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The agenda for the May 7, 2025, Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting has been released by the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL). The meeting will take place from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm in the Forest Room in the Commonwealth Keystone Building located at 400 North Street in Harrisburg. The option to participate via webinar and remote streaming is also available.

To participate in the meeting, please refer to the information below:

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Image by Werner Moser from Pixabay

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is hosting a series of public comment webinars to provide an overview of how ODP proposes to implement Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) for Supports Coordination (SC) services, effective January 1, 2026. Additional proposed changes to the Consolidated, Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS), and Community Living Waivers that are not related to Performance-Based Contracting will also be covered.

Preregistration is required. Registered participants will have the opportunity to provide verbal comments during the session. Each session will also be held for specific stakeholder groups.

The SCO meeting will be held May 6, 2025, at 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm. You can register here.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-041, which informs all interested stakeholders of the opportunity to submit public comments on:

  • Performance-Based Contracting for Supports Coordination services scheduled to take effect January 1, 2026. This includes:
    • Proposed changes to the 1915(b)(4) waiver and Consolidated, Community Living, and P/FDS waivers related to Performance-Based Contracting;
    • Proposed Implementation Plan for Performance-Based Contracting for Supports Coordination;
    • Proposed rates effective July 1, 2026, for Supports Coordination Organizations that meet criteria for the Select tier; and
    • Proposed changes to the Targeted Support Management State Plan.
  • Additional waiver amendments (not related to Performance-Based Contracting) to the Consolidated, Community Living, and P/FDS waivers scheduled to take effect January 1, 2026.

The public comment period starts on April 19, 2025, and ends on May 26, 2025, at 11:59 pm for all proposed changes in this communication. Please view the announcement for additional information and details.

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Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) proposed rule, as well as an accompanying fact sheet. The rule does not include proposed changes to the IRF coverage requirements. On the payment side, the rule would provide an overall 2.8% increase to estimated payments per discharge, compared to the 2.5% payment update that CMS finalized for FY 2025. The rule is more substantive with respect to the future Quality Reporting Program (QRP) changes. Specifically, the rule proposes to remove certain quality measures and standardized patient assessment data elements (SPADE) implemented in recent years relating to COVID-19 vaccination and social determinants of health (SDOH), and to modify the process for reconsideration of IRF QRP non-compliance penalties. Finally, the rule includes various requests for information (RFI), soliciting feedback on the IRF QRP and IRF-Patient Assessment Instrument (PAI).

The proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register on April 30, 2025. RCPA will provide a more detailed overview of the proposed rule following this date. Comments on the rule are due to CMS by June 10, 2025.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) and Governor Josh Shapiro’s office invite you to Move Your Way! To acknowledge the National Day of Exercise and ODP’s campaign to encourage physical activity, Governor Josh Shapiro has signed a proclamation, which recognizes April 18, 2025, as Move Your Way Day.

What is Move Your Way?

Move Your Way is the physical activity campaign based on the second edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. It offers tools and resources for individuals and professionals to learn about the Physical Activity Guidelines, shares its key messages and encourages individuals to become more active. Recognizing the health disparities and coexisting medical conditions experienced by many individuals with intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities, and autism, ODP is promoting Move Your Way in cooperation with the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Becoming more physically active can help lead to happier, healthier lives. Please share widely!

How can you Move Your Way?

Anything that gets your heart beating faster counts. And it all adds up. Find what works for you! Walking, dancing, gardening, swimming, and stretching are just a few suggestions for weekly movement. Adults need a mix of physical activity to stay healthy. Moderate-intensity aerobic activity at least 150 minutes a week, and muscle-strengthening activity at least 2 days a week. Do activities that make your muscles work harder than usual.

Kids and teens ages 6 to 17 need at least 60 minutes every day. Most of it can be moderate-intensity aerobic activity. At least 3 days a week, encourage them to step it up to vigorous intensity. As a part of their 60 minutes, they also need muscle-strengthening at least 3 days a week and bone-strengthening 3 days a week.

Whats Your Move?

Do you have a weekly movement routine or are you just getting started? Share your story with us!

Email with a subject line of Move Your Way, and ODP may feature your story on MyODP News Online!

Please be sure to fill out the Department of Human Services (DHS) Media Release Form to send with your story!

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This community-focused advocacy forum brings together experts and stakeholders to discuss the local impact of federal funding cuts to Medicaid, particularly on vulnerable populations and essential services.

The event will be moderated by Chip Minemyer, publisher of The Tribune-Democrat, and panelists will include RCPA Honorary Board Member Jim Cook, who serves as Executive Director of Cambria Residential Services.

The event will be held Monday, April 21, at 6:30 pm. You can view the flyer here for more details.

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The Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association Political Action Committee (RCPA PAC) is asking members to consider making a personal contribution to the PAC. With these donations, we have been successful in supporting legislative leadership who understand the severe challenges facing many of our providers. These representatives are willing to stand up for our issues as we fight to move Pennsylvania forward.

We urge you to view our 2025 Legislative & Administrative Priorities to see how RCPA is and will continue to work for you. We are able to achieve these goals thanks to our members’ dedication and contributions.

Make an online contribution and advocate for yourself today. While the request is voluntary, we encourage you to make a contribution of $100, $250, $350, $500, or more to the RCPA PAC. If you are interested, you can also consider making a recurring monthly donation.

If you have any questions regarding the RCPA PAC or making a donation, please contact Jack Phillips, Director, Government Affairs.

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Treating Functional Neurologic Disorder (FND) — “Not Your Parent’s Functional Neurologic Disorder”

Tuesday, May 20, 2025
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EDT; 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CDT;
11:00 am – 12:00 pm MDT; 10:00 am – 11:00 am PDT
Register Here

Presenter Bios:

Samuel Zachary, MOT, OTR/L
Sam is an occupational therapist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in the inpatient rehabilitation and amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome (AMPS) programs. Sam brings experience from a variety of medical-based pediatric settings, including acute care, in-patient rehabilitation, and multi-disciplinary outpatient clinics.

Over the past four years, Sam’s practice has focused on the AMPS Intensive Program and Clinic at CHOP. He is passionate about treating children and adolescents with AMPS, functional neurological disorder, or both. He brings great enthusiasm while sharing his knowledge and best practices for caring for this unique population.

Lori Kile, PTA

Lori is a physical therapist assistant at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) working in the inpatient rehabilitation and amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome (AMPS) programs. She began her career at CHOP in 1998 and has dedicated over 25 years of service to the institution. She worked in a variety of pediatric settings, including outpatient, acute care, and inpatient rehab, prior to finding her passion for treating youth and teens with Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain and Functional Neurological Disorder. Lori now specializes with these populations; she is also involved with the International FND society, where she helps to develop deliverables and build the knowledge base regarding the diagnosis. She loves to share her knowledge and lessons learned to build the skills of others and promote best practices in treatment of patients with FND.

Objectives: Following this course, the learner will:

  • Identify recent changes in the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of pediatric patients with FND.
  • Obtain a best practice framework for treating pediatric patients in the rehabilitation setting.
  • Learn about best practice for measuring outcomes with pediatric patients with FND.

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

Level: Beginner

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

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

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