';
RCPA was approached by a coalition of organizations in support of federal nondiscrimination protections for the LGBT community, including Freedom for All Americans, the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center of Allentown, and other state and local partners.
The RCPA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee purpose statement reads that “the committee will actively challenge systemic racism and social injustice through advocacy for legislation, policies, and practices that promote equity, providing guidance and support for DEI initiatives within RCPA member organizations…” This initiative is in alignment with RCPA DEI efforts.
Currently, federal law lacks explicit nondiscrimination protections for the LGBT community in housing, credit, lending, federally funded programs, and public spaces like restaurants, stores, theaters, and hospitals. Additionally, 29 states, including Pennsylvania, lack state laws that explicitly protect LGBT people from discrimination.
This coalition is soliciting supporters from Pennsylvania’s community of service providers — those who support and care for the most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, including LGBT Pennsylvanians who face additional challenges due to the lack of nondiscrimination protections. Service providers are an important and trusted voice in Pennsylvania, and your inclusion will help to demonstrate the broad level of support for nondiscrimination statewide.
By signing on you to this initiative, your organization will join a diverse coalition of service providers supporting the nondiscrimination protections for the LGBT community. Your organization’s name will be shared publicly and will also be shared with Pennsylvania’s US Senators.
To offer your organization’s support, follow this link to join Pennsylvania Service Providers for LGBT Nondiscrimination Protections and make your voice heard.
Please reach out to Jack Phillips or Cindi Hobbes with any questions.
In addition to the general sessions, including national updates that will provide valuable information to all, we have several break-out sessions that will be offered live each day during our 2021 Conference. These sessions include:
Tuesday September 28, 2021
Wednesday September 29, 2021
Thursday September 30, 2021
There will also be over 20 “on-demand” sessions on many timely subjects and topics, such as Leadership, Diversity, and Remote Supports and Services.
Visit the RCPA Conference website for specific updates to the schedule, posted as they become finalized.
Today, the Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Subcommittee met via webinar for their monthly meeting. The agenda included:
In addition, there is a meeting transcript from the meeting.
Governor Wolf signed Act 24 of 2021, which allocates $282 million of federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for payments to nursing facilities (NF), personal care homes (PCH), and assisted living residences (ALR). To qualify for the one-time payment, a facility must be in operation as of June 1, 2021.
These one-time ARPA funds must be used for COVID-19 related costs not otherwise reimbursed by federal, state, or other sources of funding. The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) sent a letter dated August 30, 2021 with details about the payments, including information about the approved use of and reporting on these funds. For reference, a sample of the letter, a list of qualifying entities and payment amounts, and a copy of the Facility Acceptance Form are available on the DHS Long-Term Providers page under the heading “American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funding.”
Nursing Facility (NF) Payments
The total funds available for a one-time payment to Non-Public and County NFs pursuant to Act 24 (ARPA NF Payment #1) is $198,000,000. Each facility’s ARPA NF Payment #1 is calculated by dividing the facility’s MA days, as reported for the NF Assessment for the third quarter of calendar year 2019 by 4,976,570, the revised total 2019 MA days for all facilities, as reported for the NF Assessment for the third quarter of calendar year 2019, to obtain an NF specific quotient. Each NF’s quotient is multiplied by $198,000,000 to determine its payment amount.
The total funds available for a one-time payment to Non-Public and County NFs pursuant to Act 24 (ARPA NF Payment #2) is $49,000,000. Each facility’s ARPA NF Payment #2 is calculated by dividing the facility’s licensed NF beds as of March 31, 2020 by all licensed Non-Public and County NF beds as of March 31, 2020 to obtain an NF specific quotient. Each NF’s quotient is multiplied by $49,000,000 to determine its payment amount.
NFs enrolled in MA do not need to submit requests for funding. All NFs enrolled in MA will receive the funding, provided they meet the criteria described above. OLTL will distribute the funding as a one-time gross adjustment. NFs enrolled in MA can expect to see the payment appear as a gross adjustment transaction/lump sum payment on the PROMISe remittance advice dated September 6, 2021, with payment occurring September 15, 2021.
NFs not enrolled in MA must complete the Facility Acceptance Form and return it by October 15, 2021, to DHS. Providers may also fax the completed form to the OLTL Bureau of Finance at (717) 787-2145. Checks will be issued and mailed in the order in which DHS receives Facility Acceptance Forms.
PCH/ALR Payments
The total funds available for a one-time ARPA payment to PCHs and ALRs pursuant to Act 24 (ARPA PCH/ALR Payment #1) is $27,000,000. Each PCH/ALR Payment #1 is calculated by dividing the licensed occupancy of the PCH or ALR, as determined by the most recent DHS inspection on or before April 1, 2020, by the total licensed occupancy of all PCHs and ALRs, including those with a special care designation, as determined by the most recent DHS inspection on or before April 1, 2020, to obtain a facility-specific quotient for each PCH and ALR. Each facility’s quotient is multiplied by $27,000,000 to determine its payment amount.
The total funds available for a one-time ARPA payment to PCHs and ALRs pursuant to Act 24 (ARPA PCH/ALR Payment #2) is $3,000,000. Each ARPA PCH/ALR Payment #2 is calculated by dividing the number of individuals for whom the PCH/ALR received a state SSI payment from DHS in March 2020 by the total of all PCH’s/ALR’s individuals for whom a state SSI payment was made in March 2020, to obtain a facility-specific quotient. Each PCH’s/ALR’s quotient is multiplied by $3,000,000 to determine its payment amount.
PCHs and ALRs must complete the Facility Acceptance Form and return it by October 15, 2021, to DHS. Providers may also fax the completed form to the OLTL Bureau of Finance at (717) 787-2145. Checks will be issued and mailed in the order in which DHS receives the Facility Acceptance Forms.
Act 24 of 2021 requires the ARPA funding to be obligated by December 31, 2024, and spent by December 31, 2026, or returned to the Commonwealth. Additionally, these funds must be used for COVID-19 related expenses. Providers must keep documentation to prove that these funds were used for their response to the COVID-19 pandemic in case of an audit. Any person or entity accepting an ARPA payment agrees to provide documentation to DHS, upon request, for purposes of determining compliance with Act 24 requirements. Instructions on expenditure reporting will be provided at a later date.
DHS recommends that providers consult their accountants or attorneys for further clarification on acceptable uses of ARPA funding. DHS encourages providers to review guidance for eligible expenditures on the U.S. Department of the Treasury website in their Compliance and Reporting Guidance.
NFs that have questions about the information should contact the OLTL Provider Helpline at 800-932-0939. PCHs and ALRs that have questions about the information should contact the Operator Support Hotline at 866-503-3926 or via email.
The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has announced that the Financial Management Services (FMS) stakeholder meeting has been scheduled for September 3, 2021 from 1:00 pm–2:30 pm. This public meeting will focus on the upcoming changes for the administration of FMS under the Community HealthChoices (CHC), OBRA Waiver, and Act 150 programs. Representatives from OLTL and the CHC Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) will be in attendance to discuss upcoming changes. The meeting details are below:
Join from the meeting link
Join by meeting number
Meeting number (access code): 132 810 8394
Meeting password: wyB6SHMKn33
Tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only)
+1-408-418-9388,,1328108394## United States Toll
+1-202-860-2110,,1328108394## United States Toll (Washington D.C.)
Join by phone
+1-408-418-9388 United States Toll
+1-202-860-2110 United States Toll (Washington D.C.)
Global call-in numbers
Join from a video system or application
Dial 1328108394@pa-hhs.webex.com
You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number.
This three-hour virtual training is approved by the Departments of Human Services, Education, and State and meets all requirements for training on recognizing and reporting child abuse (to include Act 126 for school employees).
It is also approved for continuing education credits under Act 31 (Department of State for health-related licenses) and Act 48 (Department of Education for teachers) at no cost. PFSA will submit your training verification to the Department of State or Education as appropriate on your behalf (details provided during training).
Please register for your preferred training date and time by clicking one of the session links below. Each person must log in through separate devices, using the unique access link emailed to them after registration to receive credit.
Wednesday, Sept. 1 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Wednesday, Sept. 1 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Thursday, Sept. 2 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Thursday, Sept. 2 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Thursday, Sept. 2 — 6:00 pm–9:00 pm
Friday, Sept. 3 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Tuesday, Sept. 7 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Tuesday. Sept. 7 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Wednesday, Sept. 8 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Wednesday, Sept. 8 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Thursday, Sept. 9 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Thursday, Sept. 9 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Friday, Sept. 10 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Friday, Sept. 10 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Saturday, Sept 11 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Monday, Sept. 13 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Monday, Sept. 13 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Tuesday, Sept. 14 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Tuesday, Sept. 14 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Tuesday, Sept. 14 — 6:00 pm–9:00 pm
Wednesday, Sept. 15 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Wednesday, Sept. 15 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Thursday, Sept. 16 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Thursday, Sept. 16 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Friday, Sept. 17 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Friday, Sept. 17 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Monday, Sept. 20 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Monday, Sept. 20 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Tuesday, Sept. 21 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Tuesday, Sept. 21 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Thursday, Sept. 23 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Thursday, Sept. 23 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Friday, Sept. 24 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Friday, Sept. 24 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Saturday, Sept. 25 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Monday, Sept. 27 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Monday, Sept. 27 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Tuesday, Sept. 28 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Tuesday, Sept. 28 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Wednesday, Sept. 29 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Wednesday, Sept. 29 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Wednesday, Sept. 29 — 6:00 pm–9:00 pm
Thursday, Sept. 30 — 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Thursday, Sept. 30 — 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
For questions or to schedule a session specifically for your organization, please email PFSA.