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Authors Posts by Tim Sohosky

Tim Sohosky

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Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

The Provider Innovation Series is an exclusive opportunity for our provider community to showcase and be recognized for their innovations, new and ongoing, in support of the everyday lives of those we serve. The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) believes in the power of peer learning and support, and they look forward to showcasing your innovative practices that drive quality.

ODP will select providers to present based on the provider’s innovative practices and encourages providers to use ISAC Recommendations and Strategies to identify areas of innovation. Presenters will also be celebrated for their innovation and leadership in the field with a showcase on MyODP News, a certificate of appreciation, and a digital badge, which can be added to email signatures and displayed on their website and social media.

Don’t miss this opportunity to demonstrate your impact! We encourage all Provider organizations, large and small, to consider what innovations they may like to share, and look forward to both learning more about — and sharing with others — your innovative work! Proposals are being accepted through January 5, 2026. To submit an application, please complete the survey.

The December 1 informational webinar can be found here.

For questions or comments, please contact Tim Sohosky.

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Message from National Core Indicators:

The NCI-IDD SoTW is the most comprehensive data on Direct Support Professional (DSP) workforce providing direct services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We remain committed to partnering with states, agencies, and people with IDD to use these data to strengthen Medicaid-funded services and supports and ensure DSPs are valued for their essential role supporting people with IDD.

A few report highlights:

In 2024, we collected data from 3,936 provider agencies representing 344,179 DSPs in 26 states and the District of Columbia. The data for 2024 suggest some positive trends for the state of the IDD DSP workforce. For example:

  • Across the nation, the median hourly wage for DSPs is $18.39, which is more than a dollar increase from the median hourly wage of $17.20 in 2023.
  • The weighted average turnover ratio was 37%, with nearly two in three DSPs who left their employers (64%) having been with their agency for less than one year.
  • On average, 26% of agencies report they turned away or stopped accepting referrals due to staffing issues, down from 38% in 2023.

State DD agencies have worked tirelessly to address the ongoing workforce shortages for DSPs, and these data suggest slight but hopeful trends in key indicators. Altogether, NCI-IDD SoTW provide valuable insights about opportunities to enhance retention of DSPs and improve the continuity of services.

The full report can be found here at this link.

For questions or comments, please contact Tim Sohosky.

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Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): An Overview and Practical Application

Note: This training satisfies the basic autism training requirement for Residential Performance-Based Contracting (PBC). Please see more details below on Continuing Education (CE) Credits. This training is an approved alternative to the SPeCTRUM offered on MyODP.

Over the years, the prevalence of autism has increased, Pennsylvania’s service delivery system for individuals with autism has expanded, and best practices to provide quality supports have emerged. To support the individual needs of each person with autism across the lifespan, an understanding of core characteristics must be established. It is also important to learn how the individual’s presentation of autism may change across settings and situations.

This training will provide attendees with an in-depth presentation on core characteristics of autism and the impact of the characteristics on daily life, routines, and activities. A review of common terms and basic principles used to change behavior, teach new skills, and develop practical application of best practices will be included. Opportunity for discussion and engagement will occur throughout the training in the virtual setting.

Who should attend?

  • Direct Support Professionals, Front Line Supervisors, and Program Managers supporting individuals with autism in residential and other home and community-based settings.
  • Professionals supporting individuals in the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW), Adult Community Autism Program (ACAP), Consolidated Person/Family-Directed Support (P/FDS), and Community Living waivers are encouraged to attend.

Where and when will sessions be held?

You must register separately for each session.

Continuing Education Units (CEU)
This training satisfies the basic autism training requirement for Residential Performance Based Contracting measures CN-DD/Bx.01.1S and CN-DD/Bx.01.1CE for all Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), Frontline Supervisors (FLSs), and program managers.

This training also fulfills 6100 ongoing training requirements.

Please contact the Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations (BSASP) Training inbox with questions.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) convened for the Provider Performance Review Subcommittee on December 18, 2025, to provide updates on service utilization, National Core Indicators (NCI), and family engagement initiatives.

Service Utilization Updates

The statewide summary for services in CY 2025 highlights a continued focus on community-based and non-residential options.

  • Residential and Non-Residential Distribution: As of late 2025, Non-Residential Services account for the majority of utilization at 71.12%.
  • Residential Service Breakdown: Within residential settings, Residential Habilitation remains the most common at 25.68%, followed by Life Sharing at 2.76% and Supported Living at 0.44%.
  • Housing Support: ODP tracked the percentage of enrolled individuals receiving Housing Transition and Tenancy Services by SCO for CY 2025, with participation rates reaching up to 6% among certain providers.

National Core Indicators (NCI) and Satisfaction

ODP shared findings from the NCI-IDD In-Person Survey (2023/24) to measure person-centered outcomes and satisfaction.

  • Community Inclusion (NCI-IDD PCP-5): Pennsylvania’s average satisfaction with community inclusion was 84% for FY 2023/24, consistently exceeding the NCI-IDD national average of 82%.
    • Activity Satisfaction: High percentages of participants reported they “go out to eat enough” (77%), “go shopping enough” (81%), and “go out into the community enough” (80%).
    • Future Performance-Based Contracting: Beginning January 1, 2026, SCOs will be required to attest to supporting ODP data collection for this measure to inform future performance benchmarks.
  • Service Plan Relevance (NCI-IDD PCP-2): 92% of respondents reported “Yes,” their service plan includes things that are important to them.
    • Benchmarking: By 2027, SCO performance on this measure is expected to meet or exceed 90%.

Residential Services: Family Engagement

ODP is actively measuring how well providers engage with and support families through communication and relationship building.

  • Performance Measure (QI.03.3): Effective January 1, 2025, providers must attest to assisting ODP in collecting data on family satisfaction with provider engagement.
  • Family Satisfaction Survey Status: As of December 2025, 1,790 family members of individuals in residential habilitation have responded to the survey.
    • Provider Participation: Currently, 350 providers have positive response rates, while 18 providers have not yet been heard from.
    • Deadline: The survey is scheduled to close on December 31, 2025.

For Questions or Additional Information
Please contact Tim Sohosky for any follow-up or inquiries related to this update.

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The Long Game Behind Sustainable Services w/ RCPA
Ep. 63 • December 15, 2025

In this conversation, host Nate Beers sits down with Tim Sohosky from RCPA to talk about the long game in disability services: how change actually happens, why efficiency alone isn’t enough, and what leaders need to pay attention to now if they want their organizations — and their people — to thrive long-term.

This is Part 2 of their conversation. They explore:

  • How advocacy moves from frustration to real system change;
  • Why outcomes matter more than ever (and what we’re measuring wrong);
  • The hidden strain leaders feel when innovation collides with regulation;
  • What sustainable leadership looks like five to ten years out; and
  • How building a bench of future leaders protects everything you’re working toward.

This episode isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about perspective, patience, and making decisions today that future leaders — and the people you support — will thank you for.

Watch/listen to the podcast here. Visit the IDD Leaders podcast website for more information on the podcast and organization.

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The Connection Every IDD Leader Needs w/ RCPA
Ep. 62 • December 8, 2025

In this episode of the IDD Leaders podcast, podcast host, Nate Beers, sits down with Tim Sohosky, IDD Director at RCPA (Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association), to uncover one of the most overlooked advantages available to leaders in the IDD field: your provider association.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re leading in isolation, drowning in vacancies, or constantly reacting to new regulations — you’re not alone. And you don’t have to keep going solo. Tim shares insider insights on how high-performing leaders stay ahead of staffing challenges, influence policy before it hits their agencies, and tap into resources that make their jobs easier (and their teams stronger).

Watch/listen to the podcast here. Visit the IDD Leaders podcast website for more information on the podcast and organization.

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The PA Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) hosted a Supports Coordination Organization (SCO) Forum to provide status updates and data related to the recently completed desk review for Performance-Based Contracting. All PBC submissions have been scored, and results will be emailed to SCOs shortly, with final results published on the DHS website in January 2026. The new contract cycle is effective from January 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027.

Pay-for-Performance (P4P) and Portal Feedback

  • P4P Updates: Capacity building investments continue, with $3.835 million available for Credentialing and another $3.835 million available for Technology. A total of 45 SCOs submitted for at least one of these two investments.
  • MyPBC Portal: ODP requested feedback on SCOs’ experience using the new MyPBC Portal for submissions.

Notification Letters and the Critical Resolution Process

Notification letters regarding determination are now being sent, which will include a list of any performance measures the SCO did not meet.

  • Mandatory QM Plans: SCOs with unmet measures are required to create and implement a Quality Management Plan (QMP) to meet the standards before the next PBC submission period.
  • Resolution Deadline is Strict: The most crucial detail shared is the deadline for challenging an unmet measure determination. SCOs will have only seven calendar days from the receipt of their determination letter to initiate the Resolution Process.
  • Process Guidance: The Resolution Process is strictly for submitting existing documentation that was inadvertently omitted or contained typographical errors to refute ODP’s determination. This is not an opportunity to create new materials solely to meet the standard, and newly created policies, plans, or comments on the process will not be reviewed.

Top Unmet Measures

The presentation included a breakdown of the top unmet measures across all SCOs, highlighting specific compliance challenges:

Measure Measure Description Number of SCOs Unmet Percent of SCOs Unmet
PCP.01.2 90% compliance with monitoring frequency by waiver type 38 73%
QDI.01.6 Restrictive procedure data is 86% accurate as compared to the most current BSP. 30 58%
RN.01 Register in PA Navigate Resource Platform as a CBO 15 23%

QDI (Quality Data Integrity) Measures: The purpose of QDI measures is to stress that SCOs are the primary source of data collection, and data integrity is essential for data-driven policies. ODP plans to drop these measures over time as performance improves.

  • For QDI.01.1 (Demographic Data), ODP focused on Completeness (86% threshold) this cycle, as checking for both ‘Complete AND Accurate’ resulted in nearly every SCO failing the measure. The threshold is set to increase to 93% for the FY 2027/28 contract cycle.
  • The target for PCP.01.2 (Monitoring Frequency Compliance) is 90% (P/FDS: once every three months; Consolidated/Community Living: once every two months). This threshold is also scheduled to increase to 93% in the FY 2027-2028 contract cycle.

Restrictive Procedures and Dissatisfaction Measures

  • Restrictive Procedures (RP): ODP presented details on the calculation for QDI.01.6, which compares the restrictive procedure checkbox in HCSIS against the most current Behavior Support Plan (BSP) summary text. Data showed a continued overall decrease in the rate of Restrictive Procedures incidents from 2022 to 2024.
  • Dissatisfaction Measure: For the Dissatisfaction Measure, ODP will utilize the data submitted by SCOs (the number of individuals who chose another SCO due to dissatisfaction and the reasons why) to establish a baseline for the measure and determine how to proceed with it in the future.

The presentation slide deck can be found here. SCO Providers are encouraged to continue to submit feedback and questions to ODP via the PBC Inbox.

For questions or comments, please contact Tim Sohosky.

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