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Physical Disabilities & Aging

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The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) recently issued bulletin 17-20-02, “Employment and Employment Related Services,” that shares Pennsylvania’s “Employment First” policy to the Community HealthChoices (CHC) Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) and Service Coordination Entities (SCEs), and updates the obligations of and the resources available under this policy. This bulletin specifically notes the changes to the CHC and OBRA waivers which allow employment and employment-related services to be authorized through the waivers when the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation has a closed order of selection or has not made an eligibility determination within 120 days. The revisions reflecting these changes are detailed in the Procedures section of the Bulletin.

OLTL also included a document, “Guidance on Conversations about Employment for OLTL Participants,” for additional information.

This bulletin rescinds OLTL’s Bulletin 59-16-07, “Employment and Employment Related Services,” issued on July 26, 2016, and any other OLTL policy documents or parts of policy documents that are inconsistent with this bulletin’s contents.

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Often discussed and infrequently practiced, self-care is critically important during the profound and protracted COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the understandable and normal waves of anxiety, depression, and stress that many feel during this uncertain time, the COVID-19 pandemic renders us more vulnerable to burnout, compassion fatigue, or vicarious trauma.

Register now and listen as Carolyn Allard, PhD (Professor and Program Director of the Clinical Psychology PhD Program at the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) at Alliant International University and research psychologist at VA San Diego Healthcare System), and Diana M. Concannon, PsyD (Dean of the California School of Forensic Studies at Alliant International University) discuss the particular reasons why COVID-19 both challenges our resilience and offers an unprecedented opportunity to incorporate self-care into our lives.

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If your staff are in need of fingerprinting; there are available fingerprinting appointments on July 21, 2020; however, pre enrollment is required.

Location: Chambersburg Holiday Inn Express, 1097 Wayne Avenue, Chambersburg, PA 17201

Times: 9 am–5 pm, by appointment only, so everyone must pre-enroll. If individuals come to the event and are not enrolled, they may be turned away. They also ask that in order to maintain the COVID-19 safety measures, please do not enter the building until a few minutes before your scheduled appointment time.

Enrollment: Make sure to have your appropriate service code from your human resources department. If you do not know what the appropriate service code is and you cannot contact your employer, you may contact this email.

To be able to enroll for this particular event, you must use the special enrollment code of: SP-DHSCHAMBER721

For directions on enrollment, please review the attachment.

Further Requirements:

  • When the individual enrolls, they will be sent an enrollment confirmation via email. They MUST bring their enrollment confirmation information with them to their appointment. It can be on their phone, it does not have to be printed out, but they must have it!
  • They must bring an appropriate form of identification. The most common forms of identification are: Drivers License (if it has expired during COVID-19 (after March 1, 2020), please make sure to bring your renewal form), current passport, Pennsylvania State Identification, or Green Card.
  • Everyone must wear a mask to the event and keep it on at all times until the Enrollment Agent asks them to remove it so that they can be photographed as part of the fingerprinting protocol.

Payment: If your employer is paying for your fingerprinting, please make sure to obtain a payment voucher code, as you will need that during the enrollment process. If your employer has not provided you with a payment voucher, you will be required to pay for the fingerprinting at the time of the event. The current cost is $23.85 and the Enrollment Agent may only accept (1) credit card (2) debit card or (3) money order made out to “Idemia.”

See the Pre Enrollment Instructions for Mobile Fingerprinting. If you have questions, please contact RCPA Children’s Director Jim Sharp.

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The Department of Human Services has now posted CARES Act funding details along with a Facility Acceptance Form.

Important to note that the Facility Acceptance Form includes some conditions and timelines for the use of these funds:

  1. Will be used in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
  2. Only towards eligible expenses that include staff personnel and training costs, housekeeping supplies, and the lease or purchase of medical supplies and equipment including personal protective equipment and testing supplies.
  3. Applied to expenses incurred during the period March 01, 2020 through November 30, 2020.
  4. The final expense report will be submitted on or before December 16, 2020.
  5. If the subsidy exceeds the actual expenditures incurred, the excess subsidy will be returned to the Commonwealth with the final expense report.

If you have any questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director.

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ACL From Our Partners
Webinar 7/23: Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired: People of Color, Disabilities, and Mental Health

Register for the webinar on Thursday, July 23, at 2:00 PM ET.

The Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities National Training Center (MHDD-NTC) presents a webinar exploring the unique intersection of disability, mental health, and people of color. People of color experience higher rates of disability and mental health conditions, but often face decreased access to care and have other co-occurring health disparities. This presentation will highlight these inequities and discuss how we can work towards eliminating these disparities and becoming stronger allies for people of color.

Presenter:

Morénike Giwa Onaiwu is an educator, writer, public speaker, parent, and global advocate. A proactive, resourceful professional and disabled woman of color in a multicultural, neurodiverse, serodifferent family, Morénike, who is American-born to immigrant parents, possesses undergraduate and graduate degrees in International Relations and Education. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the “Advocating for Another: Health Activist of the Year” 2014 WEGO Health Award and the “Service to the Self-Advocacy Movement” 2015 Autistic Self Advocacy Network Award.

Register for the webinar.

ACL funds the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities National Training Center (MHDD-NTC). Learn more at mhddcenter.org.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2020  

Harrisburg, PA – The Department of Human Services today announced applicants selected through a Request for Applications (RFA) for Pennsylvania’s HealthChoices program, the Medicaid physical health managed care program that provides healthcare coverage to more than 2.6 million people.  DHS is unable to move forward with the selections, however, due to the pendency of protests.

“Pennsylvania’s HealthChoices program is a lifeline for more than 2.6 million Pennsylvanians covered under the Medical Assistance program. This program not only helps with essential health services like doctors’ visits, routine and preventive care, and access to prescriptions necessary to live a healthy life – it also is an opportunity to greatly impact participants’ social and economic trajectory,” said Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller. “As one of our farthest-reaching and highest-cost programs, we are committed to constant quality improvement that focuses on participants’ health and well-being, and innovative, outcomes-driven efficiencies.”

Applicants were selected through a competitive procurement that evaluated applicants’ soundness of approach, personnel qualifications and staffing and prior experience and performance. More information about evaluation criteria can be found in the RFA. Applicants selected were the top scoring applicants for their zone. Selected applicants for each service zone are as follows:

  • Southeast: Geisinger Health Plan, Health Partners Plans, UnitedHealthCare, UPMC for You, and Vista Health Plan (Keystone First);
  • Lehigh/Capital: Gateway Health, Geisinger Health Plan, Health Partners Plans, UPMC for You, and Vista Health Plan (AmeriHealth Caritas);
  • Northeast: Geisinger Health Plan, Health Partners Plans, UPMC for You, and Vista Health Plan (AmeriHealth Caritas);
  • Northwest: Geisinger Health Plan, Health Partners Plans, UPMC for You, and Vista Health Plan (AmeriHealth Caritas); and,
  • Southwest: Gateway Health, Geisinger Health Plan, Health Partners Plans, UPMC for You, and Vista Health Plan (AmeriHealth Caritas).

At the time of this release, two non-selected applicants filed protests of their non-selection.  Due to the filing of these protests, DHS may not take any further action on the procurement until the protests are resolved.

For more information on the HealthChoices procurement and requirements of the RFA, view the RFA here.

MEDIA CONTACT: Erin James, ra-pwdhspressoffice@pa.gov

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