Safety Net Organizations Ask PA For Additional Funds — RCPA President/CEO Richard Edley Quoted
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ANCOR Webinar: COVID-19 After Action Reviews for ICF/IDD Programs
Wednesday, May 5, 2021 1:00 pm–2:00 pm EDT
Register Now
With the emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Intermediate Care Facility for Intellectual Developmental Disabilities (ICF/IDDs) need to take steps to ensure compliance with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Appendix Z Emergency Preparedness Regulations which require ICF/IDDs to analyze their responses to, and maintain documentation of, all drills, tabletop exercises, and emergency events.
This webinar will walk attendees through the After Action Review process as a strategy to ensure compliance, provide an overview of the regulatory requirements (including the March 2021 updates in the State Operations Manual Guidance for Appendix Z), and share lessons learned in how to conduct a meaningful COVID-19 After Action Review and report. Participants will walk away with tips and tools to improve their organization’s preparedness/response and improve their Appendix Z compliance.
This webinar is most appropriate for ICF/IDD employees responsible for Emergency Preparedness Regulatory compliance to include Qualified Intellectual Disability Professionals (QIDPs), administrators, supervisory staff, and safety officers. A recording will be made available to all registrants.
Presenter
Catherine Thibedeau, Executive Director, Independence Advocates of Maine
Registration
ANCOR Members: FREE
Non-Members: $79
Seeking Input on Ensuring Equity in Employment for People With Disabilities
The U.S. Department of Labor is seeking input on ideas for ensuring equity in employment policies and programs for people with disabilities from historically underserved communities. Please consider sharing your ideas, review community input, and comment on others’ ideas. Your feedback will be used to identify solutions for overcoming barriers to employment for people with disabilities from diverse backgrounds, communities, and identities. It will also inform future programs and funding opportunities that equitably deliver employment services and supports to all.
Submissions are open through Monday, April 26, 2021. Visit here to submit your ideas.
The Federal Response to COVID-19: Addressing the Needs of the Autism and Disability Communities
The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee at the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Autism Research Coordination at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are co-hosting a webinar about the health, education, and employment of people with disabilities during the pandemic. The webinar will feature speakers from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, U.S. Department of Education, and U.S. Department of Labor, as well as the autism advocacy community.
This webinar will be held on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 from 2:00 pm–4:00 pm ET. Please visit this website to learn more.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
The next National Take Back Day is this Saturday, April 24, 2021. The October 2020 Take Back Day brought in 985,392 pounds (492.7 tons) of unused, unwanted, or expired medication, the most in the program’s history.
Join the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, and NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education in encouraging your campus community to participate this Saturday. Collection sites staffed by authorized law enforcement officials will be open from 10:00 am–2:00 pm — find a site near you.
Visit here to learn more.
Amendments to the Consolidated, Community Living, AND P/FDS Waivers Submitted to CMS
ODP Announcement 21-035 is to inform all interested parties of the submission of the proposed amendments to the Consolidated, Community Living, and Personal/Family Directed Support (P/FDS) waivers to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It is anticipated that the amendments will be effective July 1, 2021.
The submitted waivers include modifications that were made as a result of public comment received by about 160 stakeholders which included individuals and self-advocates, families, agencies, and organizations. Each full waiver application, as well as a side-by-side of substantive changes made as a result of public comment, is available online here.
CMS has 90 days to review the amendments and changes may occur to the content based upon discussion with CMS during the approval process. It is anticipated that these waiver amendments will be approved and effective July 1, 2021. The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) will inform all stakeholders when CMS has officially approved the Consolidated, Community Living, and P/FDS waivers and will make the approved waivers available at that time.
In addition, ODP is currently preparing the renewal of the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW). The renewal is expected to be effective July 1, 2021. The proposed changes in the amendment, including modifications that were made as a result of public comment, will be submitted to CMS with the submission of the waiver renewal application. Once the renewal application for the Adult Autism Waiver is submitted to CMS for review, ODP will notify all stakeholders of the submission and post the renewal application online.
The July 2021 proposed waiver amendments that were published for public comment contained amendments relating to remote service delivery, services while a participant is hospitalized, and the allowance for Supports Coordination Organizations to be Organized Health Care Delivery Systems. Since Appendix K is still in effect, ODP did not include these amendments in the July 2021 submission to CMS. Those proposed amendments and public comments will be reviewed and considered for a waiver amendment that will be effective in January 2022.
Questions about this communication should be directed to the appropriate ODP Regional Office.
CMS Hospital/Quality Initiative Open Door Forum Scheduled for April 28
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced the date for the next hospital/quality initiative open door forum. The open door forum has been scheduled for Wednesday, April 28, 2021 from 2:00 pm–3:00 pm. Agenda topics include: fiscal year (FY) 2022 inpatient rehabilitation facility prospective payment system (IRF PPS) proposed rule overview; FY 2022 inpatient psychiatric facility (IPF) PPS proposed rule; the inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) wage index timeline reminder; and open question and answer.
To participate in the open door forum, dial 888-455-1397 and reference passcode 8604468. Instant replay will also be available beginning one hour after the call has ended (and expires after Friday, April 30, 2021). To listen to the replay, dial 800-391-9852. No passcode is needed.
Sent Home Early: Lost Learning In Special Education
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