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The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) has released the OMHSAS-24-05 Peer Support Services (PSS) Bulletin and PSS Provider Handbook, updating the requirements for Peer Support Services. OMHSAS significantly reorganized the existing language in the Handbook to better clarify which requirements apply to OMHSAS licensure and which apply to Medical Assistance payment. Along with these formatting changes, OMHSAS-24-05 includes the following updates:

  • Staff Qualifications and Requirements for Certified Peer Specialists (CPS)
    • The requirement for a CPS to have a high school diploma or GED has been removed.
    • The requirement for a Serious Mental Illness (SMI) or Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) has been replaced with a requirement to have a mental health diagnosis. Please note, to be eligible to receive PSS services, there is still a requirement for “the presence or history of an SMI or SED.”
    • The clause requiring CPSs “to attain certification through the PCB within six months of hire” has been removed, as the certification examination is now available on-demand, eliminating the need for a grace period for testing to be completed.
  • Staff Qualifications and Requirements for CPS Supervisors
    • Adding a new qualification category for individuals with an associate degree.
    • Supervisory meetings held in an audio-only format shall not be considered supervision.
    • Supervisory meetings shall be provided at a minimum of one hour each week.
  • Telehealth
    • The prior requirement that only 25% of total services provided per beneficiary per calendar year can be delivered by telephone has been removed.
    • PSS may be provided via telehealth technology, including audio-only service delivery, when it is clinically appropriate to do so.
    • PSS providers must ensure that the preference of individuals receiving services (or their legal guardian) is given a high priority when determining the appropriate service delivery modality.

Please review all other revisions to OMHSAS-24-05 here.

Comments and questions regarding this bulletin should be directed to:
Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Bureau of Policy, Planning and Program Development,
P.O. Box 2675,
Harrisburg, PA 17105
General Office Number: 717-772-7900
Email

If you have any questions, please contact RCPA COO and Mental Health Policy Director Jim Sharp.

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Capitol hill building in the morning with colorful cloud , Washington DC.

On December 21, President Biden signed into law the 2025 American Relief Act, a stopgap funding bill passed by Congress on December 20 that funds the federal government through March 14, 2025, and includes over $110 billion for disaster relief.

The bill extends certain Medicare telehealth flexibilities through March 31, 2025, under Section 3207, including the six-month in-person requirement for mental health services, the expanded originating sites, and coverage of audio-only services.

The bill also extends funding for several expiring health care programs through March 31, 2025, including the National Health Service Corps at $85 million and the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program at $43 million, both under Section 3101.

In addition, the stopgap bill delays scheduled reductions to the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospitals allotments, which are currently set to result in a total reduction of $32 billion between 2025 and 2027. Under Section 3401, the bill delays these cuts through April 1, 2025.

You can read the bill text and a summary of the health care provisions.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared new American Sign Language (ASL)-English Interpreter services available to individuals in the Consolidated, P/FDS, Community Living, and Adult Autism Waivers starting January 1, 2025. It is excluded from the waiver limits for P/FDS and Community Living waivers.

ASL-English Interpreter is a vendor service that can be provided by an agency or an individual through an Organized Health Care Delivery System, participant direction (both Employer Authority and Budget Authority), or provider. This service must be entered in the Individual Support Plan (ISP) and billed as a 15-minute unit of service. There is an error in the waivers that indicates the ASL-English Interpreter service may be billed as an hour unit of service. The ASL-English Interpreter 15-minute procedure codes listed in the table, ODPANN 24-126, are set up as outcome-based services with an individualized rate. This means HCSIS allows this service to have a different rate per service, per individual, and per provider.

Supports Coordinators should refer to ODP Communication Number 100-16 for guidance on vendor rates and Administrative Fee Services related to the delivery of vendor services. This guidance outlines how SCs should properly enter and follow the instructions for these services.

Providers who wish to enroll directly with ODP to provide this service (not through an Organized Health Care Delivery System or participant-direction) must enroll as Provider Type 58, Specialty 580.

See the announcement for new procedure codes and descriptions for clarity and consistency.

Questions can be sent electronically to ODP’s Deaf Services inbox.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 24-127 to notify trainers and learners of the following information:

  1. Reach out to the MA Help desk if the student does not pass their second attempt at the Post Test for account reset.
  2. If a student earns a Post Test total of 89.5 points, it will be rounded up to 90 and considered a passing score.
  3. 3 additional Observation checks are now available in the 2024 online student courses for those that did not complete the initial 4 observations within 30 days of passing the exams.
  4. A link is now available on the student course page for students to view their User Report.
  5. Reminder: The “Trainer Attestation of Qualification” and the “Complete to access Acknowledgement of Qualification” activities serve as the ‘online’ signatures, replacing the physical signatures.
  6. Reminder: The 2022 student courses should no longer be used after January 31, 2025. Activities will no longer be available to students after this date. Please complete the 2022 student courses before this date and start new classes with the 2024 student courses.

The announcement contains a Proof of Qualification guide for Qualified Medication Administrators, Certified Trainers, and Qualified Practicum Observers.

Guidance is also available to trainers on how to do the following in the online Medication Administration system:

  1. Enter the grade and date of the medication observations;
  2. Enter the trainer attestation grade; and
  3. Print the user report.

The Schedule from January – March 2025 is available for Train-the-Trainer Face-to-Face.

Please view the announcement for additional information and details.

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