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Tags Posts tagged with "DHS"

DHS

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The Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has released the Request for Information (RFI) to gather input from stakeholders regarding the Community HealthChoices (CHC) program.

This RFI seeks information to assist the Department in gathering stakeholder feedback on the statement of work (SOW) for the upcoming re-procurement before issuing a Request for Application for vendors to bid on program participation. Through this RFI, the Department hopes to become aware of and knowledgeable about stakeholder areas of interest in the current CHC program and opportunities to strengthen the program for the benefit of participants. A vendor may respond to all or any of the specific questions or topics contained in this RFI.

The Department is requesting that all responses to this RFI be submitted by 12:00 pm on April 14, 2023. Responses must be submitted electronically with “Community HealthChoices Re-Procurement RFI” in the email subject line.

While the Department does not intend to respond to questions or clarifications during the RFI response period, vendors may submit administrative questions related to this RFI electronically using “Community HealthChoices Re-Procurement RFI question” in the email subject line. The Department may or may not respond based on the nature of the question. The Department will post all answers provided online.

RCPA will be scheduling calls to obtain member feedback on this RFI that will be used in providing comments by the April 14 deadline.

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Acting Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh and leadership from the Department of Human Services (DHS) will host a webinar to discuss the proposed 2023/24 budget for the department. The briefing will take place at 9:00 am on Thursday, March 9.

Visit here to register for the briefing. DHS encourages you to submit questions ahead of the briefing so they can prepare as much information as possible. DHS will follow up on any questions that they are unable to answer during the webinar.

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The Department of Human Services (DHS) has announced a public meeting that will focus on Electronic Visit Verification (EVV). The meeting is scheduled for March 24, 2023, from 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm and will be held virtually. During this meeting, DHS will provide additional information and updates related to the DHS EVV implementation. Please register to attend this public meeting on the registration page. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

If you have a question that you would like to have read and answered during the meeting, please submit it electronically before March 15, 2023.

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Pennsylvania is preparing for a major change in renewal processes for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) recipients.

Starting April 1, 2023, Pennsylvania is required by federal law to review Medicaid and CHIP recipients’ eligibility every year, which means that recipients must submit a renewal. While the Department of Human Services (DHS) still sent renewals during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, most people were not disenrolled from Medicaid or CHIP because of a change in eligibility.

DHS encourages everyone to share the following information with Medicaid and CHIP recipients to help them stay informed about renewals.

What Should I Do Right Now?

The best thing that Medicaid and CHIP recipients can do right now to prepare for their renewal is to make sure that their contact information is up-to-date with DHS. By making sure that their information is current, recipients can receive timely updates about their renewal. They also can opt-in to receiving text and email alerts about their benefits.

  • Visit COMPASS and log into their My COMPASS Account.
  • Use the free myCOMPASS PA mobile app.
  • Call 877-395-8930 or 215-560-7226 (Philadelphia), Monday – Friday from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm.

What Else Do I Need to Know?

Completing Medicaid and CHIP Renewals
Renewals should be completed when they are received, even if recipients receive them before April 1, 2023. Recipients will receive a renewal packet in the mail when it is time to renew their coverage. Information about their renewal will start to arrive 90 days before it is due. It is very important that renewal forms are completed and returned even if nothing has changed. Completing a renewal allows DHS to determine eligibility for MA or CHIP coverage. Coverage will continue for recipients who are still eligible.
There are a few ways for recipients to complete a renewal:

  • Complete the forms DHS sends and mail them back in the envelope included in the packet.
  • Drop completed forms off at the local county assistance office (CAO).
  • Complete the renewal online.
  • Complete the renewal over the phone by calling 866-550-4355.

What is Continuous Coverage?

Under the continuous coverage requirement, individuals covered by Medicaid and/or CHIP have been able to keep their health coverage even if they would have otherwise become ineligible for the program based on other factors.

Evaluating Eligibility

Once the continuous Medicaid and CHIP coverage requirement ends, recipients will have to complete a renewal to maintain their coverage as long as they are eligible.

Are You Ineligible for Coverage?

DHS will provide instructions on how to re-enroll or share options for coverage if individuals are no longer eligible. Options for free or low-cost health coverage are available online.

Get more information and resources at DHS’s website.

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The Department of Human Services (DHS) issued a communication regarding a delay in the distribution of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding allocated to Personal Care Homes (PCH) and Assisted Living Residences (ALR) by Act 54 of 2022.

As of 2/6/2023, approximately 50 percent of the Act 54 payments for PCH and ALR had been processed by OLTL, and approximately 25 percent of the total facilities for which form submissions have been received have been fully processed and paid by the Treasury. DHS anticipates that it may take until the end of March 2023 for the remaining 50 percent of payments to be processed and finalized. Providers are asked to please be patient while the remaining payments are processed. If your facility is anticipating serious negative consequences from the delay of your payment, please email.

Visit here for information on the exact breakdown of the $26,767,000 of available Act 54 funding for PCH and ALR.

Please remember that Act 54 of 2022 requires the ARPA funding to be obligated by December 31, 2024, and spent by December 31, 2026, or returned to the Commonwealth. Additionally, these funds must be used for COVID-19 related expenses. Providers must keep documentation to prove that these funds were used for their response to the COVID-19 pandemic in case of an audit. Any person or entity accepting an ARPA payment agrees to provide documentation to the Department of Human Services (DHS) upon request for purposes of determining compliance with Act 54 requirements. Instructions on expenditure reporting will be provided at a later date.

DHS recommends that providers consult their accountants or attorneys for further clarification on acceptable uses of ARPA funding. DHS encourages providers to review guidance for eligible expenditures on the US Department of the Treasury website in their Compliance and Reporting Guidance.

If your facility has not submitted an Act 54 Facility Acceptance Form, you may still do so. Do not submit this form if your facility has previously applied for this funding.

Other questions about this information may be directed via email.

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Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (PA DHS) is pleased to share resources available through the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). The Special Education 101 presentation, available on YouTube, is a great overview for all human service staff who, in a variety of capacities, serve children and their families. Supporting documents and required forms are also helpful resources for your staff as they support children in their educational journey.

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ODP Announcement 23-013 informs all interested parties of the submission of Pennsylvania’s Heightened Scrutiny locations to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The information submitted is available on the Department of Human Services’ (Department) website.

On February 1, 2023, the department submitted all locations identified as requiring a Heightened Scrutiny review by CMS. The information submitted may be viewed at the bottom of this web page. CMS will make final heightened scrutiny review determinations available online. Questions about Heightened Scrutiny or this communication should be sent electronically.

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Effective January 1, Act 111 of 2022 amended the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device, and Cosmetic Act of 1972 to no longer define fentanyl test strips (FTS) as drug paraphernalia in Pennsylvania, making them a legal, low-cost method to prevent drug overdoses.

The Pennsylvania Departments of Drug and Alcohol Programs, Health, and Human Services, and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency have created a survey to gauge interest in and demand for FTS as the administration works to make them available at no cost across the commonwealth. The survey contains questions on currently available trainings/materials, preferred brands, and current distribution methods and takes about five minutes to complete.

Organizations are urged to complete the survey here and to distribute the link to others.

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Hole torn in a dollar bill with medicaid text

Because of the continuous coverage requirement, states were able to use additional money from the federal government during the federal public health emergency (PHE) for health care programs like Medicaid if they kept people covered. Therefore, Pennsylvanians did not lose their Medicaid/Medical Assistance (MA) or CHIP coverage if their income changed or they did not complete a renewal during the PHE.

However, starting April 1, 2023, Pennsylvania and other states will have to start disenrolling people if households are ineligible for MA at the time of their renewal or do not complete their renewal. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) will have to return to normal renewal processing procedures for Pennsylvanians enrolled in MA and the CHIP. Renewals will be completed over 12 months. Everyone with MA or CHIP coverage will need to submit a renewal to see if they are still eligible.

In Pennsylvania, approximately 3.5 million people rely on Medicaid. Last year, it was estimated that about 500,000 of those would lose coverage when the continuous coverage requirement ended, creating access issues for individuals and exacerbating financial challenges for providers.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has created an online resource, including a stakeholder toolkit as well as a guide on how to become a helper, that provides resources for groups like providers to communicate ways for Pennsylvanians who receive MA or CHIP coverage to continue their coverage.

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Message from the Office of Developmental Programs:

Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Acting Secretary Val Arkoosh today advised Pennsylvanians of upcoming changes to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Due to the passage of the recent federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, starting in March, SNAP recipient households will no longer receive the Emergency Allotment (EA) additional payment created during the COVID-19 public health emergency and will resume receiving one SNAP payment per month.

This change will happen for all SNAP recipients, with households receiving letters via mail about the change in SNAP payments.

“We know this additional SNAP payment has been a lifeline for people over the past three years and that ongoing economic uncertainty and high food prices are contributing to food insecurity for many Pennsylvanians. There is help available for you and your family through Pennsylvania’s heroic charitable food partners,” said Acting Secretary Val Arkoosh. “I urge anyone who can donate food or resources, now is the time to help your local food assistance programs as they prepare to meet this potential additional need.”

With funds made available due to the federal COVID-19 emergency, DHS began providing EAs as a second monthly payment to SNAP recipient households that were receiving benefits since March 2020. The EAs increased the SNAP budget amount to the maximum available amount for their household size or, since early 2021, were a minimum of $95. These payments were distributed separate from the initial payment as an extra payment each month.

Due to federal legislation, this February will be the last month EAs are sent; and starting in March, SNAP recipients will only receive one regular SNAP payment.

Additionally, the 2023 cost of living adjustment for Social Security Income (SSI), which is also set by the federal government, prompted an 8.7 percent increase to SSI income. SNAP eligibility thresholds — also set at the federal level — did not rise proportionally. Because of this, approximately 249,000 households will experience a decrease in their base SNAP benefits by an average of $40 per household, which will take effect in March when EAs end. The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) anticipates approximately 5,000 to 20,000 households will be disenrolled from SNAP due to the SSI increase. These federal changes will primarily affect older Pennsylvanians and seniors.

Pennsylvanians who need to report changes to their household size, income, or expenses are encouraged to report any changes either online via the myCOMPASS PA mobile app or by calling DHS’s Customer Service Center at 877-395-8930 (or 215-560-7226 for Philadelphia residents). This will help ensure households are receiving the maximum SNAP benefit based off their individual circumstances.

DHS recognizes the impact these changes may have on households and wants to make sure families that need food assistance know where to go for help:

  • SNAP recipients who are pregnant or have kids under 5 may be able to get help buying food from PA WIC. You can call 800-WIC-WINS or apply online.
  • You can call 211 or visit PA 211 to connect with various local food resources.
  • Visit Feeding PA to find local food banks and other food assistance programs.
  • Go to the DHS website or PA Department of Agriculture website for information on assistance programs and other resources.
  • If you are a SNAP eligible senior citizen, apply to receive additional vouchers redeemable at more than 800 farm stands and more than 200 farmers’ markets in Pennsylvania. The Senior Food Box Program can also provide you with additional shelf-stable groceries. Learn more about these programs from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

“Our charitable food network works tirelessly every day to be a resource and safety net for their communities. With a reduction in SNAP benefits coming, they will likely be left to absorb much of the impact,” said Acting Secretary Arkoosh. “If you are able to help, I strongly encourage you to support your local food banks and pantries as they prepare to meet this need. Small donations can grow into a big difference, so please do what you can so they can continue their life-saving work.”

For more information about SNAP Emergency Allotments, visit the DHS website.

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