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Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities

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The 2025 IM4Q Annual Statewide Training (AST) will be held on July 29 – 30 at the Harrisburg Hilton. While it is understood that travel costs may be prohibitive at this time, please remember the IM4Q Manual lists attendance at the AST as a responsibility for all IM4Q local program coordinators and AE leads. Funds should be allocated for the AST each year, even though the AST now alternates between in-person and virtual attendance. Monitors, board members, and supports coordinators are also encouraged to attend as able. SCs may again register two for the price of one.

Registration, especially for the in-person years, is crucial. Registration numbers are used to calculate the number of information packets to be created for attendees and the amount of food needed for the meals that are included. The deadline for registration is July 16, so please use the registration link in the agenda to register at your earliest convenience.

In addition, if hotel rooms are needed, please make your reservations now. The block of rooms at the special rate can only be guaranteed until July 7. Contact info for the Harrisburg Hilton is also included on the agenda.

Questions regarding registration and hotel reservations should be sent to Mary Kay Cunningham electronically.

RCPA is excited to host a membership benefits webinar on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 10:00 am, 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 occur throughout the year.

Registration is required; please register here to attend the webinar. Items we will review include the below and much more:

  • Virtually meet the dedicated RCPA Policy Staff and RCPA lobbyists;
  • Discuss the 2025 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 Association and ANCOR memberships included with RCPA membership.

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

Checklist concept - checklist, paper and pen

In alignment with key quality metrics and the implementation of “Everyday Lives: Values into Action,” all Administrative Entities (AE), Support Coordination Organizers (SCO), and Providers are required to complete a Quality Assessment & Improvement (QA&I) self-assessment of their performance on the provision of services and supports to individuals annually. The QA&I self-assessment requirement applies to all entities, regardless of the type of review (i.e., full review or record review only).

Exception: The QA&I Self-Assessment will be optional for SCOs scheduled to receive a full review in C3Y1, due to the concurrent demands of preparing for Performance-Based Contracting (PBC).

On July 1, 2025, a hyperlink will be sent to the email address of the entity’s primary contact from the QA&I Process mailbox ([email protected]) with the subject line “Action Required! The QA&I Cycle 3, Year 1 Self-Assessment – (Entity) is now available!” If the primary contact does not receive this email, please check spam and junk mail folders to ensure the email did not filter to one of those folders in error. If the entity’s primary contact does not receive the link by the end of the day on July 1, please email the QA&I Process mailbox for assistance.

All self-assessments must be submitted electronically to ODP via QuestionPro utilizing the hyperlink. Each entity must complete the applicable self-assessment by COB August 31, 2025. An entity shall submit only ONE self-assessment for their entire agency.

If an entity does not complete a self-assessment, a Directed Corrective Action Plan (DCAP) will be issued and ODP and/or the AE may elect to conduct a full review regardless of an organization’s regularly scheduled full review within the three-year cycle.

Please direct any inquiries, issues, or concerns regarding this communication to the QA&I Process mailbox. Read the ODP Announcement for more details.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) contracts with Temple University Harrisburg to deliver the ODP Certified Investigator Program. ODP and Temple University have developed a new online training module that provides an additional learning opportunity designed to enhance investigatory skills and supplies helpful resources to Certified Investigators (CI), Administrative Review Committee members, CI Peer Reviewers, Incident Management (IM) Representatives, and others involved in the incident investigation process.

The Death Investigation lesson has been added to the “Additional Learning Opportunities” section on the MyODP PA ODP Certified Investigator Program home page.

For any questions, please contact Temple University.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an alert about a fraud scheme that uses phishing fax requests, which falsely claim to be from CMS staff, to obtain medical records and documentation for auditing purposes.

CMS does not initiate audits by requesting medical records via fax, and if you receive a suspicious request, do not respond. If you have additional questions about this alert, please reach out to Karissa Bjorkgren of CMS via email.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has released Bulletin 00-25-02: Individual Eligibility for the Consolidated, P/FDS, Community Living and Adult Autism Waivers and the accompanying attachment.

The purpose of this bulletin is to communicate:

  • The requirements and procedures for evaluating an individual’s eligibility for services and supports provided through the Consolidated, Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS), Community Living Waivers (ID/A Waivers), and the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW); and
  • The requirements and procedures for re-evaluating an individual’s eligibility for the ID/A Waivers.

Additional resources to assist with the evaluation and re-evaluation of HCBS eligibility for services and supports are available on MyODP’s website.

This bulletin obsoletes Office of Developmental Programs 00-19-04: Individual Eligibility for the Consolidated, P/FDS and Community Living Waivers.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) recently hosted a live webinar titled “The Basics of Incident Management – The Incident Reporting Cycle From Discovery to Closure.” The session provided technical guidance and included a Q&A segment to address participant questions regarding the incident management process.

Presentation materials were distributed during the session. A full recording of the webinar will be made available on the MyODP website in the near future.

ODP will host a follow-up webinar titled “From Oversight to Action: A Provider’s Responsibility in the Incident Fidelity Process on Friday, July 11, 2025, from 10:00 am – 11:30 am. Providers are encouraged to register using this link.

For questions or additional information related to this update, please contact Tim Sohosky.

Cooling centers are designated locations with air conditioning where people can go to escape the heat during extreme temperatures. They are typically open during the hottest parts of the day and offer a cool environment, water, and sometimes other support services.

Types of locations that typically serve as cooling centers during a heatwave include:

  • Senior centers;
  • Libraries; and
  • Other community spaces.

Please call PA 211 or visit the Search Pennsylvania 211 website for more current and up-to-date information.

Additional resources about cooling centers:

Please note:

This is not an all-inclusive list. There are more cooling centers than those listed on the PA211 map link.