OVR is excited to share with you the first edition of The Story, an OVR Success Story publication. The newsletter shares the success stories of 15 people who benefited from OVR services through various programs such as Project Search and Project Career Launch. It also gives “shout outs” to the staff of OVR for their dedication to helping others succeed.
The Department of Human Services has become aware that there is confusion regarding timeframes specific to the “Warrant for Emergency Examination” under Section 302 of the Act. The field requires guidance on the length of time a warrant is considered active before the subject of the warrant has been located and the individual has been presented at an evaluation location.
When an individual displays an urgent need for evaluation and treatment due to concerns for the safety of that individual or others, authorization for an Involuntary Evaluation is outlined in the MHPA. The legislature designated a specific timeframe for an individual to be held at an evaluation location to avoid deprivation of liberty without further due process (see In Re Chiumento, 688 A. 2d 217, 221 (Pa Super, 1997)).
The mandated time limit reflects the expectation to honor the constitutional due process requirement of balancing individual liberty interests with the government’s interests in ensuring individual and societal safety.
If you have further questions, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.
Documents from the May 12, 2023, Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Subcommittee meeting are now available. The documents include the agenda, transcript, and PowerPoint presentations and can be found below:
The next MLTSS Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for June 1, 2023, from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm in the PA Department of Education’s Honors Suite at 333 Market St. in Harrisburg, PA. The option to participate via webinar is also available. To participate in the meeting via webinar, please register here. You will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar if you registered correctly. If you have trouble accessing the webinar registration through Internet Explorer or Safari web browsers, please try accessing it through a different web browser, such as Chrome or Edge.
Dial-In Number: 1 (562) 247-8321
Access Code: 856702912#
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has released ODPANN 23-041: Max Number of Hours Per Week of In-Home and Community Support and/or Companion Services That Relatives and Legal Guardians May Provide. The purpose of this announcement is to:
Please read the full announcement here.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 23-040: FY23-24 Renewal Guidance. This communication will provide guidance for the FY 2023/24 renewal period. The following topical areas are addressed in this communication:
For information related to special considerations, please contact the ODP Regional Program Office assigned to your region. For questions related to the participant-directed services (PDS rate table or calculator), please contact your ODP Regional Financial Management Services (FMS)/PDS Lead.
See the resource ODP-ID/A: SC100I Supports Coordination > Chapter 17: Fiscal Year Renewal: ISP – v8.0 9/21/13 in the LMS for information on how to perform a FY Renewal.
The Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission (JCJC), the PA Council of Chief Juvenile Probation Officers, and the JCJC Awards Committee are pleased to announce that nominations are now being accepted for the 2023 Professional and Youth Award Programs. Award nomination forms can be found on the JCJC website. The awards will be presented at the 2023 James E. Anderson Pennsylvania Conference on Juvenile Justice November 1–2, 2023, at the Hilton Harrisburg.
PROFESSIONAL AWARDS
Residential Program of the Year — Any public or private sector program serving alleged and/or adjudicated delinquent youth in a residential setting. This includes foster homes, group homes, residential treatment programs, general childcare facilities, shelter care facilities, detention centers, independent living programs, and other programs providing out-of-home, overnight care to children. Award Winners prior to 2018 are eligible for nomination.
Community-Based Program of the Year Award — Any public or private sector program, not operated by the court, which provides community-based, non-residential services to alleged and/or adjudicated delinquent youth including, but not limited to, day treatment programs, in-home services, Boys and Girls Clubs, Education Services, and out-patient services.
Meritorious Service Award — A person committed to furthering the development of at-risk, alleged and/or delinquent youth, or advancing the mission of the juvenile justice system (examples of volunteer work may include, but is not limited to, youth aid panels, youth commissions, anti-violence programs, school-based programs, diversionary programs, mentoring programs, faith-based programs, community centers, or similar programming).
Formal professional award nomination materials must be submitted via email by Monday, August 14, 2023.
YOUTH AWARDS
Outstanding Achievement Award — The Outstanding Achievement Award submission consists of a narrative description of a youth’s outstanding qualities of community service, victim reparation, academic accomplishments, school attendance, citizenship, attitude, extra-curricular activities, peer relationships, significant life experience, and positive changes in behavior.
Creative Expression Contest — Using the theme “Believe In My Steps For Tomorrow,” youth are to submit an original creative expression project in one of the following three categories: Poster; Written (essay, poem, story, etc.); or Mixed Media (Dance, song, audio, video, or photography). This contest has a fifteen (15) and under category and a sixteen (16) and over category.
Youth Award Winners and their chaperones will be honored guests at the 2023 Youth Awards Program and Dinner. Individuals submitting nominations will be responsible for ensuring that winners attend the Youth Awards Program. Winners will have the opportunity to say a few words upon receiving their award. All youth award nominations must be postmarked by Monday, August 14, 2023.
Thank you for your interest and support of the 2023 JCJC Awards Program. Please contact Angel Stewart at 717-783-7835 or via email contact Keysla Rodriguez at 717-783-6263 or via email for questions or further assistance.
Message from ANCOR:
As you may have heard, the Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act was reintroduced in Congress! This Act would direct the Office of Management and Budget to establish a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) for direct support professionals (DSP). With a SOC for DSPs, we can begin to capture more accurate employment and wage data, which helps in developing more precise payment rates. We need your support to ensure that this crucial bipartisan legislation is supported by your congressional members and passed this Congress!
ANCOR members and our allies have already been doing an amazing job in just the past two days — Over 3,500 messages have been sent to Members of Congress! In case you have a competitive streak and are curious which states are leading the pack, members from New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Massachusetts have sent the most messages to Congress this week! Let’s keep the momentum going!
Take action and contact your legislators today to support DSPs and share it with your friends and family. Remember, you can take the action alert every day! Let’s make a difference for our Direct Support Professional Workforce.
Join the National Council on Aging (NCOA) for Part 2 of their Public Policy webinar series to learn about the ongoing efforts in Congress to tackle the direct care workforce crisis. As the pandemic has shown, the demand for direct care far exceeds the available supply of workers across the nation, creating a significant challenge for care recipients and direct care workers alike. Without a robust direct care workforce, families and caregivers face additional pressure to provide care that is often inadequate for the complex health needs of older adults and persons with disabilities. In this webinar, attendees will discover how NCOA is taking action to address this issue, as well as hear from members of Congress.
This webinar will take place on Thursday, May 25 at 2:00 pm ET.
Visit here to register.
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