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Policy Areas

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) and the Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations (BSASP), in collaboration with Autism Services, Education, Resources, and Training (ASERT), has announced the upcoming release of a new SPeCTRUM training course. This updated course will replace the existing SPeCTRUM 2.0 currently available on MyODP. The revised SPeCTRUM training will include enhanced webinar capabilities, updated content, and a variety of interactive learning features designed to support an improved and more engaging learning experience for participants.

For applicable providers of the Consolidated Waiver, in the interim of this new course becoming available, the recording of the Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Overview and Practical Application is now available as an alternative to SPeCTRUM 2.0 for the purposes of satisfying the basic autism training requirement for Residential Performance-Based Contracting measures CN-DD/Bx.01.1S and CN-DD/Bx.01.1CE for all Direct Support Professionals (DSP), Frontline Supervisors (FLS), and program managers. This training also fulfills §6100.143 ongoing training requirements. Users will be required to view 4 hours’ worth of training content and pass a 10 question quiz before the course displays on MyTranscript.

Staff providing services under the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) and Adult Community Autism Program (ACAP) are required to take SPeCTRUM 2.0 or the upcoming updated SPeCTRUM course once it becomes available. Additional communication is forthcoming.

MyODP users who are currently working toward completion of the SPeCTRUM 2.0 course must complete all required modules by 11:59 pm on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. The course will be retired effective April 1, 2026, and will no longer be accessible on MyODP. Any incomplete progress toward module completion that has not been finalized by the deadline will not be retained.

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The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (PA DHS) has developed a communications toolkit available at DHS’s website to help Pennsylvanians understand SNAP work and reporting requirements as well as how to meet them.

SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) services are important for Pennsylvanians who are applying for or receiving SNAP and who must meet federal work and reporting requirements because these services will help them meet the requirements.

SNAP recipients must work, volunteer, or participate in an education or training program for at least 20 hours a week (or 80 hours each month) AND report to PA DHS they are meeting this requirement. If SNAP recipients do not meet the work and reporting requirements, they can only receive three months of SNAP benefits in a three-year period.

Please contact RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp with any questions.

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Expanding Our World: Technology and an Everyday Life
March 19, 2026
10:00 am – 2:30 pm
Register Here

The Department of Human Services’ Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) and the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) have announced the Dual Diagnosis Professional Conference Series, which offers presentations focused on supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism (ID/A) and mental health needs.

This session will discuss how innovation meets impact by introducing assistive technology in the lives of people supported in the dual diagnosis community. The speakers come from varied backgrounds, all with the shared goal of improving the quality of life for the people they support. They will demonstrate how to expand independence at the person and provider level, explore how to use technology to create new opportunities that might not have been available without it, and share personal accounts of people and providers who used this technology to demonstrate how lives and operations have changed by adding this measure.

Please view the flyer for additional details.

The session will be offered virtually via the Zoom© platform. The Zoom link for joining the session will be sent to the email you used to register. This link will be unique to your registration. Please do not share this link.

For questions on registration, please send them electronically.

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Message from the PA Department of Aging:

You are invited to complete a survey for people who are Direct Care Workers in Pennsylvania who provide Long-Term Services and Support for older adults and people with disabilities. This includes people who work in home care community, or facility settings, and includes personal care homes, assisted living, and nursing homes. The survey is being conducted by the University of Pittsburgh in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Aging. The results will be used to help improve the Direct Care Workforce.

The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete.

The survey is being sent to members of organizations affiliated with the Pennsylvania Long-Term Care Council, Pennsylvania State Agencies, and related organizations.

Your responses to the survey are completely anonymous. The results will be summarized and reported statistically. No attempt will be made to identify any individual.

Everyone who completes the survey will have a chance to win a $100 gift card. One gift card will be given away each week for 5 weeks. The chance of winning depends on the number of people who respond to the survey. The survey will be sent via email to about 50,000 people and is available publicly on the Department of Aging website and at public “Listening Session” meetings.

If you have any questions about the survey, you can email Howard B. Degenholtz, PhD.

Visit here to start the survey. Or paste this link into your browser: https://bit.ly/DCWSURVEY2026

Thank you for taking the time to help with this important project.

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