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Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities

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The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) released the rate study that was commissioned last August after RCPA and other industry associations collaborated to access the information needed to establish rates for services.

For background purposes, HCBS are offered through Medicaid as an alternative to facility or institutional care. Reimbursement rates for these programs are set by DHS and are informed by an actuarial rate setting process and a public comment process. Long-term services and supports (LTSS) help older Pennsylvanians and adults with physical disabilities.

The rate study revealed the need for substantial and immediate rate increases for the services which were evaluated. The study concluded, “Given the comparisons to benchmark rates, it appears that revisions to the rates studied for this report would be appropriate. The tables below show detailed results from the benchmark rate comparison.” The specific rate gaps were:

  • Adult Day                                                                     19%
  • Employment and Training Services                             35%
  • Personal Assistance — Agency                                   23%
  • Personal Assistance — PDS                                       12%
  • Residential Habilitation                                                44%
  • Structured Day Habilitation                                          22%

Findings of the study are used to inform the Commonwealth’s budget and future rate setting processes. View the results here.

If you have any questions, please contact Fady Sahhar or Melissa Dehoff.

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TOPIC: Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Overview and Practical Application

Over the years the prevalence of autism has increased, Pennsylvania’s service delivery system for individuals with autism has expanded, and best practices to provide quality supports have emerged. To support the individual needs of each person with autism across the lifespan, an understanding of core characteristics must be established. It is also important to learn how the individual’s presentation of autism may change across settings and situations. This seminar will provide attendees with an in-depth presentation on core characteristics of autism and the impact of the characteristics on daily life, routines, and activities. A review of common terms and basic principles used to change behavior, teach new skills, and develop practical application of best practices will be included. Opportunity for discussion and engagement will occur throughout the seminar.

Who should attend?

Direct Support Professionals, Front Line Supervisors, and Program Managers supporting individuals with autism in residential and other home and community-based settings. Professionals supporting individuals in Adult Autism Waiver (AAW), Adult Community Autism Program (ACAP), Consolidated Person/Family-Directed Support Waiver (P/FDS), and Community Living are encouraged to attend.

Where and when will sessions be held?

3 Locations, 1 session per location. 125-person max per session.

  • April 1 — PaTTAN East, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
  • April 24 — PaTTAN Central, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
  • April 30 — PaTTAN West, 9:30 am – 2:30 pm

Registration will open in early March.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

  • This training satisfies the basic autism training requirement for Residential Performance Based Contracting measures CN-DD/Bx.01.1S and CN-DD/Bx.01.1CE for all Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), Frontline Supervisors (FLSs), and program managers.
  • This training also fulfills 6100 ongoing training requirements.

Please contact the Bureau of Autism Training inbox with questions.

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Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

The ODP Announcement 25-019, which was issued Friday, February 14, 2025, has been re-issued with a corrected link for the Provider P4P Data Submission Tool Link. The tool is available here. The link in the initial announcement was pointed to the Primary survey. The Primary survey is NOT the P4P Survey.

Please view the announcement for additional information and details.

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Tablet on a desk - Newsletter

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-021. This communication is to inform entities that the Temple University Harrisburg Certified Investigator Program and the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) have released a new issue of the quarterly newsletter, The CI Program Spotlight. CI Program Spotlight, Volume 2 Issue 1 may be found on MyODP’s CI Program Home page.

Please view the announcement for additional information and details.

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This is a reminder that the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) will be hosting Virtual Office Hour Sessions for Residential Providers on the submission process for Performance-Based Contracting (PBC). There will be no presentation from ODP — please come prepared with your PBC data submission questions.

Sessions will not be recorded, but new and/or common questions and answers will be added to the Frequently Asked Questions.

Audience: One person per Residential Provider. ODP recommends sending the person who is most closely working with the PBC data submission process.

Please register for 1 session only:

Note: If you are experiencing issues accessing the link, try right-clicking the link, selecting “Copy Link,” and pasting the link into your browser. If the problem persists, try a different browser.

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ODP Announcement 25-020 is to inform residential providers that the link to the Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) Data Submission Tool will be available on February 15, 2025. The Residential Services Provider PBC Data Submission Tool is for all providers who did not submit PBC information in August 2024 and will instead be submitting data and documentation during the current review period (February 15, 2025 – March 15, 2025).

The Data Submission Tool is web-based in QuestionPro and was created as a mechanism for providers of Residential Habilitation, Supported Living, and Life Sharing services to submit data and documentation related to their organization’s performance. In addition to this communication, ODP will send a notification with instructions to applicable residential providers via the QA&I listserv with details for completing the PBC Data Submission Tool.

In addition, ODP Announcement 25-019 informs residential providers that the link to the Pay for Performance (P4P) Data Submission Tool will be available on February 15, 2025. The same P4P Data Submission tool will be used for all tier categories. All responses are captured electronically via data input or document upload. Participation in each area is optional; providers may submit data for one, two, all three initiatives, or none.

It is recommended that providers complete the required Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) Data Submission Tool prior to submitting for P4P, as providers will be given the option in the P4P tool to use the same documents submitted for Credentialing (Primary) and Employment from the PBC tool.

The Provider P4P Data Submission Tool is available here. Again, the tool will be available February 15, 2025.

Please direct any questions about this information to the ODP PBC inbox.

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Dear ANCOR Members,

Next week, some Members of Congress will be back in their districts, making it the perfect time to meet with them and urge them to protect Medicaid funding for home and community-based services (HCBS).

The newly released House budget framework calls for 1.5 trillion in cuts over ten years and directs the House committee with jurisdiction over Medicaid to cut at least $880 billion in spending. While the details have not yet been finalized, these reductions would likely result in deep cuts to Medicaid funding. Even if proposals do not specifically target funding for I/DD services, the resulting pressure on state budgets from Medicaid cuts creates an elevated risk of further limits and cuts to services for individuals with I/DD. In-district meetings and site visits are some of the most effective ways to educate lawmakers and their staff on how these cuts would harm people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), providers, and families.

To help you prepare, we’ve put together key advocacy resources, including:

Why Your Action Matters:
Studies show that constituent messages are the most effective way to influence lawmakers. When they see firsthand the impact of Medicaid-funded services in their communities, they are far more likely to protect funding.

Take this opportunity to reach out to your Members of Congress while they’re home next week or check their website for an email list signup to make sure you don’t miss any opportunities to engage while they are home — let’s make sure they understand why Medicaid funding must be protected.

Thank you for your advocacy.

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