';
Jeannine Pavlak of New England Business Associates presented a webinar on 12-16-21 to RCPA members. The recording is available on the RCPA website, as is the PowerPoint presentation.
National Core Indicators®-IDD: NCI Family Surveys COVID-19 Supplement — National Report Special Edition
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, NCI-IDD added a state-optional COVID-19 Supplement to all NCI-IDD Surveys. The COVID-19 Supplement is intended to support the understanding of the experience of people with disabilities and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as their interactions with services during that time. Data was collected between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021.
This Special Edition Report shows individual state and overall national outcomes for the NCI-IDD COVID-19 Supplement questions. You can see the report here.
Deputy Secretary Ahrens presented an overview of the Office of Developmental Programs’ (ODP) plan that was conditionally approved by the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for use of the ARPA funds during a webinar on December 9, 2021. While the infusion of funds will be beneficial to the system of support in PA, RCPA staff will be carefully monitoring the details of the plans as they are released, particularly the rate refresh, and will continue to advocate for fiscal policies that will allow for stability in the service system.
Highlights include:
Visit the DHS web page to view the full spending plan.
On December 6, 2021, the Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) issued the following notice:
Pursuant to Act 73 of 2021, the suspensions of various regulatory provisions under the state disaster emergency declaration were extended until March 31, 2022, unless sooner reinstated by the Department. Effective December 6, 2021, the Department has reinstated a number of suspended regulations. A list of suspended regulations and their current status is available here.
Members are encouraged to review the list for the latest updates.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared that effective December 6, 2021, the Department has reinstated all of ODP’s suspended regulations. A list of the regulations that were previously suspended and the date they were reinstated is available here.
Pursuant to Act 73 of 2021, the suspensions of various regulatory provisions under the state disaster emergency declaration were extended until March 31, 2022, unless sooner reinstated by the Department.
Please note that the current version of the COVID-19 At-A-Glance Guide reads that “the suspension of various regulatory provisions under the state disaster emergency declaration that are currently in effect and which were set to expire on September 30, 2021, are now extended until further notice.” This guidance is no longer accurate; again, all of ODP’s suspended regulations have been reinstated. The At-A-Glance guide will be updated to reflect this change in the near future.
If this action is cause for concern for any RCPA member, please contact Carol Ferenz for assistance.
CMS has released an official memorandum stating that it has suspended activities related to the implementation and enforcement of this vaccine mandate rule pending future developments in the litigation.
Memorandum Summary
Survey and Enforcement of the Vaccine Requirement for Health Care Staff in Medicare- and Medicaid-certified Providers and Suppliers Suspended While Court-Ordered Injunctions Are in Effect:
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will not enforce the new rule regarding vaccination of health care workers or requirements for policies and procedures in certified Medicare/Medicaid providers and suppliers (including nursing facilities, hospitals, dialysis facilities, and all other provider types covered by the rule) while there are court-ordered injunctions in place prohibiting enforcement of this provision.