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Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities

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On July 1, 2025, the Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations (BSASP) rolled out a new assessment bundle for the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW). The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is interested in hearing from Supports Coordinators (SC) and providers on their experiences with implementing the new assessments.

Please join ODP for a Virtual Office Hour (VOH) to share feedback, ask questions, and review resource materials.

Who should attend?
All AAW SCs and Providers

Date: January 30, 2026
Time: 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Register Here

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Press release from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that all 50 states will receive awards under the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion initiative established under President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts legislation (Public Law 119-21) to strengthen and modernize health care in rural communities across the country. In 2026, states will receive first-year awards from CMS averaging $200 million, within a range of $147 million to $281 million. This unprecedented federal investment will help states expand access to care in rural communities, strengthen the rural health workforce, modernize rural facilities and technology, and support innovative models that bring high-quality, dependable care closer to home.

Awardees and Funding Amounts

The Rural Health Transformation Program’s $50 billion in funds will be allocated to approved states over five years, with $10 billion available each year from 2026 through 2030. As directed by Public Law 119-21:

  • 50% of the funding is distributed equally among all approved states. This provides states with a strong foundation to begin implementing their Rural Health Transformation Plans; and
  • 50% is allocated based on a variety of factors. As described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity, those factors include individual state metrics around rurality and a state’s rural health system, current or proposed state policy actions that enhance access and quality of care in rural communities, and application initiatives or activities that reflect the greatest potential for, and scale of, impact on the health of rural communities. All scoring factors are outlined further in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Read the full press release here.

Pennsylvania submitted their plan to CMS in November, and the plan is currently being evaluated. CMS made funding awards to all 50 states, with Pennsylvania receiving $193,294,054.

RCPA continues to work with the Department of Human Services (DHS) in answering questions from members as well as gaining an understanding on the implementation values for PA specific initiatives from both funding allocation pathways.

If you have any questions, please contact RCPA COO Jim Sharp.

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This is a reminder that RCPA will be holding a membership benefits webinar on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 1:00 pm, as an opportunity for members to orient themselves with all that RCPA membership includes. This is not just for new and future members. For current members, there may be benefits associated with our membership that you may not be aware of, including targeted meetings and groups that are held throughout the year.

Registration is required; please register here to attend the webinar. Attendees will have the opportunity to:

  • Virtually meet the dedicated RCPA Policy Staff and RCPA lobbyists;
  • Discuss the 2026 Legislative and Administrative priorities;
  • Preview RCPA divisional committee and subcommittee meetings and what they offer;
  • View the RCPA member-only website;
  • Review exclusive yearly educational and networking events; and
  • Understand the value of the National Council and ANCOR memberships included with RCPA membership.

Visit the RCPA member benefits web page for more information, or contact Tieanna Lloyd for benefit details.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-117. This communication is intended to inform all interested parties of the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) publication of updated versions of the Intellectual Disability/Autism (ID/A) Employment Services Definition Question and Answer (Q&A) and the Employment Service Definition Quick Guide for ID/A Waivers and Base-Funded Participants.

NOTE: The release of this communication obsoletes ODP Announcement 19-025 – Now Available Updated ID/A Waiver Employment Service Definition Question and Answer Document and ID/A Waiver Employment Service Definition Quick Guide.

Please review the announcement for more details.

ATTACHMENTS:

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Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

The Provider Innovation Series is an exclusive opportunity for our provider community to showcase and be recognized for their innovations, new and ongoing, in support of the everyday lives of those we serve. The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) believes in the power of peer learning and support, and they look forward to showcasing your innovative practices that drive quality.

ODP will select providers to present based on the provider’s innovative practices and encourages providers to use ISAC Recommendations and Strategies to identify areas of innovation. Presenters will also be celebrated for their innovation and leadership in the field with a showcase on MyODP News, a certificate of appreciation, and a digital badge, which can be added to email signatures and displayed on their website and social media.

Don’t miss this opportunity to demonstrate your impact! We encourage all Provider organizations, large and small, to consider what innovations they may like to share, and look forward to both learning more about — and sharing with others — your innovative work! Proposals are being accepted through January 5, 2026. To submit an application, please complete the survey.

The December 1 informational webinar can be found here.

For questions or comments, please contact Tim Sohosky.

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The Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Office of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) and the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) host a quarterly Statewide Positive Approaches & Practices meeting. This meeting aims to provide the most recent research and resources for people with mental health and behavioral challenges, intellectual disabilities, autism, and other developmental disabilities to live an everyday life.

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 15, 2026, from 8:30 am – 10:30 am and 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. The topic for the morning session is “The Foundation is Communication.” The topic for the afternoon session is “Sensory or Behavior? Diving into Sensory Processing.” This meeting will be held online via Zoom.

Please see the announcement for additional information.

Register Here

The Zoom link for joining the session will be sent to the email you used to register. This link will be unique to your registration. Please do not share this link.

Questions? Email PATraining.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-116. The purpose of this communication is to inform providers of Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) services and Supports Coordination Organizations (SCO) of the updated provider qualification process.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) require a statewide process to ensure providers are qualified to render services to waiver-funded individuals. The Provider Qualification Process described in the communication outlines the steps the provider must follow to meet these requirements, and the steps Supports Coordinators (SC) must take to transition individuals if needed. This communication does not describe the qualification process for AAW SCOs.

NOTE: The release of this communication obsoletes ODP Announcement 20-110 New Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) Provider Qualification Process.

Providers that are shared across Intellectual Disability/Autism (ID/A) and the AAW must complete the Provider Qualification processes with both their assigned Administrative Entity (AE) for the ID/A waivers and the Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations (BSASP) for the AAW.

Please view the full announcement for complete details.

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Message from National Core Indicators:

The NCI-IDD SoTW is the most comprehensive data on Direct Support Professional (DSP) workforce providing direct services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We remain committed to partnering with states, agencies, and people with IDD to use these data to strengthen Medicaid-funded services and supports and ensure DSPs are valued for their essential role supporting people with IDD.

A few report highlights:

In 2024, we collected data from 3,936 provider agencies representing 344,179 DSPs in 26 states and the District of Columbia. The data for 2024 suggest some positive trends for the state of the IDD DSP workforce. For example:

  • Across the nation, the median hourly wage for DSPs is $18.39, which is more than a dollar increase from the median hourly wage of $17.20 in 2023.
  • The weighted average turnover ratio was 37%, with nearly two in three DSPs who left their employers (64%) having been with their agency for less than one year.
  • On average, 26% of agencies report they turned away or stopped accepting referrals due to staffing issues, down from 38% in 2023.

State DD agencies have worked tirelessly to address the ongoing workforce shortages for DSPs, and these data suggest slight but hopeful trends in key indicators. Altogether, NCI-IDD SoTW provide valuable insights about opportunities to enhance retention of DSPs and improve the continuity of services.

The full report can be found here at this link.

For questions or comments, please contact Tim Sohosky.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-114. This communication notifies all interested parties of the recorded webinar that explained the January 2026 Waiver Amendments. This webinar and is now posted on the MyODP website.

The webinar contains a brief high-level overview of Performance-Based Contracting as well as changes not related to Performance-Based Contracting that impact ODP’s Consolidated, Community Living, and Person/Family Directed Supports (P/FDS) waivers.

Please review the announcement for more details.

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The agenda and link to join the January 7, 2026, Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting have been released. The call on January 7, 2026, will be held via webinar and remote streaming only and will take place from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm.

A few of the key agenda topics, in addition to an update from the Office of Long-Term Living’s (OLTL) Deputy Security, include information being shared by OLTL on the 2026 OBRA Waiver renewal and the Community HealthChoices (CHC) Waiver amendment. Additionally, there will be a presentation from OLTL’s Enrollment Unit on enrollment and redeterminations/data requests.

To participate in the meeting, the information is below:
Conference line — Bridge Number: 1 (415) 655-0052 PIN: 571-523-182#
Webinar Link
Remote Streaming Link

Comments and questions may be sent electronically.

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