CMS Expands Money Follows the Person Program
Arc of PA Releases Report on How Disability Community Suffered Disproportionately During COVID-19
Registration is Open for the 2022 RCPA Annual Conference Together!
Registration for the RCPA Conference 2022 Together! is now open! Together! will be held October 11 – 14, 2022, at the Hershey Lodge in person this year. Be sure to register, as the early bird rate is available now until September 9, 2022.
We are excited for the lineup of speakers who will be presenting at this year’s conference, as there will be pertinent information available and discussed for all service areas. Workshop sessions include:
- Connecting Pieces for Success: Utilizing a Two-Generational Approach and Collaborative Multi-Organizational Work Model to Affect Lasting Change
- Presented by Sara Newman of Project-Mosaic, Inc.
- Having Difficult Conversations With Employees
- Presented by John Amato of Familylinks
- Specialized Telehealth for Individuals With IDD
- Presented by Maulik Trivedi of StationMD
- Improve Clinical Outcomes and Enter Into Value-Based Contracts Using Clinical Data
- Presented by Dominick DiSalvo of KidsPeace
- Returning Citizens Housing Smart Model
- Presented by Claire Ryder and Curtis Gillard of Resources for Human Development, as well as Clayton Moser and Taeesha Smith of PMHCC
- CMS Home and Community-Based Services Quality Measures Set
- Presented by Juliet Marsala of Health Management Association
You also won’t want to miss our plenary speakers:
- Chuck Ingoglia of National Council for Mental Wellbeing and Gabrielle Sedor of ANCOR will give us “Insights From Washington.”
- Meg Snead of DHS and Jen Smith of DDAP will provide updates on how PA continues to be innovative in health care.
Be sure to check out the entire list of sessions in our brochure, and note that sessions will be recorded to allow participants access after the event.
In addition to an amazing roster of speakers, our 2022 Conference will have an exciting array of sponsors and exhibitors. We thank those who have committed to our conference thus far! If you are interested in sponsoring or exhibiting, visit here for more details.
Questions about the conference may be directed to Carol Ferenz or Sarah Eyster, Conference Coordinators.
DHS Announces Public Comment Period & Virtual Sessions on Statewide Transition Plan for HCBS
The Department of Human Services (DHS) announced they will be accepting comments on Pennsylvania’s Final Statewide Transition Plan (STP) for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS). This plan applies to Medicaid Waivers under the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL), Office of Developmental Programs (ODP), and Office of Child Development & Early Learning (OCDEL). The notice is below and includes additional information about upcoming webinars.
HCBS Settings Rule – Background
CMS published the HCBS Rule, which amends the Medicaid regulations for HCBS waivers under section 1915(c) of the Social Security Act. The HCBS Rule supports enhanced quality of programs and services and adds protections for individuals receiving services. The HCBS Rule reflects CMS’ intent to ensure all individuals receiving services and supports through Medicaid waivers have full access to the benefits of community living, including receiving services in the most integrated setting. The HCBS Rule includes a provision requiring states to develop a transition plan to ensure that services will meet federal requirements by March 2023.
Statewide Transition Plan
The Department received initial approval of its STP on August 30, 2016, which can be accessed at the Department’s HCBS Stakeholder Waiver and Planning Team web page.
To receive final approval of Pennsylvania’s STP, the Department is required to complete the following remaining steps and submit an updated STP with this information included:
- Complete a thorough, comprehensive site-specific assessment of all HCBS settings, implement necessary strategies for validating the assessment results, and include the outcomes of this assessment within the STP;
- Draft remediation strategies and a corresponding timeline that will resolve issues that the site-specific settings assessment process and subsequent validation strategies uncovered by the end of the HCBS rule transition period (March 17, 2023);
- Outline a detailed plan for identifying settings that are presumed to have institutional characteristics, including qualities that isolate HCBS beneficiaries, as well as the proposed process for evaluating these settings and preparing for submission to CMS for review under heightened scrutiny;
- Develop a process for communicating with beneficiaries that are currently receiving services in settings that the state has determined cannot or will not come into compliance with the HCBS settings rule by March 17, 2023; and
- Establish ongoing monitoring and quality assurance processes that will ensure all settings providing HCBS continue to remain fully compliant with the rule in the future.
This information is included in Pennsylvania’s Final STP for public comment. A presentation providing a general overview of the HCBS Rule and Pennsylvania’s Final STP will be recorded by the Department and posted by the end of August to prepare stakeholders for public comment. Information about where to access the presentation will be published when it is available.
As outlined in the public comment section below, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), Office of Developmental Programs (ODP), and Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) will each hold webinars to go over information in Pennsylvania’s STP that is specific to their waivers and programs. Public comment will be accepted during each of these webinars.
Public Comment
Pennsylvania’s Final STP is available for a 30-day public comment period at the Department’s HCBS STP web page. Comments will be accepted no later than 11:59 pm on September 22, 2022. Stakeholders may provide public comment through one of the following methods:
- Electronic comments submitted via email
- Stakeholders are asked to use the subject header “PA Final STP” and submit comments to this mailbox.
- Written comments submitted via mail
- Mailing address: Department of Human Services, Office of the Secretary, P. O. Box 2675, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2675.
- Verbal and written comments during public comment webinars
- The following dates and times below are for stakeholders to participate in the public comment webinars:
- Webinar Specific to STP Information for OCDEL
September 12, 2022
9:00 am – 10:00 am
Please register for the webinar via email. - Webinars Specific to STP Information for ODP
September 8, 2022
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Please register for the webinar.
September 12, 2022
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Please register for the webinar. - Webinar Specific to STP Information for OLTL
September 15, 2022
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Please register for the webinar.
- Webinar Specific to STP Information for OCDEL
- The following dates and times below are for stakeholders to participate in the public comment webinars:
When submitting electronic or written comments, it is recommended that you include the following information:
- The page number or Appendix where the information you are commenting on is located; and
- Which office (OCDEL, ODP, or OLTL) the comment applies to, if applicable.
Allegheny County’s New Shelter to Take ‘Low-Barrier’ Approach to Couples, Pets, and Substance Use: RCPA Member Pittsburgh Mercy Highlighted
New Clinical Guide From SMI Advisor for Criminal Justice Forensics Populations
Find ways to best support individuals who have serious mental illness (SMI) and are involved with the criminal justice process.
There is a trend toward collaboration among behavioral health clinicians and the criminal justice system. Yet studies show that individuals who have SMI interact with the criminal justice system at higher rates than the general public. In fact, about two in five people who are incarcerated have a history of SMI.
This guide for mental health clinicians helps you better understand the criminal justice system process as it relates to individuals who have SMI. Learn what happens after an individual in your care is arrested or incarcerated. Gather insight on how you can best support and advocate for them.
If you have any questions, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.
Call for Applications: Advancing Health Equity Learning Collaborative
Advancing Health Equity: Leading Care, Payment, and Systems Transformation (AHE), a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is seeking applicants for the next cohort of the learning collaborative, which will include five teams comprised of Medicaid agencies, managed care organizations, and health care provider organizations or systems. The learning collaborative will help teams develop shared equity priorities, uncover the drivers of disparities in their member populations, and create payment models to support equity-focused care transformation.
There is growing consensus among health care policy experts that aligning payment and quality improvement activities offers critical opportunities to improve health equity. AHE recently released a Call for Applications to help multi-sector state teams advance their collective health equity goals. The initiative, led by the University of Chicago in partnership with the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) and the Institute for Medicaid Innovation, helps multi-organizational teams reduce and eliminate disparities in health and health care through a variety of approaches, including innovative Medicaid payment and contracting models.
Applications are due September 23, 2022.
Update Issued on Assisted Living & Personal Care Home License Renewals
Message from the Bureau of Human Services Licensing (BHSL) regarding the renewals of assisted living residences (ALR) and personal care homes (PCHs) license renewals:
Due to staffing issues, BHSL Licensing Administration is currently experiencing a delay in processing renewals 130 days in advance of expiration. In most cases, Licensing Administration is issuing the license in the month that it expires.
If your license has expired and you have not yet received your renewal, please contact Licensing Administration at 717-705-0383 or via email directly so that your renewal can be expedited. Any Certificates of Compliance that have or will be expired on or before August 31, 2022, have been emailed to the email addresses we have on file. We are currently working on the September expiration dates. To expedite the process, you will be receiving your Certificate of Compliance electronically. It is being sent to the email address(es) as noted on your renewal application. If changes to your email address(es) are needed at any time throughout the year, please send a notification email here and to your regional office.
The Certificate of Compliance may also be printed from the Provider Directory, which is updated when the Certificate of Compliance is issued via email. It can be found by searching the name of your home here. Select the Certificate hyperlink in the License Status & License # column of your directory listing.
Please be reminded that if you have not received your approval letter from BEO, you will need to submit a Civil Rights Attestation electronically. You can find the form here. The Attestation may be submitted via email ONLY if you had previously submitted the CRCQ without receiving a letter of approval from the BEO. It should be emailed here. Any email correspondence sent to Licensing Administration should have this format in the subject line: LICENSE #, NAME OF HOME, DESCRIPTION OF CONTENTS, i.e.: 123450 – ABC Personal Care Home – Attestation.
When submitting the Civil Rights Compliance Attestation with the renewal application and renewal application fee, they must submitted in one mailing via physical mail to:
| Via USPS:
DHS/BHSL |
Or via courier:
DHS/BHSL |
Harrisburg Nonprofit Helps Youth Overcome Barriers to Employment: RCPA Member Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. Featured
DHS Releases New CRC Process for Licensed Facilities
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) has released a new Civil Righters Compliance (CRC) process for all facilities licensed by DHS. This process is effective Monday, August 22, 2022.
There are two changes to the Civil Rights Compliance process. First, there is a new Civil Rights Compliance form when submitting a new licensing application. There is also a new Civil Rights Compliance Attestation form when submitting a licensing renewal application. Second, the process of submitting the form has changed.
| If your license is issued by… | Submit your application AND your CRC form (if new license) or CRC Attestation (if license renewal) to: |
| The Bureau of Adult Residential Licensing | RA-PWLICADBHSLPRO@pa.gov |
| The Office of Children, Youth, and Families | RA-PWLICADOCYFPRO@pa.gov |
| The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services | RA-PWLICADOMHSASPRO@pa.gov |
| The Office of Developmental Programs* | RA-odplicensing@pa.gov |
| The Office of Child Development and Early Learning*
*Licensees who use CLS or PELICAN to submit renewal applications must submit the attestations by email. The attestations are not part of the electronic CLS/PELICAN renewal application process. |
Child care providers should include their MPI number in the subject line and email the appropriate regional office:
Central Region Counties: Snyder, Perry, Juniata, Centre, Mifflin, Tioga, Lycoming, Northumberland, Union and Clinton |
| The Office of Child Development and Early Learning*
*Licensees who use CLS or PELICAN to submit renewal applications must submit the attestations by email. The attestations are not part of the electronic CLS/PELICAN renewal application process. |
Western Region Counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Venango, Warren, Washington and WestmorelandCounties: Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon and Somerset |
Entities seeking a new license will utilize a Civil Rights Compliance (CRC) form (HS 2126). This form must be included in the packet submitted as part of any new license request. The new application, supporting documents, and CRC form must be emailed to the DHS office that issues your license; the email address can be found in the chart above. Entities licensed by OCDEL or ODP who use CLS or PELICAN to submit new applications must submit the form by email. The CRC forms are not part of the electronic CLS/PELICAN new application process. The CRC form for new applications can be found at here.
For licensing renewals, a licensee will now submit a CRC Attestation form (HS 2125). The Attestation form must be submitted as part of a renewal licensing application. The renewal notice will still be sent out 130 days prior to expiration. The renewal application and attestation must be emailed to the DHS office that issues your license; the email address can be found in the chart above. Entities licensed by OCDEL or ODP who use CLS or PELICAN to submit renewal applications must submit the attestations by email. The attestations are not part of the electronic CLS/PELICAN renewal application process. The CRC form for new applications can be found at here.
The DHS Bureau of Equal Opportunity currently issues you a letter verifying that a facility is in compliance with applicable civil rights laws. With the new process, a letter from BEO will no longer be sent out to licensed entities. Instead, the issuance of the new license or renewal license will indicate that your CRC form or Attestation form submission was approved. If there are issues and/or questions on the submitted CRC or Attestation form, a staff member from DHS will contact you.
The new process is effective on Monday, August 22, 2022. Existing licensees and applicants must begin following the new process on or before that date.
If you have any questions about the new process, please contact the applicable DHS office using the emails shown above or your respective RCPA Policy Director.
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