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0 2019

ODP Announcement 22-059 informs readers that the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is pleased to announce that an amendment to the AAW was submitted to CMS on May 9, 2022. The submitted AAW includes modifications that were made as a result of public comment. The AAW amendment includes the following substantive changes:

  • Adding reserved waiver capacity for individuals who are discharged from a state center. Reserved waiver capacity is also being added for participants who have been incarcerated for more than six consecutive months;
  • Aligning provider qualifications in the AAW with the Consolidated, Community Living, and Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS) waivers, whenever possible;
  • Allowing relatives to deliver the Life Sharing component of the Residential Habilitation service;
  • Requiring that agencies that provide Residential Habilitation/Life Sharing must be qualified and enrolled to provide Residential Habilitation/Life Sharing in the Consolidated or Community Living waivers;
  • Increasing the annual fiscal limit in the transportation service to $5,000 per participant’s ISP year;
  • Allowing one of the four required monitoring conducted by the Supports Coordinator each year to be conducted remotely;
  • Adding a new service, Remote Supports; and
  • Delivering direct services using remote technology.

The requirements in the AAW will become effective when Appendix K flexibilities expire, six months after the expiration of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency.

Please note that aligning the Assistive Technology service, where possible, with the Consolidated, Community Living, and P/FDS waivers includes adding generators for the participant’s primary residence.

The full AAW application, as well as a record of substantive changes, is available here.

CMS has 90 days to review the amendment, and changes may occur to the content based upon discussion with CMS during the approval process. The proposed effective date of July 1, 2022, is also subject to change. ODP will inform all stakeholders when CMS has officially approved the AAW and will make the approved waiver available at that time.

Questions about this communication should be directed via email.

0 1686

The ODPANN 22-054 Update is to inform all interested parties that important infrastructural changes to the Medication Administration Training Program will now be rescheduled to take place from Friday, July 1 – Sunday, July 31, 2022, which will cause an outage. If you attempt to conduct a class or complete any training on the system during this outage, your work will be lost.

0 1977

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) and the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) are pleased to announce this latest edition of the Positive Approaches Journal titled “Innovation & Best Practices in Supporting Autistic Adults.”

The focus of autism supports has almost exclusively been on children. Articles in this issue of Positive Approaches seeks to shed some light on adults with autism, including:

  • An article on transgender identity and gender dysphoria highlighting ways that adults with autism can be supported and accepted while defining who they are;
  • An article on the Temple University Community Participation Measure and its success in showing areas where adults with autism are spending their time, thereby giving a clearer picture on where supports and services may best be provided;
  • An article on an adult with autism’s journey from work into retirement and how he perceived this milestone;
  • An article discussing Pennsylvania’s continuing development of forward-thinking autism supports and services;
  • An article on the ongoing development and expansion of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Neurodevelopmental Residential Treatment Unit; and
  • An article on the reasoning, development, and success of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s (UPMC) Western Behavioral Health Psychiatric Rehabilitation (PR) program carve-out program to serve autistic adults.

This journal issue focuses on the need to look across the lifespan to better understand the issues adults with autism may face.

Positive Approaches Journal is available for viewing online or for downloading in digital form.

0 2174

RCPA held a golf fundraiser for the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association Political Action Committee (RCPA PAC) on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. This successful event raised much-needed funds for the RCPA PAC.

We would like to thank all the generous golfers who participated in this event and contributed to the RCPA PAC. In addition, we would like to thank our hole sponsors:

  • Associated Production Services, Inc.;
  • Brier Dlugolecki Strategies;
  • Ceisler Media & Issue Advocacy;
  • Christopher S. Lucas & Associates;
  • Comprehensive Financial Associates, Inc. and PA Pension Planners, Inc.;
  • Erie County Care Management;
  • Morgan Stanley Wealth Management;
  • Novak Strategic Advisors; and
  • Threshold Rehabilitation Services, Inc.

Your support is always needed and we encourage you to make a personal contribution to RCPA PAC. For your convenience, you can now make an online contribution.

Thank you again for your participation and contributions. We look forward to holding another golf outing in October, in conjunction with the RCPA Annual Conference. In addition, we are exploring other activities for conference attendees to engage in for support of the PAC; more information will be forthcoming.

If you are interested in learning more about RCPA PAC or donating, please visit our website, download the PAC FAQ Card, Donation Card, or email Jack Phillips, Director of Government Affairs.

Your participation in the RCPA-PAC is completely voluntary, and you may contribute as much or as little as you choose. Donations are not tax-deductible and will be used for political purposes. You may choose not to participate without fear of reprisal. You will not be favored or disadvantaged by reason of the amount of your contribution or decision not to contribute.

0 1936

There is a significant intersection between behavioral health and brain injury. As many as 75 percent of those seeking services for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders are living with the effects of brain injury. Further complicating this fact is that many individuals seeking behavioral health services have not been properly diagnosed or screened for brain injury. These individuals may not even be aware that a brain injury may be part of why they are struggling. Additionally, many state behavioral health systems have policies or practices in place that can inadvertently turn someone with a brain injury away from much needed behavioral health services. Behavioral health clinicians often feel ill-equipped to address the needs of someone with a brain injury, which can lead to poor treatment outcomes.

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Technical Assistance and Resource Center’s (TARC’s) will be offering a webinar to introduce their Behavioral Health Guide, designed to provide state brain injury professionals with the tools to effectively partner with their state behavioral health entities and improve outcomes. This webinar, “Introductory Webinar to the Behavioral Health Guide: Considerations for Best Practices for Children, Youth, and Adults with TBI,” will be held on Wednesday, June 22, 2022 from 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm. To participate in this webinar, register here.

0 2694

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department is highlighting its continued work to ensure that insurers operating within the commonwealth are following state and federal parity laws, allowing those faced with mental health or substance use disorders continued access to needed care.

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), health insurance plans and insurers must offer mental health and substance use disorder benefits that are no less restrictive than their coverage for medical or surgical care. These benefits include quantitative limitations (copays, deductibles, and limits on inpatient or outpatient visits that are covered) and non-quantitative limitations (pre-authorizations, providers available through a plan’s network, and what a plan deems “medically necessary”).

Read the full press release.

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