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Mental Health

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On Wednesday, April 15, ADvancing States and the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) sent a letter to Congress outlining additional legislative requests to assist state aging, disability, and LTSS agencies as they respond to the COVID pandemic. Specifically, the letter requests:

  • Further increase the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) to a total of 12%;
  • Allow states to provide Medicaid retainer payments to additional provider categories and for extended periods of time as warranted by the emergency;
  • Provide additional supports to ensure that older adults and people with disabilities have access to food;
  • Delay the CURES Act Electronic Visit Verification penalties;
  • Delay the proposed Medicaid Financial Accountability Regulation (MFAR); and
  • Provide additional resources for Adult Protective Services to respond to abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

Click here to read the full letter.

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President Trump Announces Guidelines for Opening Up American Economy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2020

U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP: Guidelines Opening Up America Again

Proposed State or Regional Gating Criteria

PHASE 1:

INDIVIDUALS

  • ALL VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS* should continue to shelter in place. Members of households with vulnerable residents should be aware that by returning to work or other environments where distancing is not practical, they could carry the virus back home. Precautions should be taken to isolate from vulnerable residents.
  • All individuals, WHEN IN PUBLIC (e.g., parks, outdoor recreation areas, shopping areas), should maximize physical distance from others. Social settings of more than 10 people, where appropriate distancing may not be practical, should be avoided unless precautionary measures are observed.
  • Avoid SOCIALIZING in groups of more than 10 people in circumstances that do not readily allow for appropriate physical distancing (e.g., receptions, trade shows)
  • MINIMIZE NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL and adhere to CDC guidelines regarding isolation following travel.

EMPLOYERS

  • Continue to ENCOURAGE TELEWORK, whenever possible and feasible with business operations. If possible, RETURN TO WORK IN PHASES.
  • Close COMMON AREAS where personnel are likely to congregate and interact, or enforce strict social distancing protocols.
  • Minimize NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL and adhere to CDC guidelines regarding isolation following travel.
  • Strongly consider SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS for personnel who are members of a VULNERABLE POPULATION.

SPECIFIC TYPES OF EMPLOYERS

  • SCHOOLS AND ORGANIZED YOUTH ACTIVITIES (e.g., daycare, camp) that are currently closed should remain closed.
  • VISITS TO SENIOR LIVING FACILITIES AND HOSPITALS should be prohibited. Those who do interact with residents and patients must adhere to strict protocols regarding hygiene.
  • LARGE VENUES (e.g., sit-down dining, movie theaters, sporting venues, places of worship) can operate under strict physical distancing protocols.
  • ELECTIVE SURGERIES can resume, as clinically appropriate, on an outpatient basis at facilities that adhere to CMS guidelines.
  • GYMS can open if they adhere to strict physical distancing and sanitation protocols. BARS should remain closed.

PHASE 2: FOR STATES AND REGIONS WITH NO EVIDENCE OF A REBOUND AND THAT SATISFY THE GATING CRITERIA A SECOND TIME

INDIVIDUALS

  • ALL VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS should continue to shelter in place. Members of households with vulnerable residents should be aware that by returning to work or other environments where distancing is not practical, they could carry the virus back home. Precautions should be taken to isolate from vulnerable residents.
  • All individuals, WHEN IN PUBLIC (e.g., parks, outdoor recreation areas, shopping areas), should maximize physical distance from others.
  • Social settings of more than 50 people, where appropriate distancing may not be practical, should be avoided unless precautionary measures are observed.
  • NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL can resume.

EMPLOYERS

  • Continue to ENCOURAGE TELEWORK, whenever possible and feasible with business operations.
  • Close COMMON AREAS where personnel are likely to congregate and interact, or enforce moderate social distancing protocols.
  • NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL can resume.
  • Strongly consider SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS for personnel who are members of a VULNERABLE POPULATION.

SPECIFIC TYPES OF EMPLOYERS

  • SCHOOLS AND ORGANIZED YOUTH ACTIVITIES (e.g., daycare, camp) can reopen.
  • VISITS TO SENIOR CARE FACILITIES AND HOSPITALS should be prohibited. Those who do interact with residents and patients must adhere to strict protocols regarding hygiene.
  • LARGE VENUES (e.g., sit-down dining, movie theaters, sporting venues, places of worship) can operate under moderate physical distancing protocols.
  • ELECTIVE SURGERIES can resume, as clinically appropriate, on an outpatient and in-patient basis at facilities that adhere to CMS guidelines.
  • GYMS can remain open if they adhere to strict physical distancing and sanitation protocols.
  • BARS may operate with diminished standing-room occupancy, where applicable and appropriate.

PHASE THREE: FOR STATES AND REGIONS WITH NO EVIDENCE OF A REBOUND AND THAT SATISFY THE GATING CRITERIA A THIRD TIME

INDIVIDUALS

  • VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS can resume public interactions, but should practice physical distancing, minimizing exposure to social settings where distancing may not be practical, unless precautionary measures are observed.
  • LOW-RISK POPULATIONS should consider minimizing time spent in crowded environments.

EMPLOYERS

  • Resume UNRESTRICTED STAFFING of worksites.

SPECIFIC TYPES OF EMPLOYERS

  • VISITS TO SENIOR CARE FACILITIES AND HOSPITALS can resume. Those who interact with residents and patients must be diligent regarding hygiene.
  • LARGE VENUES (e.g., sit-down dining, movie theaters, sporting venues, places of worship) can operate under limited physical distancing protocols.
    GYMS can remain open if they adhere to standard sanitation protocols.
  • BARS may operate with increased standing room occupancy, where applicable.

# # #

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ABC’s of Reporting: Value of Reporting to Multiple Payers Simultaneously | Wednesday, April 22, 2020 – 2:00 pm

In this valuable learning session, DDAP will show you how all of the outcome measure requirements of major reimbursement models overlap with one another and how you can take advantage of this to maximize reimbursement. They will discuss how to reduce burden to staff who are responsible for capturing the data, and also discuss tools for how to adapt your reporting as the behavioral health reimbursement process evolves.

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Members are encouraged to participate in a CMS Lessons From the Front Lines: COVID-19 call on April 17, 2020 from 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm. The call is being hosted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator, Seema Verma, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, and the White House Coronavirus Task Force. These are weekly calls and provide everyone with the opportunity to hear physicians and other clinical leaders share their experiences, best practices, strategies, and insights related to COVID-19.

To participate:
877-251-0301 / Access Code: 8672948

Webcast Streaming

Conference lines are limited, so members are encouraged to join via audio webcast, either on your computer or smartphone web browser.

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The Federal Reserve is requesting comments on the Main Street Loan Program by the end of business today. The comment portal is open until tonight, April 16, on the Federal Reserve website.  The Main Street Loan Program provides support for businesses and nonprofits. This is an opportunity for RCPA members with over 500 employees to advocate for assistance.

Talking Points for Comments:
As the Treasury Department works to create a program as directed under the CARES Act section 4003(c)(3)(D), to provide financing to banks and other lenders to make loans to nonprofits and other mid-size business of between 500–10,000 employees, we request that the program:

  • Include a 0.50% interest rate (50 basis points) for 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofits at a 5-year amortization;
  • Provide priority to 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofits responding to COVID-19 relief efforts;
  • Payments shall not be due until two years after a direct loan is made;
  • Employee retention provisions should begin on the date that loan funding is received by the borrower; and
  • In implementing any workforce restoration and retention provisions, “workforce” should be defined as full-time employees or full-time equivalents.

Many nonprofits employ more than 500 employees and have not been able to access the Paycheck Protection Program, which contains loan forgiveness provisions that are critical to these organizations, and necessary to help ensure they will be able to continue to provide services during the crisis and assist with our nation’s recovery efforts when the crisis is over.

Charitable nonprofits are the third largest employer in our nation’s economy and are valued problem solvers. The recommendations above will help to keep these organizations financially strong and allow them to continue to meet the immediate needs of their communities, while planning for the future when many of their services will be needed most. Nonprofit organizations are our country’s only institutions solely focused on making communities stronger. In the toughest times, we do the toughest work. When it’s time to restore and repair our wellbeing, these community-based institutions need to be equipped to do that as well and their unique needs should not be overlooked.

Question, please contact Jack Phillips.

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The Recruitment and Retention Workshops that were originally scheduled as in-person events to occur at RCPA in Harrisburg tomorrow (Thursday April 16, 2020), have been postponed and will be held in June. The workshops will now be held via Zoom so that attendees will not need to travel or attend in person. Scott and Craig de Fasselle from Blitz Media Design have a great deal of experience in presenting on this platform and assure us that this format will be very effective for this workshop.

Craig and Scott de Fasselle are the father/son team who presented two webinars for RCPA members on these subjects. Many of our members who participated in the webinars found them to be helpful and thought-provoking. Now is the opportunity to dive more deeply into the topics that are so important to attracting and keeping the staff so critical to our work. Attendees will get a mix of group exercises, individual exercises, and presentations all geared to attracting applicants, improved on-boarding and training experience, and building positive agency culture in order to maintain your best employees.

See video previews below of what attendees get out of our recruiting and retention workshops:

We are offering two sessions, on two different dates:

**If you are already registered to attend one of the original sessions, and you want to attend Session One, you do not need to do anything.

**If you are already scheduled to attend one of the original sessions, and you want to attend Session Two, please contact Tieanna Lloyd.

**If you are registered to attend one of the original sessions and now need to cancel your registration, please contact Tieanna Lloyd.

Registration is open for both sessions.

  • Registration Cost for RCPA members is $89
  • Registration Cost for Non-members is $119

For any questions regarding the workshops, please contact Carol Ferenz.

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Dept of Community and Economic Development

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2020

Harrisburg, PA – Today, Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Dennis Davin announced the forbearance of loans administered by DCED.

“This pandemic has presented new and unforeseen challenges to Pennsylvania’s businesses, and the Wolf Administration has been committed to supporting our business community to the fullest extent every step of the way,” said Sec. Davin. “This extended deferral will help ease the burden on small businesses and enable them to focus and prioritize their efforts as we work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the commonwealth.”

Next week, Governor Tom Wolf and Sec. Davin will request loan deferrals for all borrowers with the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority, the Commonwealth Financing Authority (excluding PENNWORKS program loans), the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority, and the Pennsylvania Minority Business Development Authority.

In March, DCED took the emergency executive step of halting April payments, late fees, and accruing interest for these loans. This additional forbearance will apply to May and June payments to include no accrual of interest or fees. Automatic payments will be halted and borrowers paying by check will not be required to submit payment until the scheduled July payment. As a result of the forbearance, the maturity of the loans will be extended for three months.

Resources and information for businesses is regularly posted to http://dced.pa.gov/resources. The U.S. Small Business Administration, in addition to local funding partners, may also be a source of assistance for affected businesses.

Businesses seeking further guidance and clarification from DCED can contact its customer service resource account at [email protected]. For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, Pennsylvanians should follow www.governor.pa.gov and www.doh.pa.gov.

MEDIA CONTACT: Casey Smith, [email protected]

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