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Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities

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Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

We are excited to announce the National Council for Mental Wellbeing Conference will be held in-person on April 11–13, 2022, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Washington, DC. As we have done in previous years, RCPA will host a Pennsylvania Reception at the National Council Conference. The PA Reception will be held on Tuesday, April 12, 2022. As we near the event, additional details will be provided.

We hope to count on your organization to sponsor this exciting event — and we’ll be back in person! Our members and Pennsylvania providers look forward to this networking event to share their experiences and discuss new trends and initiatives. We depend on our sponsors for support of this PA Reception. Historically there have been approximately 350 PA registrants at the NC Conference, and more than half of them attended the PA Reception, along with several NC staff, presenters, and invited guests. In the past, this reception has been extremely well attended and is a highlight of the conference for PA registrants.

We thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to hearing from you. We thank all previous sponsors and hope we can count on your continued sponsorship. Please contact Tina Miletic with any questions. We thank you for your continued support of RCPA activities.

COVID-19 Safety Acknowledgement: The National Council will implement health-and-safety protocols appropriate to the public health circumstances existing at the time of the conference. Those protocols may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • proof of vaccination and/or negative COVID-19 status;
  • self-monitoring;
  • biometric screening;
  • symptom checkers;
  • contact tracing;
  • wearing a mask mandate;
  • use of additional personal protective equipment, social distancing, and space management; and/or
  • other similar measures.

Compliance with some or all of the protocols adopted by the National Council may be mandatory for in-person attendance and participation at the conference. Additional information regarding the specific health and safety measures, and any necessary consents by you, will be communicated to attendees prior to the first day of the Conference.

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A Financial Management Services (FMS) Stakeholder meeting has been scheduled for December 3, 2021 from 1:00 pm–2:30 pm. The purpose of this public meeting will be to discuss upcoming changes for the administration of FMS under Community HealthChoices (CHC), the OBRA Waiver, and Act 150 programs. Representatives from the Office of Long-Term Living and CHC Managed Care Organizations will be in attendance to discuss upcoming changes. The meeting agenda is outlined here. Meeting details are below:

Meeting Link

Meeting Number:
Meeting Number (Access Code): 2634 089 4999
Meeting Password: Stakeholder

From a Mobile Device (attendees only):
+1-408-418-9388,,26340894999## United States Toll
+1-202-860-2110,,26340894999## United States Toll (Washington D.C.)

By Phone:
+1-408-418-9388 United States Toll
+1-202-860-2110 United States Toll (Washington D.C.)

By Video System or Application:
Dial 26340894999@pa-hhs.webex.com
You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number.

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ODP Announcement 21-084 announces that the renewal of the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) was approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on November 18, 2021. As communicated in ODP Announcement 21-067, the renewal of the AAW has no substantive changes from the previously approved waiver.

The renewal was submitted with no substantive changes because some previously proposed changes to the AAW conflicted with the requirements of Section 9817 of the American Rescue Plan Act and CMS guidance that was published in May of 2021. The renewal is effective July 1, 2021, and can be found on the DHS website.

Because the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is not making the changes it originally planned to the AAW, ODP will not be implementing the proposed rates published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on May 22, 2021. Any new proposed changes to rates will be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin for a public comment period prior to implementation.

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ODP Announcement 21-082 announces the release of the Quality Assessment and Improvement (QA&I) Annual Statewide Report for Fiscal Year 2020–2021. The report provides QA&I review results of AEs, SCOs, and Providers and includes a summary analysis of statewide data collected during Interim Year 1 (IY1) of the QA&I cycle for the Office of Developmental Programs’ (ODP) Consolidated, Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS), Community Living, and Adult Autism waivers.

The report highlights successes and opportunities for systemic quality improvement discovered during QA&I reviews in a streamlined, easy-to-use format. Key results are underscored in entity-specific subsections entitled “Reasons to Celebrate” and “Highlighting Opportunities.” The intent of the latter is to encourage entities to target these low performing areas with quality improvement activities.

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ODP Announcement 21-083 provides some guidance to providers when determining whether an event involving staff employed by the provider constitutes alleged neglect in accordance with the Office of Developmental Programs’ (ODP) regulations such that it must be reported as an incident in the Enterprise Incident Management (EIM) system. This announcement also provides guidance about applying regulatory requirements related to complaint management when an event does not require reporting as an incident of alleged neglect.

When alleged neglect is reported for events that do not meet the criteria, it compromises ODP’s ability to identify and act on events that do constitute neglect or an allegation of neglect. When an event does not meet such criteria, providers should address and manage the event as a complaint in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements. A report of alleged neglect should not be filed when a service was not rendered due to the absence of direct care staff and the absence did not place the individual at a health or safety risk. In this circumstance, a provider should follow their complaint management process as opposed to filing a reportable incident.

For more information regarding compliant management and incident reporting, see ODP Announcement 21-083.

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The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) shared information about a new program administered by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) as a resource for those who may benefit. This initiative, called the Student Loan Relief for Nurses (SLRN) Program, will benefit nurses who have worked and continue to work to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Individuals eligible to participate in the SLRN Program are residents of the commonwealth and licensed by the PA Department of State to work as an eligible nurse at a qualified nursing facility within the commonwealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. More information about the SLRN Program is available on the PHEAA website.

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