Tomorrow’s hearing on the request for a preliminary injunction against the ASAM transition in the lawsuit filed against the Department of Human Services and the Department of Drug & Alcohol Programs by the Drug and Alcohol Service Providers Organization of Pennsylvania (DASPOP) will be live-streamed here.
The hearing is set for 10:00am Thursday, Oct. 28 in Courtroom 3001, 3rd Floor of the Pennsylvania Judicial Center, 601 Commonwealth Avenue, Harrisburg.
Message from the Department of Human Services (DHS):
Pursuant to Act 73 of 2021 (HB 1861), 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. A list of the regulations that were suspended in whole or in part and their current status is available at Suspended Regulations Lift.
In addition, some regulations were reinstated prior to September 30, 2021 and are not subject to Act 73 of 2021.
Please note that Act 73 of 2021 only affects state regulations that were suspended under the state disaster emergency declaration and were to be reinstated on September 30, 2021. Federal flexibilities provided through the federal public health emergency will remain in place as long as the federal public health emergency remains in effect. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) extended the federal public health emergency on July 19, 2021 to October 17, 2021 (90 days).
RCPA Policy Directors will be reviewing the regulatory status and provide additional guidance and information as it is communicated by the respective DHS Departments, including any special instructions on the reimplementation of any of the suspended regulations. If you have any additional questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director or your DHS Licensing Office.
Source: City & State Pennsylvania, Sept. 27, 2021
Wolf Announces $655 Million for Child Care Providers
More American Rescue Plan dollars are being allocated for the kids.
The Department of Human Services is distributing about $655 million in funding to the child care industry in the commonwealth, Acting Secretary Meg Snead announced at a press conference Monday afternoon.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on Pennsylvania’s child care industry – from increased expenses and decreased demand early in the pandemic to the current challenges of staffing shortages and waiting lists for families that need affordable child care to get back to work,” Snead said. “Our goal with this funding distribution is to offset those challenges and create a pathway for recovery from this pandemic – not just for child care, but for our economy as a whole.”
This will be the fifth round of funding given out to child care providers since March 2020. Nearly $400 million in stimulus grants have been given to child care facilities hit hard by the pandemic through the first four rounds. The most highest demands are addressing increased costs related to COVID-19 health and safety guidelines and the need to offset the impact of reduced enrollments.
The Office of Child Development and Early Learning, known as OCDEL, partnered with Penn State Harrisburg’s Institute of State and Regional Affairs to develop the methodology for distribution. The institute’s report states that this round of stabilization grants will use a “methodology that incorporates individual provider data and extensive cost-basis research that is specific to Pennsylvania child care.”
Licensed providers can submit applications for one-time grants, and if approved, they will have nine months to use the funds and provide a report to DHS.
RCPA has discussed this funding stream and its application for Early Intervention providers, and it would not be applicable unless they are a licensed child care provider. RCPA continues to advocate with Pa. General Assembly on accessing the ARP funds to stabilize and sustain Early Intervention programs across the Commonwealth. If you have any questions, please contact RCPA Children’s Director Jim Sharp.
Source: Spotlight PA, Sept. 29, 2021
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania legislature unanimously voted Wednesday to extend dozens of regulatory waivers put into place last year to help health-care providers fight COVID-19.
Without action, the waivers would have expired Thursday, potentially exacerbating ongoing staffing crises in hospitals and long-term care institutions, which are again facing rising COVID-19 cases. Health-care workers and their advocates had warned any lapse in the relaxed rules would have renewed administrative burdens and made fighting the ongoing pandemic more difficult.
Wednesday’s action will keep the waivers in place until March 2022 while the legislature considers a number of bills that would make the regulatory suspensions permanent. Gov. Tom Wolf will sign the bill.
“The governor is thankful the legislature engaged the administration and stakeholders and ultimately agreed with most of the administration’s recommendations on extending COVID-19-related waivers that are still in use,” spokesperson Lyndsay Kensinger said.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Wolf approved nearly 100 waivers to ease some of the rules governing health-care workers and ensure as many professionals as possible were on the ground in hospitals, vaccination clinics, and long-term care facilities.
The temporary changes were made under a disaster declaration that later became a target for legislative Republicans unhappy with the administration’s business closures.
Buoyed by two successful constitutional amendments that curtailed the executive’s power, the GOP-controlled General Assembly ended Wolf’s emergency order in June, while allowing the waivers to remain in place until Sept. 30.
Under the bill passed Wednesday, all suspensions under the Department of Health, Department of Human Services, and the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs will remain in place until March unless Wolf and the agencies decide to terminate them sooner.
Among the waivers extended are those allowing out-of-state practitioners to treat patients in Pennsylvania, permitting retired or lapsed professionals to return to medicine, and expanding who can give a vaccine.
The waivers also allow patients to access care via telemedicine, which as of now is neither allowed nor prohibited in Pennsylvania law, creating a gray area for health-care providers and insurance companies.
Lawmakers have introduced bills in both the House and Senate to provide rules and regulations surrounding telemedicine, but past efforts have broken down over partisan disagreements. Wolf vetoed a telemedicine bill last year because it would have prevented health-care providers from prescribing abortion-inducing medicine.
As a number of other bills that would make regulatory suspensions permanent await consideration, two removing administrative barriers for physician assistants passed Wednesday.
The Joint State Government Commission is studying the impact of the waivers and which should stay in place to remove barriers to employment in the state. Glenn Pasewicz, executive director of the committee, said a report should be out by late October.
Separately, lawmakers on Wednesday directed various state agencies to post a report listing which waivers were and were not extended by Nov. 1.
RCPA will continue its efforts with DHS to determine the status of any waivers that may not fall under this regulatory extension. Please contact your RCPA Policy Director if you have any questions.
The Drug & Alcohol Service Providers Organization of Pennsylvania (DASPOP) has sued the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) and the Department of Human Services (DHS) in the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, calling DDAP’s and DHS’s transition to ASAM from the Pennsylvania Client Placement Criteria (PCPC) unlawful and unconstitutional. DASPOP is seeking injunctive relief that prevents DDAP and DHS from enforcing or moving forward with the ASAM alignment and other aspects of the ASAM transition until the formal regulatory review process required by Pennsylvania law has been completed.
Further, the lawsuit asks the court to declare that DHS, as administrator of Pennsylvania’s Medical Assistance program, is required to use PCPC in making addiction treatment placement, continued stay, and discharge decisions, and to prohibit DHS from using or requiring the use of ASAM Criteria 3rd Edition.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 26, 2021
York, PA – Department of Human Services (DHS) Acting Secretary Meg Snead today joined York County President Commissioner Julie Wheeler, York City Mayor Michael Helfrich, Representative Carol Hill Evans, and Community Progress Council CEO Robin Rohrbauh to discuss the upcoming end of the federal eviction moratorium and urge Pennsylvanians at risk of eviction or utility shutoffs because of COVID-19 to apply for assistance available through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP).
ERAP can help people who are facing eviction pay past due and upcoming rent or pay utility bills or other costs necessary to help them be safely housed. Pennsylvanians experiencing housing instability or at risk of eviction are strongly urged to begin their ERAP application as soon as possible and not wait until the eviction moratorium ends. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s federal moratorium on evictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic will end after July 31, 2021.
“For nearly 18 months, Pennsylvania and the nation have endured the instability, anxiety, and dangers of a global pandemic. The federal moratorium on evictions was a reprieve to keep people safe and housed through the worst of these public health and economic crises, but we must act now and use this historic investment available through ERAP to prevent avoidable evictions and housing insecurity,” said Acting Secretary Snead. “A safe, stable place to call home is foundational to good health and overall well-being, and it is essential as we continue to get our communities back on track and recover from this crisis. If you or your tenants are behind on rent or having trouble paying utility bills, start your ERAP application now and let this program help you stabilize and move forward.”
“Throughout the entirety of the pandemic, our community has faced and met unforeseen challenges with honor and grace. As we continue getting closer to the light at the end of the tunnel, we must be cognizant that certain federal protections, such as the CDC’s moratorium on evictions, will be expiring. Fortunately, the Emergency Rental Assistance Program provides a lifeline for renters, landlords, and utility providers who have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. I urge all those eligible and in need of assistance to apply for the program before the July 31st deadline. If anyone has any questions, please reach out to our office.”
“The Emergency Rental Assistance Program is a valuable lifeline to residents of York County who have been impacted financially by COVID,” said Robin Rohrbaugh, President & CEO of Community Progress Council. “This program is an incredible opportunity for tenants to not only get through this pandemic but set themselves up for long-term financial success. The time to apply for this funding is now.”
The Wolf Administration established the ERAP in partnership with the General Assembly through Act 1 of 2021 to distribute $569 million to Pennsylvania households through partnerships with local leaders. An additional $278 million in rental assistance was directly allocated to Pennsylvania’s largest counties by the federal government, making a total of $847 million available to support renters and landlords feeling the strain of this economic insecurity across Pennsylvania. Counties are reporting data on the Act 1 distribution of funds monthly to DHS that are available online here. Counties and localities that received a direct allocation report on this funding to the United States Treasury, which is reporting data here. In total, $133 million has been distributed to more than 30,500 households in Pennsylvania as of June 30, 2021.
Funding for ERAP comes from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, and further rental assistance funds included in the American Rescue Plan Act were appropriated in Act 24 of 2021 signed earlier this month by Governor Wolf. These resources will be available to support renters soon.
Households may be eligible for up to 18 months of assistance to cover past-due or future rental and/or utility payments. The amount of a household’s monthly rent or utility bills does not preclude eligibility, but the amount of ERAP assistance provided to a household is determined by program administrators at the county level. Assistance can be provided to a tenant for future rental payments, and for unpaid rental or utility arrears that were accrued on or after March 13, 2020, on a residential rental property. Counties may choose to provide additional assistance to eligible households if funds remain available.
Either tenants or landlords can apply for this assistance, but a tenant does not need a landlord’s permission to apply and use this assistance. This program is an opportunity to help ease circumstances for both parties, so landlords and tenants are strongly encouraged to work cooperatively to secure this stabilizing assistance. ERAP is overseen by DHS at the state level but administered locally by county and municipal partners. Pennsylvanians can learn how to apply in their county of residence online.
To qualify for assistance, a household must be responsible to pay rent on a residential property and meet each of the following criteria:
Applicants will need to provide the following information: head of household’s personal information; income information for all household members 18 and older; rental lease and amount owed; landlord’s name and contact information. If applying for utility assistance, applicants must provide utility expenses and utility provider information.
For more information on ERAP, promotional materials, state allocation program data, and to learn how to apply, visit DHS’ website.
NOTE: Video bytes of Acting Secretary Snead are available for use in coverage of ERAP and are available to download here.
MEDIA CONTACT: Erin James
Immediate Action Required
Dear Lifesharing Provider Agencies:
The Department of Human Services has established a pharmacy partnership to make COVID-19 vaccines available to individuals and caregivers who live and work in Chapter 6500 Lifesharing Homes.
It is critical that each Lifesharing Agency submit the information requested on this spreadsheet and return it to the Department no later than 5:00 pm on Thursday, February 18, 2021.
To enter information, save a copy of the spreadsheet and use the filter button at the top of the column to show only your agency. Complete the requested information for each home operated by your agency, save the sheet, and send it via email.
If you are not serving any individuals in the home, you do not have to enter information in columns H – O.
Please complete columns I – O even if you are already working with a vaccine provider.
The “Agency Contact Person for Vaccine Arrangements” must be a person from the Lifesharing Agency, not a host home provider.
Please contact send an email with any questions you may have.
Today, the Department of Human Services (DHS) is launching an online portal (called the DHS CARES Act Funding Tracking Tool) for Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) providers to submit final costs in compliance with Act 24 of 2020 (CARES Act funding). DHS is requesting that providers complete the COVID-19 Act 24 cost reporting form and upload it through the online portal. Providers must keep all documentation related to the costs reported in the final cost report for a minimum of five years. The due date for the submission of the required final report has been extended to December 31, 2020.
To assist providers, DHS has provided the following guidance and tips:
Please Note: if you received a payment under Act 24 of 2020 from more than one Pennsylvania DHS program office, you may receive this notification more than once. However, you will only receive one login to the online portal and will be able to submit for all program offices and facilities at the same time.
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