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Policy Areas

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Tuesday, April 4, 2023
9:00 am — 3:00 pm
Register Here

Registration for the 2023 Health Equity Conference is now open!

Join the Office of Health Equity for a day of expert speakers as they provide valuable insight on health equity, whole person care, and chronic disease prevention. The conference will be held on April 4, 2023, from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm and is entirely virtual. Hear from our keynote speakers before heading into a breakout room of your choice to get more in-depth information on a variety of health equity related topics. Registration is open until April 3, so don’t miss out on an opportunity to connect with others in the field from the comfort of your own home.

Questions about this year’s summit? Please contact Judelissa Rosario or Emily Lebo for support. We hope to see you there!

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RCPA, in collaboration with Pennsylvania Advocacy and Resources for Autism and Intellectual Disability (PAR) and The Provider Alliance (TPA), surveyed over 130 providers representing over 30,000 individuals served across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to measure the impact of the collapsing Intellectual Disabilities & Autism (ID/A) system in PA.

This data demonstrates that the care and support system for people with ID/A is failing and in crisis. Since before the COVID-19 pandemic, systemic underfunding has been a consistent problem. But today, providers bear many unreimbursed care costs because of inadequate funding. Individuals approved for services cannot find providers with the capacity to offer the services they need and are entitled to. Providers & Families are feeling the effects of this daily.

Providers are crippled by the workforce crisis as demonstrated in this report on the state of the ID/A industry workforce, based on a study conducted in 2022 by the Center for Healthcare Solutions, The Arc of PA, RCPA, and TPA.

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Amplifying The Voices Of Direct Support Professionals
Wednesday, May 3 – Thursday, May 4, 2023

On May 3 and 4, the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) will embark on its second national advocacy event to bring the direct support professional (DSP) perspective to the forefront of Congress and the Administration during a time of unprecedented workforce challenges. Hardships from the pandemic and recent legislation have provided new insights and opportunities for the direct support workforce that supports people with disabilities.

The NADSP recognizes the previous absence and critical importance of lifting the voices of DSPs to federal policymakers, so that public policy can be informed by the people who are on the front lines of supporting people with disabilities to live, work, and thrive in the community. On April 13, 2023, the NADSP will provide DSPs from all across the country with comprehensive advocacy virtual training. This will lead up to the 1.5-day virtual event in May that will culminate with virtual meetings with Congressional leaders and staff to educate and advocate on NADSP’s public policy priorities for 2023.

NADSP’s 2023 Policy Priorities

  • Establish a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) for direct support professionals within the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
  • Assure effective implementation of workforce development initiatives, authorized through legislation, that leads to wages commensurate with the level of responsibility and the complexity of this work, as well as career ladder opportunities that lead to professional growth.

A detailed schedule of events along with the expectations of attendees is on the event landing page. Ready to answer their call to action? Use this link to learn more.

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The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has issued an update on the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Reporting Portal.

The OLTL ARPA Funding portal was launched September 30, 2022 for providers to submit costs associated with ARPA of 2021 funding in order to comply with the Department of Human Services’ (DHS’) reporting requirements. The reporting due dates were previously communicated and are outlined in the chart below. OLTL continues to work through portal access requests and data discrepancy issues. Due to these ongoing challenges, please be advised there will NOT be a penalty assessed for initial reports submitted after the 2/28/2023 due date.

Report Period  Due Dates 
07/01/2021–12/31/2021
01/01/2022–06/30/2022
07/01/2022–12/31/2022		 2/28/2023
01/01/2023–6/30/2023 8/30/2023
07/01/2023–12/31/2023 2/28/2024

As a reminder, the reporting portal is only accepting ARPA cost reports for funding allocated by the General Assembly in 2021. This includes allocations for:

  • Act 24 payments to nursing facilities (NF), personal care homes (PCH), and assisted living residences (ALR) for COVID-19 related costs not otherwise reimbursed by federal, state, or other sources of funding;
  • Strengthening the workforce funding for eligible Personal Assistance Services (PAS), Community Integration (CI), and Residential Habilitation (Res Hab) providers to assist with recruitment and retention of direct care workers; and
  • Funding to adult day providers to strengthen adult day services.

Additional detailed information about the distribution of the 2021 ARPA funding can be found on the DHS Long-Term Care Providers page.

Portal Training & Support
The DHS ARPA Reporting Portal User Guide is an additional resource to help navigate the reporting portal. For portal access requests or questions, please contact the OLTL Provider Helpline at 800-932-0939, Option 2 or via email for assistance.

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PA Family Network has several workshops coming up in March on Waivers and using the LifeCourse Framework. Also being offered are two support groups including a NEW Caregiver Support Group. The deadline to register for their free Emergency Preparedness Summits is March 6, 2023 and spots are limited! Visit this web page to secure your spot today!

  • 3/1/2023, Peace of Mind
  • 3/1/2023, Support Group
  • 3/2/2023, LEAD the way to Healthy Relationships
  • 3/6/2023, Deadline to Register for Emergency Preparedness Summits!
  • 3/6/2023, Waiver Basics Part 1
  • 3/6/2023, Waiver Basics Part 2
  • 3/7/2023, Community Safety Siblings
  • 3/8/2023, Waiver Advanced Part 1
  • 3/8/2023, Waiver Advanced Part 2
  • 3/9/2023, Life Transitions
  • 3/13/2023, Using LifeCourse to Plan and Problem Solve
  • 3/13/2023, Waiver Basics Part 1
  • 3/14/2023, Waiver Basics Part 2
  • 3/15/2023, South Central Summit – York
  • 3/20/2023, Waiver Basics Part 1
  • 3/20/2023, Waiver Basics Part 2
  • 3/20/2023, Sibling Good Life Group
  • 3/20/2023, Support Group
  • 3/20/2023, Central Summit – State College
  • 3/21/2023, Western Summit – Pittsburgh
  • 3/23/2023, Northeast Summit – Wilkes-Barre
  • 3/27/2023, Life Transitions
  • 3/27/2023, Waiver Basics Part 1 – SIBS
  • 3/27/2023, Southeast Summit – Philadelphia
  • 3/29/2023, Waiver Basics Part 2 SIBS
  • 4/4/2023, Northwest Summit – Erie

For more information and to register for our free upcoming Spring Summits on Emergency Preparedness, visit this web page.

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Physical, Mental and Emotional words on a venn diagram to illustrate total balance of mind, body and soul or spirit health and wellbeing

As the behavioral health field continues to move in the direction of integration efforts with physical health, RCPA is embarking on a series of discussions/webinars for 2023. Specifically, to inform our members, we want an open discussion on a range of topics such as:

  • Best practices in integration of care and current successes;
  • Clinical and financial implications;
  • Payer and provider vantage points;
  • How managed care models can evolve to support this effort and overcome barriers;
  • Future innovations;
  • Regulatory reform needed; and
  • Standards, consistency, accountability, and meaningful VBP models.

We would envision speakers from the BH-MCOs, Counties and primary contractors, legislators, providers, the administration, national groups (e.g., National Council, other states), and others.  This would culminate in a discussion at the RCPA Annual Conference in October.

We want the discussion to be an interesting and thought-provoking dialogue and to bring in speakers from a number of perspectives. We hope you will join in the discussion, and information on our first presentation will be coming out shortly. Please contact RCPA if you have ideas for topics or presenters as well.

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