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The Department of Health’s (DOH) Brain Injury (BI) Advisory Board will hold their public meeting on Friday, February 6, 2026, from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm at the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) office, 6340 Flank Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17112 in the Cumberland conference room. The meeting materials will be sent out before the meeting and will also be available on the Board’s website and at the meeting location. Questions should be directed to Nicole Johnson.

DOH’s Head Injury Program (HIP) strives to ensure that eligible individuals who have a brain injury receive high quality rehabilitative services aimed at reducing functional limitations and improving quality of life. The BI Advisory Board assists DOH in understanding and meeting the needs of individuals living with acquired brain injuries, both traumatic and nontraumatic, and their families. This quarterly meeting provides updates on a variety of topics, including the number of people served by HIP. In addition, meeting participants will discuss budgetary and programmatic issues, community programs relating to traumatic and nontraumatic brain injuries, and available advocacy opportunities.

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From the National Council for Mental Wellbeing

As RCPA continues to support efforts to realign Pennsylvania’s integrated behavioral and physical health initiatives with the return to the CCBHC model, our partners at the National Council have issued this advocacy alert on recent legislation expanding States opportunities in serving our vulnerable communities.

This opportunity will focus member reach out to our Senators about a new bipartisan bill that would help sustain and expand access to Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) in Pennsylvania and across the country.

S 3402 would give states and organizations the ability to continue growing the behavioral health workforce, expand services for older adults and people eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, and help more communities establish CCBHCs.

Right now there are three co-sponsors in the Senate. If enough people contact their Senators, we can keep the momentum going!

TAKE ACTION

We also included some more detail about the legislation via the above “take action” link if you’d like to dive deeper. The letter takes about 1–2 minutes to send. If you want to call your Senators’ offices and  leave a message too, we made a script for you to use – just follow the prompts on the page.

If you have any questions please contact RCPA COO and Mental Health Services Director Jim Sharp.

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Representative Tim Briggs has scheduled a voting meeting for January 27, 2026, at 10:00 am to review amendments to HB 2042, known as the Safety in Youth Sports Act, which established standards for managing concussions and traumatic brain injuries of students participating in athletic activities.

Representative Briggs introduced HB 2042 in 2011. This meeting will include discussion about proposed amendments to the original bill which will expand the scope of this Act to further provide for the proper management of brain injuries. The amendments include non-scholastic league and recreational sports and also provide information on Return to Learn. Representative Briggs will also be incorporating this bill into the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes so that it is no longer a freestanding act.

The meeting will be held in Room 205 in the Ryan Office Building and will be livestreamed from the House Committee website.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared communication ODPANN 26-003. The purpose of this communication is to announce the release of the ISP Manual that includes changes due to the January 1, 2026 amendments to the Consolidated, Community Living, and Person/Family-Directed Support waivers. Please review the announcement for more details.

ATTACHMENTS:

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The Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting was held on January 7, 2026. During the meeting, a number of presentations were given.

Members should take time to review the agenda and PowerPoint presentations from the meeting below:

The next LTSS Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for February 4, 2026 (virtual only) from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. To participate, register for the meeting here. The call information is below:

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RCPA, along with The Alliance CSP, The Arc of Pennsylvania, MAX Association, PAR, and The Provider Alliance, submitted a joint letter to ODP Deputy Secretary Kristin Ahrens outlining recommended improvements to Community Participation Support (CPS). The letter highlights policy and regulatory barriers affecting person-centered services, workforce stability, and provider sustainability, and urges ODP to pursue near-term solutions through policy clarification or regulatory waivers.

Key recommendations include:

  • Planning and Coordination Billing: Allow billing for planning and coordination while CPS services are delivered and permit billing at ratios aligned with individuals’ actual support needs (e.g., 1:1, 1:2, 1:3). Associations recommend a new billing code/modifier or a statewide ODP announcement.
  • Program Specialist Education Requirements: Align education requirements for program specialists in Chapters 2380 and 2390 with Life Sharing and unlicensed residential models by permitting a high school diploma plus six years of ID/A experience, ideally through a blanket waiver announced via ODP Bulletin.
  • Dual Licensure for Chapter 2380 Programs: Eliminate dual licensure with the Department of Aging for providers billing exclusively to ODP when serving individuals age 60 and over, and remove the age cap of 59 in Chapter 2380 through regulatory change or waiver.
  • Rounding of 15-Minute Units: Allow rounding of 15-minute service units to reduce administrative burden and align with Office of Long-Term Living practices.

The associations stress that these changes are essential to sustaining safe, meaningful, and person-centered CPS services. RCPA will continue advocacy with ODP and provide updates as they are available.

For Questions or Additional Information
Please contact Tim Sohosky for any follow-up or inquiries related to this update.

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Thursday, February 5, 2026
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EST; 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CST;
11:00 am – 12:00 pm MST; 10:00 am – 11:00 am PST
Register Here

This webinar is a follow-up to Dr. Bohl’s January 2025 webinar Understanding and Treating Pediatric Vision Impairments, including additional practical treatment options. Attendees may wish to review the former presentation prior to attending.

Presenter Bio:

Dr. Bohl earned her Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of the Incarnate Word Rosenberg School of Optometry in San Antonio, Texas, and completed a residency in neuro-optometric rehabilitation through the State University of New York College of Optometry. Dr. Bohl joined the team at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in 2017, where she supports individuals with vision impairments in the rehabilitation setting.

Objectives: At the end of this session, the learner will:

  • Review therapy techniques beneficial to pediatric patients with visual deficits;
  • Identify when to use techniques to benefit peripheral awareness, pursuits, saccades, visual perceptual skills, and functional binocularity; and
  • Adapt therapeutic interventions to adjust levels of difficulty and ensure appropriateness for different age populations.

Audience: This webinar is intended for all interested members of the rehabilitation team.

Level: Beginner – Intermediate

Certificate of Attendance: Certificates of attendance are available for all attendees. No CEs are provided for this course.

Complimentary webinars are a benefit of IPRC/RCPA membership. Registration fee for non-members is $179. Not a member yet? Consider joining today.

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