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Today, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) shared information with providers informing them that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has published a series of advisories based on existing Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs) and Technical Assistance Publications (TAPs). These advisories summarize updated guidance and recommendations on topics in the substance use disorder (SUD) treatment field. The new advisories include:
Advisory: Comprehensive Case Management for Substance Use Disorder Treatment
Published: January 2021
This advisory is based on TIP 27: Comprehensive Case Management for Substance Abuse Treatment. It surveys the underlying principles and models of case management, discusses reasons SUD treatment providers might consider implementing or expanding the use of case management, and lists some case management resources and tools.
Advisory: Using Motivational Interviewing in Substance Use Disorder Treatment
Published: January 2021
This advisory is based on TIP 35: Enhancing Motivation for Change in Substance Use Disorder Treatment. It addresses the spirit, application, and fundamentals of motivational interviewing (MI), discusses how practitioners can effectively employ MI in SUD treatment, and provides tools that practitioners can use to encourage and promote lasting positive outcomes for their clients.
Advisory: Screening and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis in People with Substance Use Disorders
Published: January 2021
This advisory is based on TIP 53: Addressing Viral Hepatitis in People with Substance Use Disorders. It offers guidance to providers and administrators in SUD treatment programs on screening for and treating clients with Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C infections.
Advisory: Screening and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders Among Adolescents
Published: January 2021
This advisory is based on TIP 31: Screening and Assessing Adolescents for Substance Use Disorders and TIP 32: Treatment of Adolescents with Substance Use Disorders. It includes recommendations for engaging adolescents in SUD risk assessment, screening, and treatment.
Advisory: Addressing Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Substance Use Treatment
Published: January 2021
This advisory is based on TIP 50: Addressing Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Substance Abuse Treatment. It provides strategies for identifying and addressing suicidal thoughts and behaviors in individuals with SUDs.
Advisory: Treating Substance Use Disorders Among People with HIV
Published: January 2021
This advisory is based on TIP 37: Substance Abuse Treatment for Persons with HIV/AIDS. It highlights strategies and considerations for SUD treatment providers to effectively engage people with HIV in SUD treatment.
Advisory: Group Therapy in Substance Use Treatment
Published: January 2021
Based on TIP 41: Substance Abuse Treatment Group Therapy, this advisory provides an overview of goals, processes, group-specific approaches, resources, and common elements that support favorable outcomes in group therapy.
Advisory: Prescribing Pharmacotherapies for Patients with Alcohol Use Disorder
Published: January 2021
This advisory, based on TIP 49: Incorporating Alcohol Pharmacotherapies into Medical Practice, focuses on medication and related treatment decisions made after screening and assessment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and medically supervised withdrawal if necessary. Alcohol consumption should not stop abruptly in those patients who have consumed alcohol regularly over a prolonged period of time. This advisory is meant as an overview of AUD medications to facilitate abstinence.
Advisory: The Importance of Family Therapy in Substance Use Disorder Treatment
Published: January 2021
This advisory is based on TIP 39: Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Family Therapy. It surveys basic factors for programs and providers to consider when implementing family-related therapy approaches, goals, and processes for conducting effective family counseling and resources for further learning about family therapy techniques and models.
Advisory: The Substance Use Disorder Counseling Competency Framework – An Overview
Published: January 2021
This advisory is based on TAP 21: Addiction Counseling Competencies: The Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes of Professional Practice. It discusses the development of the counseling competencies and the validated research on which they are based, provides a simplified overview of their structure and the elements of a typical competency, and outlines how these competencies are changing the field of SUD treatment nationwide. The advisory also addresses the critical role of cultural competence.
Advisory: Integrating Vocational Services into Substance Use Disorder Treatment
Published: January 2021
This advisory, based on TIP 38: Integrating Substance Abuse Treatment and Vocational Services, presents strategies and resources for SUD treatment counselors and program directors to improve outcomes for clients in recovery by helping them find and keep employment and deal with workplace stresses. This advisory is directed to programs serving clients who are unemployed, underemployed, or struggling in workplace settings.
Below please find some additional background about the Governor’s 2021 – 2022 Budget and Legislative Policy Agenda, which he will roll out tomorrow. Governor Wolf knows that Pennsylvania families are facing too many barriers such as an unfair tax system and an education system that is unequal and underfunded. Governor Wolf wants to make it easier for people to succeed in our commonwealth, and his plan will cut taxes for working families and businesses while investing more money in education and workforce development. This agenda is good for working families, good for businesses, and good for our economy. As always, we appreciate your feedback and support and look forward to working with you and the legislature to enact the Governor’s budget proposal. Thank you.
Governor Wolf 2021 Budget and Legislative Agenda
Reaffirming Our Commitment to Build the Strongest Education System in the Country
Put all Basic Education Funding through the Fair Funding Formula
Stabilizing Child Care and Ensuring Equal Access for Families
Increase Special Education, Head Start, and Pre-K Funding
Introduce Accountability into the EITC and OSTC
Nellie Bly College Tuition Program
Attract and Retain the Best Teachers for Our Children
Comprehensive Charter School Law Reform
Applying the Special Education Formula to All Charter Schools:
Establishing a Statewide Cyber Charter Tuition Rate:
Improving the Redirection Process:
Cutting Taxes for Pennsylvania Working Class Families and Making the Tax System Fairer and More Equitable
Cut Taxes for Working Families
Get Pennsylvania Back on Track After the Pandemic
Immediately Allocate $145 Million to Pennsylvania Businesses
Inject Billions into a Reformed Workforce Development System
Invest in Public Infrastructure, Including School Buildings
Urge the Federal Government to Take Action
Increase the Minimum Wage to $12 Per Hour With a Path to $15 Per Hour
Build on Bipartisan Progress
Reform the Criminal Justice System
Build on Bipartisan Health Reform
Make it Easier for Pennsylvanians to Enter High-Demand Professions
Reduce the Corporate Net Income Tax and Close the Delaware Loophole
Legalize Recreational Marijuana
Change Harrisburg by Demanding Accountability
Reintroduce the Governor’s Government Reform Plan
Curb Special Interest Influence
Build on Election Reform
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 1, 2021
Harrisburg, PA — Pennsylvania collected $2.7 billion in General Fund revenue in January, which was $162.4 million, or 5.8 percent, less than anticipated, Revenue Secretary Dan Hassell reported today. Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $21.2 billion, which is $307.4 million, or 1.5 percent, above estimate.
Sales tax receipts totaled $1.1 billion for January, which is $9.9 million above estimate. Year-to-date sales tax collections total $7.5 billion, which is $64.3 million, or 0.9 percent, more than anticipated.
Personal income tax (PIT) revenue in January was $1.1 billion, which is $271.9 million below estimate. This brings year-to-date PIT collections to $8.5 billion, which is $235.9 million, or 2.7 percent, below estimate.
The January corporation tax revenue of $186.3 million was $61.3 million above estimate. Year-to-date corporation tax collections total $2.4 billion, which is $371.7 million, or 18.7 percent, above estimate.
Inheritance tax revenue for the month was $101.6 million, which is $14.8 million above estimate. This brings the year-to-date total to $706.6 million, which is $29.1 million, or 4.3 percent, above estimate.
Realty transfer tax revenue was $54.4 million for January, which is $15.5 million above estimate. This brings the fiscal-year total to $371.3 million, which is $34.7 million, or 10.3 percent, more than anticipated.
Other General Fund tax revenue, including cigarette, malt beverage, liquor, and gaming taxes, totaled $112.5 million for the month, which is $0.6 million below estimate. This brings the year-to-date total to $1.1 billion, which is $19.5 million, or 1.8 percent, above estimate.
Non-tax revenue totaled $26.3 million for the month, which is $8.8 million above estimate. This brings the year-to-date total to $691.6 million, which is $24.1 million, or 3.6 percent, above estimate.
In addition to the General Fund collections, the Motor License Fund received $197.2 million for the month, which is $10.5 million below estimate. Fiscal year-to-date collections for the fund — which include the commonly known gas and diesel taxes as well as other license, fine, and fee revenues — total $1.6 billion, which is $16.3 million, or 1.0 percent, below estimate.
Media Contact: Jeffrey Johnson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2021
Harrisburg, PA – Today Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller outlined recent changes to the Employment, Advancement, and Retention Network (EARN) and Work Ready programs – two comprehensive employment and training programs that provide support for people who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits in order to obtain employment skills, prepare for work, and sustain good jobs.
The previous iteration of DHS’s largest employment and training programs prioritized a work-first job placement in any job, regardless of job quality and participant readiness. An analysis of these programs found that, for people who left TANF for employment, about 50 percent returned to TANF within a year.
“Our goal at DHS is to help families reach long-term economic sustainability. We want to be advocates and partners for the people we serve and use TANF both to meet essential needs and empower people to take a step forward for themselves and their family. To accomplish this, we recognized that we need to shift how we serve this population. One immediate way to do so was in the way we operate our employment and training programs,” said DHS Secretary Teresa Miller. “Last year, we launched a redesign of these programs to make sure we were meeting the needs of the people we serve. It is our hope that this redesign will put the people we serve on the path to economic stability and independence.”
Rather than prioritizing a job regardless of job quality and participant readiness, the redesign includes a more thorough assessment that addresses clients holistically to support financial independence. DHS worked with all 22 local workforce development boards and multiple community action agencies and used direct feedback from participants, caseworkers, and providers to shape the new design, which officially launched on July 1, 2020.
Under the redesigned programs, each person will work with a caseworker to identify strengths and barriers in reaching career goals and will receive the support they need to meet those goals. The redesign introduces a focus on education and training activities that will help participants get the skills and certifications they need in the workforce, including GED diplomas or job credentials. Participants will also have access to case managers, individualized coaching, and mental health counseling services. These supports will be available for one year following sustainable employment, meaning that participants will have continued support if issues arise within the first year of employment to help them problem solve and establish stability and independence during this time.
The redesign also supports participants by addressing barriers to employment so that employment can not only be achieved but also maintained. In many instances, participants may be eligible for financial support for materials, supplies, child care, transportation costs, and more in order to successfully participate in employment.
Funding for the redesign comes from an increase in the amount of federal TANF block grant funding allocated to the employment and training programs to support these expanded services. DHS also adjusted the programs’ funding structure to allow providers more flexibility to implement these services and modified incentives for vendors to help get people into job training programs.
DHS will work closely with program providers throughout the year to deliver these new services and to evaluate how these changes impact participants. They will also be monitoring if providers achieve established performance outcomes such as whether a client has achieved long-term employment.
Current participation in the employment and training programs has been shifted to remote services due to COVID-19. In the months since the redesign’s launch, more than 300 people have interacted with a licensed counselor via ongoing counseling, more than 100 participants have been engaged in remediating their barriers to employment, and 112 individuals have met at least one of their personal goals in their individualized employment plan. DHS is continuing to support families by providing skills trainings and mental health service referrals, continuing job-related work activities and services, and implementing options to ensure that participants have adequate devices where possible.
“We want to create programs that give people the space they need to envision a better future for themselves and their families and then provide them with the tools they need to actualize those dreams. This is our opportunity to really try to help change circumstances for parents and families living in incredibly difficult circumstances. No one should have to go at this alone, and we must take a community-wide approach to help people know that they will be supported throughout their journey. We hope that this employment and training redesign will help our clients achieve just that,” said Secretary Miller.
Only families with children are eligible for TANF. Job loss, domestic violence, child care availability, and the need for education are just some of the reasons that someone may need the support of the TANF program. Statistics show that in Pennsylvania, black individuals and families are disproportionately impacted by poverty. This disproportionality is also reflected in the demographics of our public assistance program enrollment – 53 percent of TANF beneficiaries are black. Discussions about TANF must acknowledge the ways that racial inequities and systemic racism impact the populations DHS serves, and we must work to actively dispel the myth that poverty and enrollment in public assistance programs are tied to some kind of moral or personal failure.
Applications for TANF and other public assistance programs can be submitted here. Those who prefer to submit paper documentation can pick up an application at their local County Assistance Office (CAO), where social distancing protocols are in place, They can also print from the website or request an application by phone at 1-800-692-7462. They can then mail it to their local CAO or place it in a CAO’s secure drop box if available. You do not need to know your own eligibility in order to apply. While CAOs remain closed, work processing applications, determining eligibility, and issuing benefits continue. Clients should use COMPASS or the MyCOMPASS PA mobile app to submit necessary updates to their case files while CAOs are closed.
For more information on DHS’s employment and training programs, visit this webpage.
MEDIA CONTACT: Erin James