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Policy Areas

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During the recent RCPA Children’s Committee meeting, leadership from the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) informed members about plans to hold six regional policy forums throughout the state. Forum information and pre-registration is now available.
Regional Forums for Partnering to Strengthen Early Childhood Policies to Include All Children are being held from 9:00 am – 3:30 pm on:

  • Tuesday, August 16: Park Inn by Radisson Clarion, 45 Holiday Inn Road, Clarion
  • Wednesday, August 17: PaTTAN, Pittsburgh
  • Friday, August 19: PaTTAN, Harrisburg
  • Monday, August 22: The Woodlands, 1073 Highway 315, Wilkes-Barre
  • Tuesday, August 23: PaTTAN East – 333 Technology Drive, Malvern
  • Wednesday, August 24: Sheraton Philadelphia University City Hotel, 3549 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia

The Regional Policy Forums will focus on:
Offering input and creating strategies to support inclusion, including identifying strategies to build and sustain partnerships, developing a framework for addressing suspension and expulsion in early childhood programs, and providing input on statewide policy around inclusion, suspension, and expulsion. These policy forums will be work sessions with facilitated small group discussions to provide input to OCDEL on governance, professional development, and leadership support, related to these issues. Participants are expected to attend for the entire day and provide input based on their experiences and expertise. This is not a training or a conference where passive attendance is an option.
Pre-registration will be required for the Regional Policy Forums.

  • Go to the training calendar
  • Select the date for which you want to register and complete the online registration
  • Please use the registration key RFEC2016 (ALL CAPS)

For registration questions, please contact Linda Rhine. Registration will close on Friday, July 22, or earlier if maximum capacity is reached at a specific site.

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New from the LEAD Center
LEADing to Employment Information Brief: Funding for Assistive Technology – Transitioning from Secondary School to VR and Work 

ODP has released the following:

  • Announcement 037-16: Vendor Fiscal/Employer Agent (VF/EA) Financial Management Services (FMS) Wage and Benefit Ranges for Specific Participant Directed Services (PDS) Effective July 1, 2016
  • Announcement 038-16: Agency with Choice Financial Management Services Wage Ranges and Benefit Allowance and Corresponding Department Established Fees for Specific Participant Directed Services Effective July 1, 2016
  • Announcement 039-16: PA Department of Human Services Medication Administration Training Program Critical Date Changes and Program Updates

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The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation is seeking public comment on the following two memo revisions:

  1. The OVR Supported Employment Policy is a revision of the current policy titled 03-200.05 Performance Based Job Coaching.
  2. The second memo is also a procedural revision of 96-800.6 On-The-Job Training.

These documents will also be available for viewing on the Publications page on the OVR website. Please review & forward your comments by July 15.

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Our colleagues at ASERT share important information and advice each month through their regular newsletter. In their most recent issue, ASERT offers suggestions for families that may be planning trips and vacations for the summer months ahead, noting that Pennsylvania has over 10 amusement parks designed for maximum family fun. Autism service providers and families, as well as those who work with and care for special needs children, know that sometimes these venues can be overwhelming and stressful for all involved. Some of the suggestions provided for families and for adults that are supporting and supervising children are to:

  • Call Ahead: Many parks offer special programs to individuals with special needs and their families.
  • Map it Out: Before arriving, be sure to review a map of the park and note where things like restrooms and quiet areas are so that you can access them easily when needed.
  • Pack Smart: Amusement parks can be loud and chaotic at times. If someone has sensitivities to noises, be sure to pack headphones, ear plugs, or other items to help them manage the environment.
  • Go Early or Late: Some parks offer “preview” packages or discounted admissions for arriving later in the day.

Read the full article on “Amusement Park Tips” as well as other information that supports the work of community providers of autism services and the families of individuals with autism – and consider signing up for regular ASERT updates.

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Your feedback is greatly needed. The US Department of Labor (DOL) has issued its final overtime rule which increases the threshold related to the overtime exemption. This has caused great concern among RCPA members as there is no additional funding being proposed to cover the cost of this change. RCPA will be submitting testimony and testifying in front of the Senate Labor and Industry and Senate Appropriations Committees on Tuesday, June 21 regarding this issue. In preparation for this important Senate hearing, we are asking members to complete this SURVEY no later than Wednesday, June 15, so that we have data to present in addition to our concerns.

If you have already taken the survey, you do not need to provide feedback again. We appreciate your attention and input regarding this very important issue. Thank you.

Please contact RCPA Director of Government Affairs Jack Phillips with any questions.

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The Department of Human Services (DHS) just announced their decision to lengthen the transition time for the start of the Community HealthChoices (CHC) program. The first phase (southwest part of the state) was originally scheduled to be implemented on January 1, 2017. The implementation date of phase one has now been changed to begin July 1, 2017.

The decision to extend the start date allows more time for the 420,000 Pennsylvanians who will ultimately benefit from CHC to understand the program adjustments that will occur, including how access to and receipt of home- and community-based services will be improved.

All other established CHC timeframes will remain the same. The selection of managed care companies, changes in the Commonwealth’s information technology systems, and other changes are still proceeding on the same timeframe. The implementation of phases two and three (the southeast and remainder of the Commonwealth) also remain on the previously announced timelines of 2018 and 2019, respectively.

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The commencement of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics through Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services, and the growing movement of individual providers to create medical homes to provide clients with co-located mental health and primary care providers in one facility, holds tremendous promise and opportunity for the coordination and enhancement of delivery of care to clients. These new provider relationships in shared office and facility spaces create new legal issues for providers under the federal Stark law and Anti-kickback statute. Providers must ensure that they do not inadvertently run afoul of these important federal fraud and abuse laws.

RCPA will offer a webinar presented by Renee H. Martin, JD, RN, MSN, a partner in the firm of Dilworth Paxson, LLP. This webinar will describe the legal requirements providers must be aware of under these federal laws and help to apply that knowledge in structuring financial relationships for use of these shared spaces. The webinar is intended for provider organizations’ executive staff, project planners, and legal counsel.

Stark Law and Integrated Health Care Webinar
Wednesday, June 29
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Register today

  • RCPA member registration is $25
  • Non-member registration is $40

Presenter: Ms. Martin exclusively practices health care law and advises both individual and institutional health care providers on regulatory and transactional matters. A significant portion of her practice centers on mental health and substance abuse law, including HIPAA, informational privacy, and fraud and abuse compliance. Ms. Martin has assisted in the formation of regional health information centers and mental health medical homes, working closely with federally qualified health centers and mental health providers.

RCPA will now distribute INFOS and ALERTS covering research, delivery and training models, policy issues, and other topics that will inform our members about collaborative, integrated, and co-located health care. To subscribe to this distribution list, select this link and check “Integrated Care.” This will add to your existing email preference selections.

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The Department of Human Services has issued Bulletin 99-16-04, Enrollment of Co-Located Providers. This bulletin informs providers of the process for enrollment or revalidation of providers that are in co-location arrangements. The bulletin addressed the process for Medicaid enrollment and revalidation for service providers that are “using the same distinct street address as a different currently enrolled provider.” It also addresses situations in which a provider is located within another provider’s offices and is accompanied by the department’s Co-Location Attestation form.

To further support members developing or providing co-located service provider relationships in a shared office and facility space, RCPA will conduct a Lunch and Learn webinar on June 29, focused on the legal issues for providers under the federal Stark law and Anti-Kickback statute. This webinar will describe the legal requirements providers must be aware of under these federal laws and apply that knowledge in structuring financial relationships for use of these shared spaces. Look for webinar information and registration in an RCPA INFO.

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will conduct a call on the key quality measures related to the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act of 2014 and how they will affect providers. The IMPACT Act requires the reporting of standardized patient assessment data on quality measures, resource use, and other measures by Post-Acute Care (PAC) providers, including inpatient rehabilitation facilities, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, and long-term care hospitals. The call is scheduled for Thursday, July 7, 2016 from 1:30 to 3:00 pm ET. Those interested in participating are encouraged to register early as space is limited.

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