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DHS

The Pennsylvania Departments of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), Human Services (DHS), and Aging (PDA) are highlighting available resources for grandparents who are raising grandchildren and demonstrating the need for additional supports for these grandparents because of the overdose crisis.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2016, there were more than seven million grandparents living with their grandchildren, and over two million were responsible for their grandchildren’s basic needs. In Pennsylvania, it is estimated that nearly 260,000 children live in households headed by grandparents or other relatives.

Read the full press release.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) published a notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin for November 12, 2022, that announces revisions to the Medical Assistance (MA) fee schedule for the OBRA Waiver and the Act 150 Program: Personal Assistance Services (PAS) (Agency with Choice) and Respite (Agency with Choice).

DHS proposes the following substantive and technical changes to the OBRA Waiver:

  • Add Agency with Choice as a Financial Management Services model for the participant-directed services of PAS and Respite;
  • Revise the Benefits Counseling service definition;
  • Amend the responsibilities of the Fiscal/Employer Agent;
  • Update the Quality Improvement Strategy to the current process;
  • Add a new performance measure for Agency with Choice; and
  • Remove a performance measure that is duplicative.

The proposed OBRA Waiver amendment and a summary of all revisions are available for review on the OLTL Waiver Amendments, Renewals, and Accompanying HCBS Transition Plans web page under Additional Resources.


The following table provides the procedure code and rates for PAS (Agency with Choice):

Region OBRA Waiver
and Act 150
Procedure Code Modifier Rate Unit
1 X W0164 N/A $4.02 15 minutes
2 X W0164 N/A $3.89 15 minutes
3 X W0164 N/A $4.12 15 minutes
4 X W0164 N/A $4.58 15 minutes

The following table provides the procedure code and rates for Respite (Agency with Choice):

Region OBRA Waiver
and Act 150
Procedure Code Modifier Rate Unit
1 X W0165 N/A $4 15 minutes
2 X W0165 N/A $3.90 15 minutes
3 X W0165 N/A $4.12 15 minutes
4 X W0165 N/A $4.59 15 minutes

Interested persons are invited to submit written comments regarding these fee schedule rates and the proposed amendment to the Department of Human Services, Office of Long-Term Living, Bureau of Policy Development and Communications Management, Attention: Robyn Kokus, P.O. Box 8025, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8025. Comments can also be sent via email. Use ”OBRA 2023” as the subject line. Comments received within 30 days will be considered in subsequent revisions to the fee schedule or for revisions to the proposed amendment.

The revisions to the fee schedule and the amendment are proposed to take effect April 1, 2023.

Image by Werner Moser from Pixabay

The Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) published the proposed amendment to the Community HealthChoices (CHC) Waiver in the Pennsylvania Bulletin for November 12, 2022.

DHS and OLTL are proposing to amend the CHC Waiver by adding Agency with Choice as a Financial Management Services (FMS) model for the participant-directed services of Personal Assistance Services (PAS) and Respite. This would modify Service Coordinator and Service Coordinator Supervisor qualifications to align with the CHC Agreement and to amend the service definitions for the following CHC waiver services:

  • Benefits Counseling;
  • Nursing Services;
  • Physical Therapy Services;
  • Occupational Therapy Services; and
  • Speech and Language Therapy Services.

Also proposed is a technical change to the waiver by revising performance measures.

The proposed CHC waiver amendment and summary of all revisions are available for review on the OLTL Waiver Amendments, Renewals, and Accompanying HCBS Transition Plans web page under Additional Resources.

Interested persons are invited to submit written comments regarding the proposed waiver amendment to the Department of Human Services, Office of Long-Term Living, Bureau of Policy Development and Communications Management, Attention: CHC 2023 Waiver Amendment, P.O. Box 8025, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8025. Comments may also be submitted to the Department via email. Use ”CHC 2023 Waiver Amendment” as the subject line. Comments received within 30 days of publication of this notice will be reviewed and considered for revisions to the proposed waiver amendment.

The proposed amendment will be effective April 1, 2023.

Using funds available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the Department of Human Services Office of Medical Assistance Programs has developed a plan to create Pediatric Complex Care Resource Centers (PCCRC) across Pennsylvania to support families of children with complex medical needs. This initiative is currently in the planning phase, with the centers slated to launch in early 2023.

For more information, visit here. You can also visit the DHS website for Complex Case Planning information.

If you have any questions, please contact Cindi Hobbes.