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PA Could Skip Over COVID Vaccine Phases to Meet May 1 Universal Eligibility Deadline
HCBS At-a-Glance by Level of Community Spread UPDATE
ODP Announcement 20-072 update provides continued guidance to stakeholders about the operation of Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) functions in the context of the Level of Community Spread within a County. The At-A-Glance level of community spread guidance provides updated information.
ANCOR Advocates for CMS Guidance for Use of HCBS Provisions in the American Rescue Plan
Sarah Meek, ANCOR’s Senior Director of Legislative Affairs, appealed to Secretary Xavier Becerra and Acting Administrator Liz Richter “to swiftly issue guidance on the Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) provisions of the recently enacted American Rescue Plan (ARP). Strengthening the Medicaid HCBS program is essential to saving lives in the disability community, which has been particularly hard-hit by the pandemic.”
“States should be urged to closely work with stakeholders, including consumers, providers, and workers, on the investment of funds in a reasonably expediated approach to address the specific needs in their state. States should be encouraged to fund measures that include, but are not limited to, bolstering the direct care workforce, increasing access to and use of technology and remote supports, and promoting the safe provision of services with social distancing and PPE.”
The letter includes additional thoughts regarding recommended uses of the funds to support the administration, quality, and availability of HCBS.
ODP Proposed Fiscal Year 21/22 Budget Presentation
Deputy Secretary Ahrens presented information regarding the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) proposed budget recommendations for state fiscal year (SFY) 21/22 at the Medical Assistance Advisory Committee (MAAC) meeting on March 25, 2021.
Highlights included:
- The budget for SFY 2021/22 provides $2.23B in state funds for ODP. Including federal participation and augmenting revenues, the total budget for ODP services is $5.04B.
- The budget reflects an increase of $177.3M in state funding, a 7.95% increase from SFY 2020/21.
- $13.9M to provide home and community-based services for an additional 732 individuals on the emergency waiting list during SFY 2021/22 in the Community Living Waiver, and an additional 100 individuals with emergency needs in the Consolidated Waiver. Includes reserve capacity for 20 children with medical complexities in each waiver (begins 3/1/2022).
- $828K in savings associated with a new outcome-based payment for successful residential transitions from 6400 group homes to life-sharing or supported living for up to 20 individuals during SFY 2021/22 (begins 1/1/2022).
The full PowerPoint presentation is available here.
Temporary Changes to CHC 1915c, OBRA, and Act 150 Waivers
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved temporary changes to the OBRA, CHC 1915(c), and Act 150 waivers beginning March 6, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Approval of these changes is covered under Appendix K, Emergency Preparedness and Response, which states may use during emergency situations to request amendments to their approved waivers. These changes addressed potential staffing shortages and the need for service provision not included in approved service descriptions to ensure participant health and safety needs could be accommodated for the duration of the COVID-19 statewide emergency. The changes were not intended to apply to all participants nor to be considered across-the-board changes that must be implemented for each participant. These flexibilities were to be evaluated on a case-by-case in coordination with the CHC Managed Care Organizations (CHC-MCOs).
CMS recently approved an amendment to Appendix K which allows some flexibilities to continue until six months after the end date of the federal public health emergency. The federal public health emergency is set to expire on April 21, 2021; however, it’s possible the federal government will decide to extend the emergency beyond April. Please use this public health emergency website link to see the current and future public health emergency declarations related to COVID-19. The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) will issue guidance in the future when the Appendix K flexibilities are closer to expiring.
Attached are the documents that have been updated to reflect the new expiration date for the flexibilities:
- Transition Plan to Phase Out Temporary Changes to the CHC 1915(c) Waiver – Revised March 25, 2021
- Temporary Changes to the CHC 1915(c) Waiver – Revised March 25, 2021
- Transition Plan to Phase Out Temporary Changes to the Act 150 Program – Revised March 25, 2021
- Temporary Changes to the Act 150 Program – Revised March 25, 2021
- Transition Plan to Phase Out Temporary Changes to the OBRA 1915(c) Waiver – Revised March 25, 2021
- Temporary Changes to the OBRA 1915(c) Waiver – Revised March 25, 2021
If you have questions about the information in this Listserv email, please contact the OLTL Provider Helpline at 800-932-0939.
2021 APSE Virtual Conference – Week of June 14, 2021
Resources from Office of Disability Employment Policy
From ANCOR:
March 26, 2021
Pre-employment Transition Services
The Employment First Community of Practice will host a webinar on “Pre-employment Transition Services: Implementation Efforts, Successes and Challenges in Minnesota and Idaho” on April 14 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET. This webinar will review the requirements for pre-employment transition services for students with disabilities, including job exploration counseling, work-based learning experiences, counseling on opportunities for enrollment in comprehensive transition or postsecondary educational programs, workplace readiness training, and instruction in self-advocacy. The webinar will share how Minnesota and Idaho are implementing the requirements.
Inclusive Community College Career Pathways: Access
The Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth published a blog on “Inclusive Community College Career Pathways: Access.” The blog discusses how two community colleges increased education access for students with disabilities through an Office of Disability Employment Policy grant program.
PEAT Newsletter
The Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology released its March 2021 Future of Work Newsletter. It highlights the Office of Disability Employment Policy’s 20th anniversary and PEAT’s conference session at SXSW 2021 on “Disability-Led Innovation in Future Workplaces.” It also links to resources added to PEAT’s “Telework and Accessibility Toolkit.”
Disability-Inclusive Apprenticeships in the States
The National Conference of State Legislatures published a report, “Apprenticeships: A Pipeline for an Inclusive Recovery,” that examines state and federal actions to enhance disability inclusion in apprenticeships. The report explains why inclusive apprenticeships can be an effective workforce development tool to aid economic recovery in the COVID-19 response and highlights resources for creating inclusive apprenticeship programs. The report is the fourth and final in a series developed in collaboration with the State Exchange on Employment & Disability on the opportunities and challenges stemming from the pandemic and its impact on the employment of people with disabilities.
Registered Apprenticeship Technical Assistance Centers of Excellence
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship announced $31 million in funds for Registered Apprenticeship Technical Assistance Centers of Excellence. The Centers of Excellence will support the expansion and modernization of technical assistance to Registered Apprenticeship Programs to accelerate and support their growth and diversity. Funding applications are due April 29, 2021.
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Donna Martin
American Network of Community Options and Resources
Alexandria VA
401-965-9411
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Equitable Vaccination Options Survey
On behalf of the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s (DOH) COVID-19 Health Equity Response Team, the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) is asking organizations that can be helpful in the effort to ensure equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines to complete this Equitable Vaccination Options survey as soon as possible. If you yourself are not part of such an organization, but know of an organization that can help, please share the survey with them.
More information on DOH’s work in health equity can be found on the DOH Health Equity web page. Thank you for your help.
Guidance for Tuberculin Skin Testing and COVID Vaccination
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has issued guidance related to Tuberculin skin testing regulatory compliance and COVID-19 vaccinations. The official DHS announcement concerning tuberculin skin testing and COVID vaccination is available at the following link: Guidance for Tuberculin Skin Testing and COVID Vaccination.
Current CDC recommendations state that individuals should not take a Tuberculosis skin test within four weeks of their 2-dose COVID-19 vaccination process.
Applies to Chapters 2380 (Adult Training Facilities), 6400 (Community Homes for Individuals with an Intellectual Disability or Autism), and 6500 (Life Sharing Homes) of Title 55 of the Pennsylvania Code.
Due to the CDC guidance related to tuberculin skin testing and COVID-19 Vaccinations impact on licensees’ ability to comply with regulatory requirements and with the Governor’s authorization as conferred in the Disaster Proclamation, the Department has temporarily issued a limited suspension of the timing of the tuberculin skin testing provisions.
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