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Policy Areas

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With support from the Preschool Development Grant, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is supporting a training initiative to help build a cross-disciplinary workforce across Pennsylvania that understands very young children’s mental health and development and can provide better, more informed support to families and caregivers.

You, or a Children First PA representative(s) of your choosing, are invited to participate in an upcoming DC:0–5™: Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood Overview webinar. This 90-minute session is designed for policy leaders, advocates, and human services administrators who play a pivotal role in shaping systems that support the mental health and well-being of our youngest children.

About the Training:

The DC:0–5™ framework provides a developmentally sensitive approach to understanding and classifying mental health and developmental disorders in children from birth through age five. The overview will:

  • Introduce the purpose and structure of the DC:0–5™;
  • Highlight its role in transforming early identification and intervention practices; and
  • Explore implications for policy, advocacy, and service delivery.

Why Your Participation Matters:

Your leadership and expertise are essential in ensuring that policies and programs reflect the latest understanding of infant/early childhood mental health. By engaging in this training, you will be better equipped to:

  • Inform policy decisions with evidence-based practices;
  • Strengthen cross-sector collaboration; and
  • Support equitable access to infant/early childhood mental health services and supports.

DATE: February 18, 2026, from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm EST

REGISTER HERE

Participants will need to create a free eLearn account with ZERO TO THREE if they do not already have one to complete their registration.

Priority registration is available through February 11, 2026, before the training announcement is made public the following day. Space is limited to 100 attendees.

We look forward to your participation in this important conversation and to working together to advance the well-being of young children and their families.  If you cannot attend this session, there will be additional opportunities in 2027, as this initiative also includes a Training of Trainers strategy.

If you have any additional questions, please contact RCPA COO Jim Sharp.

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On Friday, February 6, Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Val Arkoosh presented an overview of Governor Shapiro’s proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2026/27 budget and detailed the projected spending across DHS, which totals $21.94 billion in state funding. The Secretary highlighted that all three Medicaid managed care programs, as well as waiver programs for people with intellectual disabilities and autism, are receiving increases, largely driven by patient needs and costs associated with delivering care. The proposed FY 2026/27 budget includes $39.7 billion in federal funding as well as $5.6 billion from augmentations and additional programs, such as lottery and tobacco funds, making the total DHS funding $67.2 billion.

The Secretary expressed how the proposed budget reflects the direct impacts of HR 1, with significant federal funding at risk. The distribution for the 2026/27 budget is based upon the current structure of Medicaid and other federally funded programs, but the Secretary noted that beginning in 2028, changes in Medicaid financing rules will remove $20 billion from Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program over the following decade.

Budget Highlights and Investments

  • Investments in Health:
    • Food is Medicine: $900,000 (federalizes to $2.3 million) in state funds to launch a pilot program that will provide nutritionally appropriate food to improve quality of life and health outcomes while lowering overall health care costs for Medicaid recipients with significant health care needs.
    • Housing Stability: $1 million in state funds (federalizes to $2.5 million) to launch a pilot that will connect people experiencing homelessness to stable housing and services that improve health and care management.
    • Reentry Supports: $900,000 in state funds (federalizes to $2.7 million) to provide pre-release coverage (up to 90 days prior to release from a State Correctional Institution) for substance use care and intensive case management.
  • Continuing ODP Multi-Year Growth Strategy: Building upon Shapiro’s 2024 multi-year strategy to expand access to home and community-based services and effectively end the emergency waiting list of adults with intellectual disabilities with autism, the proposed budget allots $30 million in state funds, which federalizes to $66.2 million. This will allow for 850 more people to be served in the Community Living Waiver and 400 more people to be served in the Consolidated Waiver.
  • Supporting 988 Call Centers and Crisis Services: The proposed budget includes a $10 million investment in the crisis response workforce to help 988 call centers, as well as $5 million in state funds to continue prior year commitments for emergency behavioral walk-in centers.
  • Sustaining Early Intervention Rate Increase: The Secretary stated that the EI line item in the executive budget reflects the changing state cost to run the program and not an anticipated cut in funding. The release of the DHS Blue Book will have more information about the total funding with federal match. DHS intends to keep the new, updated rates from the 2025/26 budget, and revised rates will be released soon.
  • County Base Mental Health Services Funding: RCPA has confirmed that there will be no allocation increase for county base funding. While previous budgets had included $20 million for county base mental health funding, it was not included in the 2025/26 budget or the proposed 2026/27 budget.

Due to technical difficulties, DHS was unable to record the webinar, but the presentation slides and transcript can both be viewed.

Please contact your RCPA Policy Director with any questions or concerns.

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The Arc of PA invites you to the upcoming ACRE trainings! If you want to earn an ACRE certification or learn best practices in Supported Employment and Community Participation Services, sign up for one of these upcoming trainings.

  • February 18–20
  • March 11–13
  • April 8–10

You can find more information regarding each training, including registration information and costs at The Arc of PA’s website.

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Photo by Larry Crayton on Unsplash

The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) has announced an upcoming learning opportunity from the Youth and Family Training Institute (YFTI) that may be valuable to workforce, providers, educators, and anyone supporting children, youth, and families.

On February 18, 2026, from 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm, YFTI will host Foundations of Family Driven Teaming Approaches, a free webinar designed to strengthen understanding of how to partner with families in meaningful, collaborative, and effective ways.

This session will introduce participants to:

  • The building blocks of Family Driven Teaming;
  • Core Wraparound principles and skills that guide this teaming approach;
  • The intentional process of transitioning responsibility to the youth/family and the progression from coordination to collaboration, to cheering on within a team; and
  • The importance of building a team to plan for complex needs.

Family Driven Teaming places the family’s voice, culture, and priorities at the center of planning and decision making. This approach strengthens engagement, improves outcomes, and helps families build sustainable skills and relationships beyond formal services.

Register for Foundations of Family Driven Teaming Approaches

Questions and comments can be sent electronically.

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The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) has announced that Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (PRS) has been added to the Medical Assistance Program Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026.

On January 30, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved the addition of PRS as a rehabilitative service to the Medicaid State Plan, leading to the issuance of OMHSAS-26-01, “Payment for Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services.” Prior to the inclusion in the Medicaid State Plan, PRS was available only to MA beneficiaries enrolled in Behavioral Health HealthChoices as an in lieu of service. PRS is now available as a state plan service to MA beneficiaries in the Fee-for-Service and Behavioral Health HealthChoices delivery systems.

The published bulletin OMHSAS-26-01 can be found here. Please contact RCPA COO and Mental Health Director Jim Sharp with any questions.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 26-022 to announce a new Participant Directed Services training, “Understanding, Promoting, and Monitoring Participant Directed Services in Pennsylvania,” now available on MyODP.

This course is available within the Participant Directed Services category under the ‘Topics’ drop-down menu on MyODP’s website or by navigating directly to the course.

Please view the announcement for more details.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared an update to ODPANN 24-082. The Guidance for Reviewing Data for Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) Measures RM-IM 01.2 and 01.3 has been updated to reflect enhancements to the Incident Reporting Overview Dashboard and to the Incident Management Review Report. Updates to this announcement appear underlined in red.

The guidance can be found on the MyODP PBC Residential Services Page within the Data Folder.

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