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Policy Areas

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RCPA has partnered with other organizations representing intellectual disability and/or autism (ID/A) providers to send a letter to Governor Josh Shapiro asking him to invest an additional $430 million for IDD services in the 2023/24 state budget proposal. Governor Shapiro needs to hear from providers, families, individuals, and advocates for the IDD system that we are in critical need of this additional funding. This investment would enable providers to improve the wages for the Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who provide care to individuals with ID/A. Improving wages will help to ensure services are available to the individuals and families who rely on these services.

Currently, thousands of Pennsylvanians with ID/A are not receiving the supports they are entitled to through Medicaid, and those individuals who are currently receiving services are in danger of losing them. The current rate system does not support the ever rising costs of providing services and paying the DSPs a wage that is reflective of their duties. Our workforce is not sufficient to meet the needs of everyone who requires care.

The additional investment into the Home and Community-Based Services rates will enable providers to give their DSPs a raise and a better starting wage to compete with other employers.

Please reach out to our Governor and ask for his support today! You can reach Governor Shapiro via this online form.

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Wednesday, March 15, 2023
6:00 pm ET
Register here

Pennsylvania’s ABLE program provides individuals with qualifying disabilities a way to save and invest without affecting their benefits. What is new with ABLE? Join PATF and find out!

A lot has happened in the last few months, and more is to come. Diana Fishlock of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department will discuss the details of Pennsylvania’s ABLE program. Susan Tachau and Karen Hassett, Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF), along with the following partners will provide a brief introduction:

  • Melissa Hawkins, Director, Pennsylvania Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing;
  • Amy Nieves, Executive Director, Mayor’s Commission for People with Disabilities; and
  • Amy Levine, Director of Institutional Advancement, Pennsylvania School for the Deaf.

ASL, CART, and Spanish interpretation will be provided for the webinar. If you require additional accommodations, please let PATF know if you require additional accommodations when you register for the webinar no later than March 1, 2023.

PLEASE NOTE: PATF will host an in-person workshop with ASL and tactile interpreters in late Spring 2023.

This webinar will be recorded, and the recording will be sent out after the event via email to all who register. If you have any questions or need assistance with registering, please contact Karen Hassett at 484-675-0506 or via email.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is reaching out to organizations to highlight the ID Connect consultation resource. Community organizations have expended significant effort to develop COVID-19 policies to support the safety of individuals during the pandemic. This effort has created an important base of knowledge, which can serve as the foundation for broader infection control policies and practices.

ID Connect consultations can help with difficult policy development and implementation related to infectious diseases. Some examples:

  • ID Connect can consult to develop policy in support of an individual’s informed choice to assume more or less risk than their peers, while striving to meet the potentially conflicting needs of other residents and staff.
  • ID Connect can support the COVID-19 policies implemented and transform them into broader infectious disease policies to prevent duplicative effort.
  • ID Connect can provide subject matter expertise on infectious diseases, not limited to just COVID-19, when developing and implementing policies that address future concerns.

ID Connect can be contacted through regional Healthcare Quality Units (HCQU) to set up a consultation. For more information, please contact your regional HCQU.

HCQU Website Counties Served
KEPRO Southwest HCQU Westmoreland, Allegheny, Bedford/Somerset, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Washington
Milestone West HCQU Butler, Armstrong/Indiana, Beaver, Clarion, Venango, Crawford, Mercer, Lawrence
Central PA HCQU Northumberland, Blair, Centre, Columbia/Montour/Snyder/Union, Huntingdon/Mifflin/Juniata, Lycoming/Clinton, Schuylkill
Eastern PA HCQU Carbon/Monroe/Pike, Berks, Lehigh, Northampton
Northeast PA HCQU Lackawanna/Susquehanna, Bradford/Sullivan, Luzerne/Wyoming, Tioga, Wayne
Philadelphia Coordinated Health (PCHC) Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery
South Central PA HCQU Cumberland/Perry, Adams/York, Dauphin, Franklin/Fulton, Lancaster, Lebanon
Milestone Northwest HCQU Clearfield/Jefferson, Forest/Warren, Cameron/Elk, McKean, Erie, Potter

 

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The Moral Matters podcast recently discussed “Lobbying for Good” with Richard Edley, PhD, who is a psychologist and current President/CEO of RCPA, an advocacy and lobbying organization in Pennsylvania that supports community health and human services organizations. He shares his journey to this career, and why we should all learn more about how lobbyists — and even political action committees — might be acting on our behalf. Listen to the podcast here.

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Photo by Markus Winkler from Pexels

On May 1, Beacon Health Options of Pennsylvania, Inc., the behavioral health Medicaid managed care organization serving members in Western Pennsylvania, is becoming Carelon Health of Pennsylvania, Inc.

In June 2022, Beacon’s parent company Elevance Health announced the launch of Carelon, a new healthcare services brand. The name Carelon is derived from the word “care” and suffix “-lon,” which means full and complete. Beacon is joining with other businesses across the nation under the Carelon brand to provide ongoing healthcare services to support whole-person health.

Provider contracts, reimbursement, policies, and points of contact will all remain the same. All existing phone numbers, emails, websites, and portals will redirect to the Carelon-branded locations with no action required from providers.

Providers with questions can call 877-615-8503.

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The Department of Human Services (DHS) has announced a public meeting that will focus on Electronic Visit Verification (EVV). The meeting is scheduled for March 24, 2023, from 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm and will be held virtually. During this meeting, DHS will provide additional information and updates related to the DHS EVV implementation. Please register to attend this public meeting on the registration page. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

If you have a question that you would like to have read and answered during the meeting, please submit it electronically before March 15, 2023.

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