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Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) announced that there is now a hub for the Information Sharing and Advisory Committee (ISAC) on the MyODP Training and Resource Center online. ISAC is composed of stakeholders in the IDD system who come together to share information to and from ODP and to advise the Deputy about issues important to our stakeholders. ISAC members are expected to come with information from the group they represent and to share information form ODP learned at ISAC with their group. In order to enhance communication, ODP has created the ISAC hub.

To view the ISAC hub, you may create a MyODP account, or log in as a guest if you do not have an account. Currently, a calendar of scheduled meetings, agenda and topic items from the April 11, 2018 meeting, a folder for previous meeting materials, and the Everyday Lives booklet and recommendations are posted on the hub. Agenda items and presentation materials will continue to be posted for future ISAC meetings. Some materials may be limited to ISAC members only. View the ODP Announcement regarding the hub here.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has announced that the College of Employment Services (CES) Online Association of Community Rehabilitation Education (ACRE) Basic Employment Certification Course is now available. Effective immediately, ODP and the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) have allotted seats for up to 500 learners across Pennsylvania. Because this is a limited resource, providers are asked to only enroll those staff who are required to hold the ACRE Basic Certificate of Achievement. ODP and OVR also ask that no single provider enroll more than 15 trainees prior to September 30, 2018. Please note the following:

  • If your organization is already providing training through College of Direct Support (CDS), you do not need to obtain additional administrative rights.
  • If your organization is new to CES, you will need to contact the Elsevier organization to purchase administrative rights based on the number of CES learners your organization wishes to train.
  • If your organization is interested in both CDS and CES, your organization will need to contact the Elsevier organization to purchase administrative rights based upon the number of learners your organization wishes to train.

For questions regarding the cost of administrative rights, please contact Leigh Evans, Account Specialist, Elsevier Clinical Solutions, via email or phone 404-799-4009. The announcement, Communication Number 041-18, can be found here.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has issued updated provider agreements that must be completed and returned to ODP by May 1. All providers of Waiver Services in Pennsylvania, including Supports Coordination Organizations (SCO) and Agency With Choice (AWC), must sign and return the ODP IDA Waiver Provider Agreement. Each waiver provider only needs to submit one provider agreement for the legal entity, regardless of the number of services provided or the number of service locations operated by the legal entity.

The provider agreement is essentially the same as the current agreement with the addition of the Community Living Waiver, with an effective date of January 1, 2018, and the addition of condition number two. Condition number two states that the provider agrees “To comply with the approved waiver; including all standards enumerated in the service definition(s) which the Waiver Provider will be rendering, provider qualification requirements and other requirements established by the Department as outlined in the approved waivers.” The letter that was sent to providers from Deputy Secretary Nancy Thaler can be found here.

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ODP made the decision to continue the Vacancy Exception Process for cost based rates that were effective from July 1, 2017 – December 31, 2017, similar to the process for previous fiscal years. This process is applicable to residential habilitation service providers that signed the Addendum to Provider Agreement for the Settlement Agreement. Providers who wish to submit a vacancy exception request and did not sign the Addendum to Provider Agreement, please refer to ODP Informational Memo 003-13 for further information.

In order to submit a request for exception to the vacancy factor for Fiscal Year 17/18, the provider needs to complete a Vacancy Exception Request Form. If additional lines are needed, please contact the rate setting mailbox for the expanded version of the form.

If an agency has completed billing for the time period of July 1 to December 31, 2017, the Excel template must be emailed to the Regional Program Manager and rate setting mailbox by May 11, 2018. If an agency has not completed billing by the due date and they anticipate the need to submit, the rate setting mailbox must be contacted.

  • The announcement can be found here.
  • The Vacancy Exception Request form can be found here.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has issued Bulletin 00-18-01, Guidelines Concerning Sexual Health, Personal Relationships, and Sexuality, effective April 13, 2018. The purpose of the bulletin is to encourage providers to develop policies consistent with the guidelines.

In 2016, ODP contracted with the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University to form a cross system, statewide committee of individuals with disabilities, professionals, family members, provider organizations, educators, medical professionals, and direct care staff to review and update the guidelines that were distributed in 1996.

The bulletin listed below is a result of that committee’s work. These guidelines are being issued to:

  • Promote an environment where individuals with disabilities can pursue personal relationships and their sexuality;
  • Promote an environment where individuals with disabilities can receive objective, non-judgmental, comprehensive information regarding sexual health and relationships; and
  • Establish an expectation that provider agencies develop policies on sexual health, personal relationships, and sexuality consistent with the guidelines.

Bulletin 00-96-23, “Guidelines concerning Sexuality” issued December 31, 1996, is now obsolete. A link to the new bulletin and guidelines are here:

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has distributed Announcement 035-18: Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Settings Self-Assessment Period. Providers of the services listed below are required to complete the online HCBS Provider Self-Assessments in response to the HCBS Settings Rule published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) by 11:59 pm on June 12, 2018. Service locations for which ODP has not received a completed self-assessment will be deemed non-compliant.

  • Community Participation Support in the Consolidated, Person/Family-Directed Support, and/or Community Living Waivers;
  • Day Habilitation in the Adult Autism Waiver and/or Adult Community Autism Program;
  • Residential Habilitation in the Consolidated Waiver and/or Adult Autism Waiver;
  • Life Sharing in the Consolidated and/or Community Living Waivers; and
  • Family Living in the Adult Autism Waiver.

Compliance with the HCBS Settings Rule for service settings for all other ODP Waiver services will be completed through the Quality Assessment and Improvement (QA&I) Process.

The HCBS Settings Rule requires that states assess all residential and non-residential settings which receive funding or payment through an approved HCBS waiver. The intent of the HCBS Settings Rule is to:

  • Ensure individuals receiving HCBS have full access to benefits of community living and the opportunity to receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate;
  • Enhance the quality of HCBS; and
  • Provide protections to participants.

This includes opportunities to seek employment, work in competitive and integrated settings, engage in community life, control personal resources, and receive services in the community to the same degree as people who do not receive HCBS.

Adjustments to these tools were made based on feedback received through the pilot, and also based upon public feedback after the tools were released for public comment February 22 – March 16, 2018. The Provider Self-Assessment will assist in identifying potential areas of non-compliance and allow the provider to develop a corrected action plan outlining how they plan to achieve full compliance. It is important to note that the intent of the self-assessment is not to close or terminate any home or community-based services but instead to enable stakeholders to plan for transition to meet compliance with the Settings Rule.

The following documents have been made available for viewing/download:

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Person Centered Thinking is a core concept at the foundation of the services and supports provided to people with intellectual disabilities and autism in Pennsylvania. People with disabilities, self-advocates, and other stakeholders are invited to come and learn about Person Centered Thinking and how it can be used to enhance the quality of life of the people we support.

The training is an interactive, two-day training that services as a foundation for everyone involved in supporting people with significant disabilities. You must attend both days in order to complete the training and receive a certificate of attendance. These skills will help teams develop meaningful Individual Support Plans that help people with disabilities achieve an Everyday Life.

The trainings are scheduled for Harrisburg and Malvern in April and May. Please see the ODP announcement for details.

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