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The ODP Annual Data Report provides statistical information to educate our stakeholders about the individuals ODP serves and the services they receive. This data provides an important overview of the service system ODP oversees that supports individuals with disabilities. The accompanying resource, Everyday Lives: Values in Action Information, Sharing and Advisory Committee (ISAC) Recommendations, Strategies, and Performance Measures, provides information on indicators of success used to gauge the effectiveness of the work of ODP.

The 2020–2021 Annual Data Report is available by using either of the following links:

Everyday Lives: Values in Action Information, Sharing and Advisory Committee (ISAC) Recommendations, Strategies, and Performance Measures publication is available here.

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A Financial Management Services (FMS) stakeholder meeting has been scheduled for March 4, 2022, from 1:00 pm–2:30 pm. This public meeting will include a discussion on the upcoming changes for the administration of FMS under the Community HealthChoices (CHC), OBRA Waiver, and Act 150 Programs. Representatives from both the CHC Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) and the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) will be in attendance to discuss the upcoming changes.

Registration is required to participate. Once registered, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

If you choose to use your phone to call in, please use the numbers below:
Dial in: (562) 247-8321
Access Code: 625418280#
Audio PIN: shown after joining the webinar

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ODP Announcement 22-023 is to remind providers that are required to take the Modified Medication Administration Training Course of upcoming renewal requirements. On February 13, 2020, the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) released ODP Announcement 20-014 titled “New ODP Regulation Update: Clarification Regarding Medication Administration Requirements.”

Among other things, Announcement 20-014 specified that “in accordance with § 6100.468(d), life sharers and service locations that are not licensed by the Department (DHS) will be required to successfully complete a modified medication administration course…staff required to take the course must do so by July 1, 2020, to be compliant with the regulatory requirements,” and that “staff, contractors, and consultants who are required to take the Modified Medication Administration Training Course must also take a renewal course every 2 years that must occur no later than the last day of the 24th month following the previous completion date.”

Based on the above, the Modified Medication Administration Training Course period is now active. To satisfy the renewal requirement, the current Modified Medication Administration Training course must be retaken in its entirety. To allow for ample time to complete the course for renewal, ODP is allowing for those who first took the course in February 2020 to complete the renewal requirement by March 31, 2022.

The Modified Medication Administration Course may be accessed on MyODP. Questions, comments, or requests for technical assistance relating to this announcement may be submitted via email.

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Act 126 of 2020 amended the original 2012 Methadone Death and Incident Review (MDAIR) Act, which established the creation of a team to review methadone-related deaths or incidents, to go beyond methadone and include a review of death and incidents related to any Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medication to treat opioid use disorder as a primary, secondary, or contributing factor to a death or incident.

As a result of the new law, the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs selected a new MDAIR team to review medication-related deaths, communicate concerns, and develop best practices to prevent future medication-related deaths and incidents.

A list of the new team members can be found here.

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The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is making more than $560 million in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 General Distribution payments to more than 4,100 providers across the country this week. Providers will receive an email notification by Thursday, February 24 if their application was among those processed in this latest batch. HRSA is working to review all remaining applications as quickly as possible.

With today’s announcement, a total of nearly $11.5 billion in PRF Phase 4 payments has now been distributed to more than 78,000 providers in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and five territories. This is in addition to HRSA’s distribution of American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural payments, totaling nearly $7.5 billion in funding to more than 44,000 providers since November 2021.

Learn More

  • The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a press release on February 24 and an updated state-by-state table detailing all Phase 4 payments made to date.
  • As individual providers agree to the terms and conditions of Phase 4 payments, it will be reflected on the public dataset.

If you have any further questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director.

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The Department of Human Services (DHS) is providing final notice of the Fee Schedule Rates and Department-Established Fees for services funded through the Consolidated, Community Living, and Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS) Waivers as well as the Community Intellectual Disability Base-Funded Program.

The Fee Schedule Rates are effective January 1, 2022, with the exception of the rates for Agency With Choice Financial Management Services (AWC FMS) and direct Community Participation Support services. The Fee Schedule Rates for AWC-FMS will be effective on March 1, 2022. The Fee Schedule Rates for direct Community Participation Support services will be effective six months after the expiration of the federal novel coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency, and the temporary increases to the Fee Schedule Rates that are currently in place will end. The Department-Established Fees are effective July 1, 2022.

The full announcement with the specific rates can be found here.

These rates will be in effect for the next three years. Providers have the right to appeal these rates to the Bureau of Hearings and Appeals. Any provider who wishes to appeal must do so within 30 days of the notice, and those who do not appeal within that period will lose the right to challenge rates before the Bureau.

RCPA is hosting a “How to File a Rate Appeal” webinar on March 7, 2022, from 1:00 pm–2:00 pm. Otherwise, you should consult an attorney with experience filing such appeals.

Contact Carol Ferenz with any questions.

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ODP Announcement 22-022 is to inform all provider agencies employing Direct Service Providers (DSPs) that the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) will be participating in the 2021 National Core Indicators® (NCI) Staff Stability Survey. ODP is requesting qualified providers participate in the 2021 Staff Stability Survey. This important survey includes questions relating to volume, stability, compensation, and benefits of DSPs serving adults 18 years of age and older.

The data gathered from this voluntary and anonymous survey will help ODP, along with other policy makers and advocates, to:

  • Inform policy and program development regarding DSP workforce (DSPW) improvement initiatives;
  • Monitor and evaluate the impact of workforce initiatives;
  • Compare state workforce outcomes with those of other states;
  • Provide context for consumer and family outcomes; and
  • Create systems that more effectively collect, analyze, and use DSP workforce data.

Within the next few weeks, providers will receive an email from HSRI inviting them to participate in this Staff Stability Survey. Those wishing to participate will be furnished with a unique login that will enable providers to directly enter survey responses into the HSRI database. Results of the survey will only be reported in the aggregate, and organizations will not be identified in any way. It is recommended that Human Resources or the Payroll Office complete surveys, and responses should reflect DSPs who were on agency payroll during any period between January 1 and December 31, 2021.

The deadline to complete data entry is June 30, 2022. A copy of the survey is included to allow for preparation of data prior to completing data entry. It is a proprietary tool of the National Core Indicators® and is to be used for reference only.

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