RCPA President/CEO Richard Edley expressed our concerns regarding the ongoing need for retainer payments for Community Participation Services (CPS) providers in a letter to Deputy Secretary Ahrens. While we recognize and appreciate the leadership and flexibility that Ahrens and the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) have demonstrated toward providers, as well as the consumers and families they serve, during these difficult times, there is a growing problem for CPS providers.

CPS providers are experiencing significant and unprecedented hardship due to COVID-19 restrictions that have been put in place in order to keep everyone safe. Edley stated, “…we have to go on record that the time for immediate and urgent action is upon us. Without state relief, there will be closures, and they will be permanent. This critical aspect of service to individuals with disabilities will forever be lost as we rebuild the system in the future. I urge you to revisit this issue and reconsider whether any state-only relief can be made available while we all wait for an additional federal package.”

On a federal level, RCPA, along with ANCOR and other national partners, has appealed to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to remove the restriction of three 30-day periods of time for retainer payments. We will continue to advocate for relief for those programs who have been affected by the community restrictions.