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Tags Posts tagged with "Guidance"

Guidance

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-111. This communication clarifies new qualification requirements for providers of CPS, In-Home and Community Support and/or Companion services in the Consolidated, Community Living, and P/FDS Waivers that were recently approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). These requirements do not apply to services rendered by Support Service Professionals through a Participant-Directed Services option.

These amendments include the following provider qualification requirements:

  • Providers newly enrolling to render Community Participation Support, In-Home and Community Support, and/or Companion must provide Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) home and community-based services to a minimum of 3 separate and distinct participants in the first fiscal year after enrollment.
  • Starting July 1, 2026, currently enrolled providers must render ODP home and community-based services to a minimum of 3 separate and distinct participants each fiscal year. ODP will use the provider’s Master Provider Index number to determine if the provider is rendering any ODP waiver services to a minimum of 3 separate and distinct participants.
  • Additionally, the provider must render ODP home and community-based services each quarter.

Please review the announcement for more details.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared an update to communication ODPANN 25-093. The purpose of this announcement is to provide updated guidance related to the ODP Incident Management (IM) Rebalancing Initiative. Updates have been made to the “Clarifying the Definition of Serious Injury” section of this announcement. Updates appear in red text. The guidelines are organized into seven separate topics covering the following:

  • Finalizing Incident Reports
  • Reducing Duplicative and Multiple Incident Reports
  • Clarifying the Definition of Serious Injury
  • Clarifying the Definition for Discovery Date
  • Managing Events Occurring Prior to Enrollment
  • Discontinuing the Use of Optionally Reportable Events (OREs)
  • Discontinuing the Use of Illness/Other and Illness/COVID Incident Categories.

Please view the announcement for additional information and details.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-087. This communication is to inform 100% community location-based Community Participation Support (CPS) providers (Specialty 525) of CPS Facility procedure codes available in HCSIS to permit billing for groups of more than 3 individuals as well as to provide guidance on the planning and coordination component of the CPS service.

Please view the announcement for additional information and details.

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Young Girl Talking With Counselor At Home

The Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services are pleased to share a Dear Colleague letter regarding important updates to federal non-regulatory guidance for students in foster care placement.

This updated guidance, issued jointly by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), represents the first significant update to federal guidance since the enactment of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015.

Please see the letter for details about this announcement, and thank you for your continued dedication to supporting students in foster care.

Please contact Emma Sharp with any questions.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-08. This announcement provides guidance for Certified Medication Administration Trainers that train for multiple eligible providers. You can also view “Maintaining your Trainer Certificate” for instructions on ensuring your certificate may be used to teach in eligible provider settings.

If you have any questions regarding this announcement, please submit a ticket through the MA Help Desk.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-072 and its accompanying attachments. The purpose of this announcement is to provide updated guidance for completing the SC Individual Monitoring Tool (IMT), specifically regarding when self-employment is considered Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE).

With the implementation of Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) for ID/A Residential Providers and SCOs, ODP has reviewed how CIE data is collected and interpreted. Because CIE performance measures rely on information collected through the SC IMT, ODP is issuing updated guidance to clarify how SCs should apply CIE criteria — particularly in cases involving self-employment. While PBC is not being implemented for Residential Providers or SCOs enrolled in the AAW, the AAW is also updating its IMT guidance in alignment with the ID/A IMT guidance.

These updates do not change the monitoring tool questions themselves in either the ID/A or AAW IMT. The new guidance provides additional instructions to ensure consistent understanding and documentation.

ATTACHMENTS:

  • Attachment #1: ID/A Individual Support Plan Monitoring Tool – SC Guidance Document – Reissued 7/23/2025
  • Attachment #2: AAW SC Individual Monitoring Guidance – Reissued 7-2025

Please review the announcement and attachments for additional information and details.

Message to Supports Coordinators:
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared the following information as part of the Annual Review Update process. It is essential to ensure each individual’s demographic information is accurate and current. Please take a few extra moments during your review to verify that all details are up-to-date and correctly documented.

HCSIS Navigation

  • Consumer Demographics: Individual > Demographics > Demo
  • Consumer Addresses: Individual > Demographics > Address
  • Contacts: Individual > Demographics > Contacts

Completion Guidelines
Please confirm that the following details are correct to the best of your knowledge:

Consumer Demographics

  • Living Situation
  • County of Residence
  • Educational and Vocational Status
    • Ensure this is consistent with the information listed under Education/Vocational and Employment/Volunteer sections within Functional Information.
  • Telephone Number (if applicable)

Consumer Addresses

  • Residential Address
  • Mailing Address (if applicable)
  • Email Address (if applicable)

Consumer Contacts

  • Contact Name
  • Relationship to Individual
  • Mailing Address (if applicable)
  • Phone Numbers (if applicable)
  • Email Address (if applicable)
  • Preferred Contact Method
  • Notes

Accurate information not only supports effective service planning and coordination — it also plays a key role in ensuring a smooth transition as we prepare for Enterprise Case Management (ECM) implementation. Thank you for your attention to detail and your continued commitment to delivering high-quality supports.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your ODP Regional Office.