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The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) has issued clarifications on mandates it has created as part of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) transition. Most notably, the requirement that two, two-hour group sessions be provided daily at Levels 3.5 and 3.7 has been removed, though providers still must provide at least six hours of therapy daily. Although clarifications have been provided for the credentialing mandate, no changes have been made. The Intensive Outpatient Level ratio remains at this time at 1:15.

All of the clarifications can be reviewed here.

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On Tuesday, April 27, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a revised guidance for COVID-19 long-term care (LTC) facility testing requirements for both staff and residents. These revisions apply to the original guidance that was issued on August 25, 2020 and focus primarily on testing and vaccinations. CMS also revised the nursing home visitation guidance during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), which includes the impact of the COVID-19 vaccination.

Based on these recent revisions, the Department of Human Services (DHS) encourages all personal care homes (PCHs) and Assisted Living Residences to implement the policies contained in these revised guidances immediately. DHS will issue updated guidance in the near future. Questions about these revisions should be directed to ARL Headquarters.

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Wolf Administration officials today outlined the impacts of COVID-19 on people living with substance use disorders (SUD) and highlighted projects and collaborations made possible through the opioid disaster declaration’s creation of the Opioid Command Center.

“As we continue to evaluate 2020 overdose trends, we are seeing a significant uptick in fatal overdoses,” Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said. “We know that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the challenges for people with the disease of addiction. Because of the disaster declaration in place, the entire Opioid Command Center, including the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, is able to offer a variety of support to people in need.”

While the 2020 counts are expected to increase further since finalized death records for overdose deaths are often delayed into the following year, there have been 4,880 drug overdose deaths reported thus far. This preliminary data, as of March 2021, indicates there were at least 422 more deaths in 2020 than in 2019. Since the overdose epidemic began, the most overdose deaths in Pennsylvania during a single year was 5,396 in 2017. Panelists will discuss the history, modalities, policies, and implementation of syringe services programs in communities. Read the full press release here.

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News from ANCOR:

As you may recall, for a few years now ANCOR has been advocating for the creation of a standard occupational code (SOC) for Direct Support Professionals, to get a better understanding of this workforce that could in turn inform policy-making and rate-setting. Last year this resulted in the Senate introducing legislation on this topic, and we are pleased to share that this week the offices of Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME) re-introduced this legislation. As a reminder, if not passed into law legislation expires at the end of each two-year Congress and needs to be re-introduced. The text of the bill, titled Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals, is unchanged from last year. We encourage you to ask your Senators to sign on to this legislation. I have attached a one-pager from our prior hill days on this topic so you have talking points on hand, and am happy to help you find staff contacts as needed. I have copied the press release on the bill’s re-introduction below for additional reference. Note that it quotes our CEO, Barbara Merrill.

“U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME), both members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, introduced bipartisan legislation to address the critical need for more Direct Support Professionals in the workforce. Direct Support Professionals assist with communication, provide on-the-job coaching, and help with daily living needs for individuals who experience disabilities. Unfortunately, home- and community-based service providers in New Hampshire, Maine, and across the country are struggling to recruit and retain Direct Support Professionals.

One challenge in addressing the problem is that the Bureau of Labor Statistics categorizes Direct Support Professionals under the broader category of “home health care aides,” which makes it impossible to accurately track workforce trends. The bipartisan Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act would revise the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ classification system, ensuring better data on this pressing workforce challenge.

“As a mother of a son who experiences severe disabilities, I have seen day after day the vital role that Direct Support Professionals play for individuals with disabilities and their families,” said Senator Hassan. “Not only do they assist with daily tasks, but they also help people who experience disabilities participate fully in their communities. Their work profoundly touches the lives of the individuals and families that they work with, and we must ensure that there are enough Direct Support Professionals in the workforce to provide this crucial support. This bipartisan bill would update the way the federal government tracks workforce data on Direct Support Professionals in order to inform better policies and provide more support to individuals who experience disabilities.”

“Every day, Direct Support Professionals work hard to provide critical support to individuals with disabilities that leads to more independent living and a better quality of life,” said Senator Collins. “We face a considerable shortage of information on the work they do and the important services they provide. Our bipartisan bill would address this information deficit by requiring OMB to improve data collection to help us better understand and address the challenges Direct Support Professionals experience.”

Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) are also cosponsors of the legislation.

The bipartisan bill is supported by the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR), Advocates Building Lasting Equality (ABLE) NH, and other leading advocates for individuals who experience disabilities.

“For years, ANCOR has advocated for better data on our direct support workforce because we fundamentally believe that robust data is a badly needed step toward solving the direct support workforce crisis,” said Barbara Merrill, Chief Executive Officer for ANCOR. “That’s why we’re so grateful for the leadership of Senators Hassan and Collins in introducing the Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act, which will propel us forward significantly in our efforts to ensure people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can be supported by qualified professionals who enhance their quality of life.”

“COVID’s negative impact on the disability community both highlighted the important role Direct Support Professionals play in the lives of people with disabilities as well as exacerbated the existing workforce shortage.  Individuals impacted by disability devote countless hours trying to recruit, hire, train and retain DSPs–the workforce shortage harms an individual’s right to community participation and drains families,” said Lisa D. Beaudoin, Executive Director of ABLE NH. “ABLE NH is very grateful to Senator Hassan for reintroducing this important legislation which is simply looking to make a distinction in workforce data collection so that the disability community, service providers and public agencies can accurately address the DSP workforce challenges we face.”

This bipartisan bill builds on Senator Hassan’s ongoing work to support home health care workers and Direct Support Professionals. Senator Hassan and colleagues secured more than $12.6 billion in dedicated emergency funding for State Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) in the American Rescue Plan.

For a one-pager on Senator Hassan and Collins’ bill, click here. For text of the legislation, click here.

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Doris Parfaite-Claude
Federal Advocacy and Research Manager
American Network of Community Options and Resources
Alexandria VA
(703)535-7850 (108)
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