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Brain Injury

The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has announced two waiver amendments that are open for public comment. The amendments detail the Community HealthChoices (CHC) waiver renewal and the OBRA waiver amendments. Information on the CHC waiver and OBRA waiver are available individually as well as in the June 15, 2024, PA Bulletin. Comments are due July 15, 2024.

Those interested in submitting comments can do so in the following ways:

  1. For the CHC waiver:
    1. Send a letter to the Department of Human Services, Office of Long-Term Living, Bureau of Policy Development and Communications Management, Attention: Keeley Anglin—CHC Waiver Renewal, PO Box 8025, Harrisburg.
    2. Submit comments to the department via email. Use “CHC Waiver Renewal” in the subject line.
    3. Please use the CHC Waiver Comment Form.
  2. For the OBRA waiver:
    1. Send a letter to the Department of Human Services, Office of Long-Term Living, Bureau of Policy Development and Communications Management, Attention: Keeley Anglin—OBRA Waiver Amendment, PO Box 8025, Harrisburg.
    2. Submit comments to the department via email. Use “OBRA Waiver Amendment” as the subject line.
    3. Please use the OBRA Waiver Comment Form.

Comments received by July 15, 2024, will be considered in subsequent revisions to the proposed renewal and amendment. For more information, please contact Fady Sahhar or Melissa Dehoff.

The meeting documents from the June 5, 2024, Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting are now available. These documents include the transcript and PowerPoint presentations. You can view the documents below:

The next LTSS Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for July 2, 2024, from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm, in the PA Department of Education’s Honors Suite at 333 Market St. in Harrisburg, PA. The option to participate via webinar is also available.

To participate in the meeting via webinar, please register here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. If you plan to participate via phone, the dial-in number is: (562) 247-8422; PIN: 919 715 035#. Comments and questions may be sent electronically.

This is a reminder that you’re invited to a free webinar hosted by William Rizzo, Managing Partner & Chief Strategist for Quantum Strategies!

As a professional in the Health and Human Services Community, you understand the importance of staying informed and making strategic business decisions. Quantum Strategies will be addressing those common misconceptions that HR Consulting and Managed Services companies are a threat to job security.

Quantum Strategies’ expert speaker will delve into how HR Consulting and Managed Services will partner with you to support your organization’s workforce, boost employee engagement, and drive business growth to overall success. By attending this online seminar, you will gain valuable insights that will empower you to make informed decisions that benefit both your company and its employees.

REGISTER TODAY!

The webinar will be held on Tuesday, June 25, from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm (EDT).
If you register today, Quantum Strategies will send the recording as a bonus for free.

Leading Resilient Teams
Tuesday, July 9, 2024
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Register Here

Please join RCPA for an inspiring webinar to build leadership skills. Constant change and overwork deplete our teams’ resilience. Using practical tools, you will spot behaviors that drain resilience in your teams, respond constructively to team feedback, and grow your team’s resilience. CEs for this training have been approved, PDC: 1.5.

In this training, you will learn how to:

  • Identify leadership behaviors and practices that drain and nurture resilience in teams;
  • Respond empathetically and effectively to employee concerns; and
  • Implement practical strategies that grow your team’s resilience day by day.

The speaker for this session, Wendy Hultmark, has a Master’s Degree in Organizational Development & Communication, CPC, and is a Leadership & Career Coach, Facilitator, and Speaker. She helps leaders cut through overwhelming constant change so that they feel optimistic and empowered to lead their teams and careers through the latest challenge.

Wendy began as an HR professional in world-leading Boston hospitals and developed into a senior HR leader at a global Fortune 500 organization. Her coaching practice has led her to serve leaders in research labs, investment banking, non-profit, technology, and more, while her unique background helps her bring a practical, empathetic perspective to the demands of today’s rapidly changing world of work. Additionally, Wendy is a lead instructor for the Women in Leadership professional certificate program at Southern Methodist University, with expertise in the areas of Psychological Safety, Trust, and Engagement. She is a certified practitioner of Everything DiSC ® and The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team ® and is credentialed through the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

Register here for this training.

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RCPA’s Brain Injury Committee meeting with representatives from the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL), which was rescheduled to June 26, 2024, is unfortunately being postponed again. This postponement is due to a scheduling conflict for staff within OLTL. RCPA is currently working on finalizing a new date for this meeting and will advise members as soon as this has been scheduled.

RCPA’s regularly scheduled bi-monthly Brain Injury Committee meeting is still being held as scheduled on June 12, 2024. If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Dehoff.

The Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA), the Pennsylvania Association of Home and Community-Based Services, and the Rehabilitation & Community Providers Association (RCPA) provided feedback on House Bill 2372, sponsored by Reps. Jessica Benham and Jason Ortitay. The bill seeks to improve agency accountability and ensure livable wages for home care workers in Pennsylvania by increasing state funding for personal assistance services. The associations support the bill but recommended uniform wage increases across all care models and a standardized rate review process every three years. They also expressed concerns about burdensome funding allocations and reporting requirements as well as provisions that could disproportionately affect nonprofit agencies by linking enhanced rates to tax status.

The groups emphasized the need to focus on investments in workforce development and quality care rather than imposing arbitrary financial mandates. They advocated for collaborative efforts to create a sustainable future for home-based care, ensuring high-quality services for Pennsylvania’s aging population.

For more details, read the full letter here.

The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has announced the launch of a Rate Study to be conducted by Mercer for Personal Assistance, Adult Day, Structured Adult Day, Residential Habilitation, and Employment Services. This study is intended to inform the 2025/26 budget process. You can view details for the Rate Study here. Key dates for this process include:

  • June 2024: The release of the Provider Survey. RCPA will share it with members as soon as it becomes available.
  • June Provider Meeting: A discussion of the Rate Study components.
  • July 2: The LTSS Subcommittee Meeting.
  • July 18 Provider Meeting: Details to come and will be shared once available.
  • September 4: LTSS Subcommittee Meeting to discuss the Rate Study results.

For more information, please contact Fady Sahhar.