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The Bureau of Human Services Licensing (BHSL) has received a small number of reports of issues with faxing the updated Documentation of Medical Evaluation (DME) forms. These reports indicate that some fax machines cannot pick up the contrast in the grey shaded areas. You will find both DME forms with the grey areas lightened significantly. These forms are also being added to the BHSL website.

Please note, BHSL has fax-tested both versions of these forms and did not encounter any issues. Issues with faxing may be related to the age/condition or settings of individual fax machines. Online faxing services that do not require the use of a fax machine are widely available, as are alternative methods of form transmission, such as in-person drop off, email, online drop boxes, or the United States Postal Service.

Questions about this communication may be sent electronically.

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Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

The Bureau of Human Services Licensing (BHSL) has made an additional update to the Documentation of Medical Evaluation (DME) forms. In Section 10, “Body Positioning / Movement – Level of Assistance for Ambulation or Transfers,” an option for “none” has been added.

Providers are advised to dispose of any previous versions of the updated forms. The most current versions are located below and will replace the forms on the BHSL website. You can differentiate the forms by looking at Section 10 or by referencing the date at the bottom right corner of each page, which will now be 7/25.

The PCH form is the HS 2136, and the ALR form is the HS 2148. Reminder: These forms must be utilized for all medical evaluations, effective July 1, 2025. The forms may also be used immediately.

Details of the forms were discussed during the June 12 webinar. A recording of the webinar will be posted on the BHSL website.

Additional questions regarding this should sent electronically.

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The Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting convened on February 5, 2025. During the meeting, a number of presentations were given. In addition to the presentations, the February meeting agenda and the meeting transcript from the January 8, 2025, LTSS Subcommittee meeting were provided.

Members should take time to review the PowerPoint presentations from the meeting:

The meeting transcript is available here.

The next LTSS Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for March 7, 2025, from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm and will be held via webinar and remote streaming.

To participate in the meeting via webinar, please register here.
If calling into the meeting, the dial-in information is: 1 (562) 247-8422; Access Code: 145-307-305#

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The Department of Human Services (DHS) announced some upcoming changes to their website that will change the way individuals access licensing resources online. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania website is undergoing a wholesale redesign and migration in stages. The redesign is intended to highlight and create ease of access for all Commonwealth of Pennsylvania resources. The launch date for the DHS site is tentatively scheduled for May 28, 2024.

Due to the nature of the redesign/migration, all web addresses (URL) will change. Most of the web links you currently use to access licensing resources will automatically redirect, but some links, particularly those linking to or from PDF documents, may cease to work. A search function is included in the new website to assist in locating resources that may be lost due to URL changes.

The Bureau of Human Services Licensing (BHSL) will send additional communication after the full impact of changes related to the new website have been assessed. In the meantime, online search engines can help locate resources. You can also email for assistance.

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Photo by Markus Winkler from Pexels

The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) announced that Theresa Hartman is the new Director for the Bureau of Human Services Licensing (BHSL). See the announcement below:

Theresa is a dedicated health and human services professional that has dedicated her career to working with aging and disabled persons managing chronic and acute conditions for more than 30 years in Pennsylvania. Working as a nurse, she has done bedside nursing care, care management, and served in management and regional positions in the nursing home industry for over 20 years. In 2018, she made the move into Home and Community-Based Services as a Chief Operations and Compliance Officer for a Service Coordination provider and successfully led them through the transition from fee-for-service into the managed Community Health Choices program as well as NCQA accreditation. She also served on the PA HCBS Providers Board.

She is passionate about advocating for our most vulnerable populations, seniors, and those that are underserved. She believes we can improve the lives of our most vulnerable populations in Pennsylvania by supporting our providers and giving them the tools they need to succeed and reach the high-quality standards and requirements we set.

Theresa is joining the Department of Human Services from her role as Vice President of Clinical Services for GrayHawk Health, a healthcare practice provider that is building community-based programs to fill in care gaps for dual eligible populations across Pennsylvania. She earned her nursing degree from Drexel University and her Bachelor’s in Organizational Management from Eastern University. She is also a certified Case Manager and holds an active nursing license in Pennsylvania.

Questions may be sent electronically.

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Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

An announcement was issued today regarding the Bureau Director for the Bureau of Human Services Licensing (BHSL) for the Department of Human Services (DHS). The current Bureau Director, Jeanne Parisi, has accepted the Deputy Secretary position for Quality Assurance at the Department of Health, effective March 20, 2023. Brian MacDaid has been appointed Acting Bureau Director, also effective March 20, 2023. Brian has worked for the Commonwealth in DHS for the past 22 years and currently works for the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) in the Bureau of Quality Assurance and Program Analytics as the Director of the Quality Assurance Division.

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On an annual basis, the Bureau of Human Services Licensing (BHSL) provides approximately 500 hours of training for Personal Care Home (PCH) and Assisted Living Residence (ALR) administrators and staff. In order to help maximize the impact of BHSL’s training programs, members are requested to complete a ten question survey. Survey results will be kept anonymous and will be used to shape their training programs in 2023 and beyond.

This survey is intended only for administrators and staff of a licensed PCH/ALR. The survey is optional; however, your participation is strongly encouraged. The survey will be available until February 28, 2023.

Questions should be directed via email.

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The Bureau of Human Services Licensing (BHSL) within the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has issued the following guidance on the lifting of regulatory suspensions for Personal Care Homes (PCHs) and Assisted Living Residences (ALRs):

On July 1, 2022, the suspension of various regulatory provisions under the state disaster emergency declaration was extended to October 31, 2022. On November 1, 2022, the remaining regulatory suspensions expired, and the full regulatory requirements of 55. PA Code Chapter 2600 (Personal Care Homes) and 55. PA Code Chapter 2800 (Assisted Living Residences) were reinstated.

While most of these regulatory requirements required compliance beginning immediately on November 1, 2022, certain regulatory suspensions included 90-day grace periods designed to allow facilities to fully comply with the regulations. That 90-day period will come to an end on January 30, 2023. Facilities are expected to be able to demonstrate compliance with these regulations beginning January 31, 2023.

A guidance document for Personal Care Homes and Assisted Living Residences includes a list of all applicable regulations that were suspended under the emergency declaration, the dates and details of the suspensions, and clarification on what providers can expect when compliance is being measured in their facilities.

Please note that compliance with annual training requirements is dependent on the 12-month training year for Direct Care Staff and Administrators, as determined by the licensed entity. Training requirements for training years that ended between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022, are required to be in compliance by January 31, 2023. If a training year began in 2022 but does not end until 2023, that training year is incomplete and compliance cannot be measured until after the conclusion of the training year.

Please also note that for administrator training years ending in 2023, all 24 hours of administrator training may be completed online, provided that at least 12 of those hours are formatted as a live training (e.g., Zoom, Teams, etc.). A maximum of 12 hours of online asynchronous or pre-recorded trainings are permitted.

Questions about this announcement and the guidance document can be directed via email.

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The Bureau of Human Services Licensing (BHSL) has released the 2019 and 2020 annual reports on Personal Care Home (PCH) licensing. The reports describe the characteristics of PCHs, needs of individuals served, number and types of inspections completed, number of complaints investigated, enforcement actions taken, provision of technical assistance to operators, and other methods used by BHSL to achieve its mission of protecting individuals.

A full list of PCH annual reports can be found on the PCH annual report site.

Questions about PCH reporting requirements or the contents of these reports can be addressed via email.

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Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

Message from the Bureau of Human Services Licensing (BHSL) regarding the renewals of assisted living residences (ALR) and personal care homes (PCHs) license renewals:

Due to staffing issues, BHSL Licensing Administration is currently experiencing a delay in processing renewals 130 days in advance of expiration. In most cases, Licensing Administration is issuing the license in the month that it expires.

If your license has expired and you have not yet received your renewal, please contact Licensing Administration at 717-705-0383 or via email directly so that your renewal can be expedited. Any Certificates of Compliance that have or will be expired on or before August 31, 2022, have been emailed to the email addresses we have on file. We are currently working on the September expiration dates. To expedite the process, you will be receiving your Certificate of Compliance electronically. It is being sent to the email address(es) as noted on your renewal application. If changes to your email address(es) are needed at any time throughout the year, please send a notification email here and to your regional office.

The Certificate of Compliance may also be printed from the Provider Directory, which is updated when the Certificate of Compliance is issued via email. It can be found by searching the name of your home here. Select the Certificate hyperlink in the License Status & License # column of your directory listing.

Please be reminded that if you have not received your approval letter from BEO, you will need to submit a Civil Rights Attestation electronically. You can find the form here. The Attestation may be submitted via email ONLY if you had previously submitted the CRCQ without receiving a letter of approval from the BEO. It should be emailed here. Any email correspondence sent to Licensing Administration should have this format in the subject line: LICENSE #, NAME OF HOME, DESCRIPTION OF CONTENTS, i.e.: 123450 – ABC Personal Care Home – Attestation.

When submitting the Civil Rights Compliance Attestation with the renewal application and renewal application fee, they must submitted in one mailing via physical mail to:

Via USPS:

DHS/BHSL
Room 623
PO Box 2675
Harrisburg, PA 17105-2675                               

Or via courier:

DHS/BHSL
Health & Welfare Building Rm 623
625 Forster Street
Harrisburg, PA 17120  

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