

Please forward this survey to the direct support workers that you employ, including paid family members. Their answers will be anonymous. National and state-specific results from the survey will be shared widely in September 2022. Three earlier surveys were conducted by ICI and NADSP, and the results are available here. The new survey is for both direct support workers who completed an earlier survey and those who did not.

Complete the survey here. The survey closes on July 22, 2022.

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