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Mental Health

Join us on Tuesday, January 4, 2022, at 10:00 am for an “ODP-Administered HCBS Waiver Rates Revisions and Impact Analysis Tool” webinar sponsored by RCPA, PAR, MAX, The Alliance of Community Service Providers, and The Arc of PA.

Speakers will be:

  • Richard S. Edley, PhD, President and CEO, RCPA
  • Chris Elliot, Vice President of Finance, Barber National Institute
  • Diane Conway, CEO, MAX
  • Sherri Landis, Executive Director, The Arc of Pennsylvania
  • Cherie Brummans, President & CEO, The Alliance of CSP
  • Mark Davis, President & CEO, CDI, PAR
  • Scott Spreat, Research Director, CDI, Woods Services

The DHS/ODP revised waiver rates will be presented. Participants will then be trained on an “Impact Analysis Tool” that was designed to help inform ID/A providers of the impact of the revised rates and will also inform organizations representing providers of HCBS services for their comments on the revised rates.

Please register for this Zoom webinar, which will be held on January 4, 2022, from 10:00 am–11:00 am. For more information, please view the flyer for the webinar. We look forward to seeing you there!

Image by photosforyou from Pixabay

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) is offering a webinar on the topic of the PA Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Savings Program on January 28, 2022, from 1:00 pm–2:00 pm. A PA ABLE account gives individuals with qualifying disabilities (eligible individuals) and their families and friends a tax-free way to save for disability-related expenses while maintaining government benefits. Federal and state law authorized the creation of PA ABLE accounts. The presentation will be given by a representative of the PA Treasury Department.

OLTL Service Coordinators, Direct Service Providers, CHC-MCO staff, and any individuals that work with employment are strongly encouraged to participate in this webinar, which will help you understand the PA ABLE Program and how it can benefit the OLTL participants you serve.

Please register for this event. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Questions about the webinar should be directed to Edward M. Butler, OLTL, via email or at 717-214-3718.

The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has issued Bulletin 59-21-03, which pertains to the Home and Community-Based Settings (HCBS) Heightened Scrutiny process. Also included are the following bulletin attachments:

  • Attachment A: Final Rule Heightened Scrutiny checklist for Day Settings
  • Attachment B: Final Rule Heightened Scrutiny checklist for Employment Skills Development Settings
  • Attachment C: Final Rule Heightened scrutiny checklist for Residential Settings

OLTL is currently working to develop a training for providers on this topic and will host training sessions sometime in early 2022. Questions about the bulletin and/or the attachments should be sent via email. The bulletin is effective December 29, 2021.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released guidance on the Omnibus COVID-19 health care staff vaccination interim final rule that was published on November 5, 2021. The emergency regulation helps safeguard health care workers and the people they serve from COVID-19 and its variants for all individuals seeking care. This is done by imposing requirements regarding vaccinations for eligible staff at health care facilities participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

This guidance provides important information on implementation as well as guidelines to assess and maintain compliance with the COVID-19 vaccination requirements for health care workers at facilities participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.