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NOTE TO INSPECTOR: The word "iridium" on the pen's nib is not a brand: it's the name of the metal of which the nib is made. Thanks. Inky old fountain pen on a $100 bill.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) reminds Supports Coordination Organizations (SCOs) that they are required to provide a *PDF of their 2024 fiscal year-end financial statements no later than 9 months from the end of their fiscal year. In most cases, this date will be March 31 annually.

Financial Statement submissions must include, at a minimum, a Profit and Loss Report (Income Statement) for the 2024 fiscal year and a Balance Sheet as of the end of the provider’s fiscal year. ODP developed a QuestionPro link for SCOs to easily attach a *PDF of their financial statements, which will satisfy the requirement. The link for the ODP Waiver Provider Financial Statement Submission Form is available.

Residential Providers are required to provide a *PDF of their financial statements as part of Performance-Based Contracting and are no longer required to submit statements separately using the URL referenced in this document effective the date of this announcement.

Details of this requirement are available in ODPANN 25-025.

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AID In PA is accepting applicants for its April 2025 TRAIN program. This free training program was developed for therapists, counselors, and clinical social workers who already have experience working with clients who have an Intellectual Disability and/or Autism (ID/A) diagnosis and are looking to gain knowledge and skills related to trauma therapy.

Individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism are at an increased risk of experiencing trauma. TRAIN is an integrative and neuro-affirming approach to trauma-focused care with neurodivergent adults, centering clinical work with the ID/A communities. After completing the 12 weeks of learning, participants have the option to continue their training through clinical consultation with the developers of TRAIN. You must currently be licensed and provide 1:1 talk therapy sessions to qualify for this course and participate in the case consultation presentations.

The TRAIN program focuses on:

  • Trauma-focused mental healthcare
  • Types and prevalence of trauma
  • Ethical principles of reporting abuse
  • Neurodiversity and Neuro-affirming practices
  • Expressions of trauma
  • Assessing trauma and trauma-focused interviews
  • Trauma-focused and neuro-affirming psychoeducation
  • Trauma response management strategies and nervous system regulation strategies
  • Trauma processing techniques
  • Resiliency and therapist self-preservation

Course Structure:

12 weeks in total, comprised of 3 modules that are each 4 weeks long. The first three weeks are self-paced learning courses that are assigned through AID in PA’s online Learning Management System. The fourth week of each module is an hour and a half interactive discussion with the other group members and instructors. These live sessions are required and are held from 9:00 am – 10:30 am on the following dates:

  • April 8: Pre-training live session
  • May 13: Module 1 live session
  • June 10: Module 2 live session
  • July 8: Module 3 live session
  • August 5: Weekly Case Consultation Calls (8:00 am – 9:00 am, Tuesdays)*
    *This will continue until everyone presents twice.

Case Consultations:

After the initial 12 weeks there is a short break followed by a second 12-week session that consists of weekly one-hour case consultations. These are optional but highly recommended. Each participant is expected to present a case from a current patient and receive feedback/information from other participants and the instructors. Participants need to join at least 6 of the 12 weekly case consultation calls, although it’s encouraged to attend all. If you are not currently seeing patients or are not in a capacity to present any cases, this may not be the right program for you.

Cost and CE Credits:

It is free to participate. 13.5 Continuing Education (CE) credits are provided through the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) upon completion of the program.

If you believe this program is appropriate for you and can commit to the requirements, please complete this survey by March 20, 2025. First come, first serve basis, so don’t delay! If you cannot attend the Spring session due to other commitments but would still be interested in doing it for Fall 2025, please say so in the survey.

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Case Management Unit (CMU) Announces New Agency Name as Pathways Forward
New Name! New Vision!

Harrisburg, PA — 03/05/2025 — At the grand kickoff event, Case Management Unit (CMU) announced its new brand name as Pathways Forward, setting a course to strengthen the organizations commitment to its mission of “charting paths and creating opportunity for adults, children and families to live full and inclusive lives in their communities.” Pathways Forward predominately serves all of Dauphin County for those in need of mental healthcare, Intellectual Developmental Disabilities/Autism (IDD/A) and families needing Early Intervention service for young children with developmental delays. The agency’s Blended Case Managers and Supports/Service Coordinators help thousands of people move closer to living their best lives. “Pathways Forward, and its strong partnership with Dauphin County Human Services, create deep and powerful opportunities for success among those we serve”, said Board President Doug Hill. “Our well-trained professional teams are actively working in the community to meet people where they live, providing the highest quality care possible.” More than 5,000 people and their families benefit from the agency’s array of interventions each year. According to Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Slattery, “Our amazing teams are on pace to achieve more than 250,000 high quality engagements this year, setting a new standard of excellence.” To learn more and find ways to support this vital community agency, please visit www.pathfwd.org/.

# # #

For more information, press only:
Patrick Slattery
717-364-5560

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Photo by Joakim Honkasalo on Unsplash

The House Appropriations Committee held the 2025 Department of Human Services (DHS) Budget Hearing at the Capitol in Harrisburg on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. DHS was represented by Secretary Dr. Valerie Arkoosh and Gloria Gilligan, Director of Fiscal Management, Office of the Budget. Other DHS leadership was also present.

The House Appropriations Committee was equipped with questions surrounding the proposed $21B DHS budget that focused on intersects with operating critical services for vulnerable Pennsylvanians across the human services landscape. RCPA submitted questions to the House Appropriations Committee’s legislators that voiced the concerns of the membership across all policy areas.

The hearing today covered several of those questions, including:

  • The projected $2.5B dollar increase in the capitation and intersects with Medicaid unwinding in PA;
  • Impacts of potential federal Medicaid cuts on state Medicaid funding;
  • Addressing IDD waitlists and funding;
  • The ongoing funding of SNAP benefits and how the state is addressing fraud, waste, and abuse;
  • Efforts to stabilize the human services workforce infrastructure with hiring and retention funding;
  • Childcare and early education funding, including $10M in early intervention workforce monies;
  • Concerns about the fiscal and operational risks of covering GLP-1 medications; and
  • The sustainability of State human services with the increases over the last several years.

RCPA will continue to monitor the hearings and subsequent reporting, and we plan to provide an overview of the Senate Appropriations Committee DHS Budget Hearing held today, March 5. If you have any questions, please contact your respective RCPA Policy Director.

Members can watch the full hearings and read the transcripts below:

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The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) today announced an investment of more than $2 million in grant funding for five Pennsylvania organizations to help improve Pennsylvanians’ access to substance use disorder (SUD) recovery houses that are licensed through DDAP.

Funding for these grants is provided from the more than $1 billion in funding Pennsylvania continues to receive from a large national opioid settlement with three distributors and one manufacturer.

DDAP is awarding five grants of up to $500,000 each to the following community-based organizations:

  • The Bridge Foundation: Philadelphia
  • The Worx!: Allegheny County
  • Sage’s Army: Allegheny, Westmorland, Fayette, and Washington counties
  • Westmoreland Community Action: Westmoreland, Fayette, Washington, Somerset, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Greene, Lawrence, Butler, Armstrong, Indiana, Clearfield, Jefferson, Clarion, Mercer, Venango, Forest, Elk, McKean, and Crawford counties
  • Life Changing Pathways: Adams and York counties

The organizations are charged with leading initiatives to link individuals with opioid use disorder and any co-occurring SUD or mental health condition to DDAP-licensed recovery houses. They must also ensure these individuals have access to case management and peer support services while residing in a recovery house as well as access to financial assistance for those who are not able to pay the full cost of residing in a recovery house. In addition, all five grantees must have a plan to increase services to underserved populations and have a training plan to ensure staff are well-prepared to serve them.

Currently, there are about 400 DDAP-licensed recovery houses across the commonwealth. The purpose of the licensure program is to help empower sustained recovery for individuals with SUD by ensuring a network of safe drug and alcohol recovery houses. Individuals can find a listing of licensed recovery houses on DDAP’s website.

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