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Policy Areas

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The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) released Bulletin 59-26-03, which updates the standardized Participant Review Tool (PRT) for Service Coordinators (SC). The bulletin provides additional clarification on the location of face-to-face visits with participants when completing the PRT. The bulletin also provides guidance to SCs on when increased face-to-face visits with program participants should be scheduled to protect their health, safety, and welfare.

This bulletin rescinds OLTL Bulletin 59-26-02 and any other OLTL policy documents or parts of policy documents that are inconsistent with this bulletin’s contents.

This bulletin applies to enrolled Service Coordination Entities (SCE) performing services in OLTL Medical Assistance Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) for the OBRA waiver and the Act 150 Program.

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RCPA is hosting our Annual Conference, Power in Purpose: Promoting Possibilities, at the Hershey Lodge from September 29 – October 2. This event will be a highlight for the Pennsylvania behavioral health, brain injury, children’s, early intervention, intellectual and developmental disabilities, medical rehabilitation, and physical disabilities and aging provider communities.

This year’s Sponsor, Exhibitor, and Advertiser Brochure features many opportunities to get in on the action and network with providers. Booth self-selection will also be available for exhibitors and exhibiting sponsors. In order to be considered for self-selection, a completed contract with payment must be submitted.

Exciting Sponsorship Opportunities
RCPA is privileged to have the backing of the finest organizations in the field for our conference. Through the use of sponsorship circles, RCPA is able to honor all supporting organizations.

Network and Compete in Connections Hall
Connections Hall activities take place during the two busiest days of the conference, and many networking opportunities are available throughout the event. You’ll also be able to compete and have a chance to win “Best of Show!”

Sign Up Now!
Sponsors, exhibitors, and advertisers who wish to be listed on the website, on the mobile app, and in the conference program must submit all materials by Tuesday, September 8. If questions remain, please contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator.

Visit Our List of Sponsors and Exhibitors!
RCPA thanks those that have committed their support to our 2026 Conference. You help make our conference an extraordinary, educational, and meaningful event for Pennsylvania’s provider communities!

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Yesterday, March 31, 2026, the Department of Human Services (DHS) held a “kickoff” webinar to discuss the Rural Health Transformation Plan (RHTP). The slides have not been released; however, RCPA will share the PowerPoint with members once they are available.

The webinar did not provide definitive next steps in terms of which category of Request for Proposal (RFP) would be released and when. RFPs will be periodically rolled out, and DHS indicated that the first RFP release would be in the next two weeks. The Department also shared the broad categories of project areas for consideration, stating that all RFP responses should closely tie back to their approved CMS plan.

DHS touched on the fact that RHTP funding and compliance will be achieved through continual cooperative agreements with CMS. Below is a broader timeline highlighting certain reporting and funding dates, as well as broader categorical areas the state is pursuing.

  • End of First Reporting Period – July 31, 2026
  • First Annual Report Due to CMS – August 31, 2026
  • Obligation of Year 1 Funding – October 30, 2026
  • Year 2 Funding – October 31, 2026
  • Quarterly Reports Due to CMS – November 29, 2026; March 1, 2027, May 30, 2027
  • Spending Deadline for Year 1 – September 30, 2027
    • By March 31, 2028, CMS will begin determining the amount of unused funds from the prior period to redistribute them to other states.

Year 1 Funding Mechanisms will include:

  • Expansion of existing programs;
  • Program payments;
  • Intergovernmental agreements; and
  • Grant agreements.

If your organization has an interest in these RFPs, RCPA will provide updates as appropriate, but we also encourage you to sign up directly for the DHS listserv info. Direct RHTP inquiries can be sent here.

If you have further questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director.

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On March 31, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8–1 against a Colorado law that prohibited licensed mental health professionals from providing “conversion therapy” to minors. The case, Chiles v. Salazar, centered on whether the state could restrict certain counseling conversations aimed at changing a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

Key points of the decision:

  • The Court held that Colorado’s law violated the First Amendment, concluding it restricted counselors’ speech based on viewpoint.
  • The majority, written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, said the statute regulated what therapists could say, which triggered strict constitutional scrutiny.
  • The Court determined the state’s attempt to frame the ban as regulation of professional conduct was insufficient because the therapy involved speech rather than physical treatment.
  • Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued the lone dissent, arguing states should be able to regulate harmful healthcare practices and protect minors.

The ruling may affect similar bans in more than 20 other states, putting them at risk of legal challenges. Supporters say the decision protects free speech and religious expression in counseling. Critics, including medical and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, warn that it could weaken protections for youth from practices widely considered harmful.

View Pennsylvania’s stance on conversion therapy.

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Training and Certification web header icon set learning academy certified qualification certificate of competence certified class web header illustration

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 26-038. This announcement informs users that the MyTranscript report available on MyODP has been updated to include three distinct categories and to provide instructions for accessing the reports as well as to provide instructions on re-taking MyODP courses.

  • The first MyTranscript report is called “MyTranscript Course Completion” and will capture trainings completed after December 1, 2025.
  • The second MyTranscript report is called “MyTranscript Certificates” and captures specific trainings where a certificate was or is currently being issued.
  • The third MyTranscript report is called “MyTranscript Historical Completion” and will capture data of certificates that were issued before December 1, 2025.

Please view the announcement for more details.

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