The State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2024/25 Quarter 3 (Q3) report required by the Work Experience for High School Students with Disabilities Act (Act 26 of 2016) is now available. A copy of the report is available here. It can also be found on the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation’s (OVR) Publications web page.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) staff who work with IM4Q and the IM4Q technical advisors have developed a 2-page information fact sheet for providers. The information sheet is meant to be helpful in informing providers about IM4Q and the provider role in IM4Q. Providers may contact the ODP IM4Q/NCI statewide lead or the IM4Q technical advisors for further information or questions.
The Pennsylvania Office of Developmental Programs (ODP), Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL), Temple University, and the University of Kansas have established the PA Technology Accelerator, a series of activities intended to support PA in becoming the next Technology First State. As a Technology First State, programs and policies are modernized and harmonized to ensure seamless deployment and training on innovative technology solutions.
Providers play a critical role in achieving this goal and are invited to complete an online survey to inform technology resources and supports for providers across the state.
Providers are requested to complete one (1) survey per organization and submit responses by June 13, 2025. The survey should take less than one hour to complete. Responses will provide critical information to build and enhance programs to ensure providers have the necessary information and tools to advance access to technology solutions for their clients across the Commonwealth.
If you have questions or would like to preview the survey content before responding, please contact Kaley Day. For additional information, view the Provider Survey Recruitment Flyer.
Or copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:
https://kusurvey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9Hoe5ZKZEClXU5E
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has announced the release of the 2023 – 2024 Employment First report. ODP believes that all people with an intellectual disability and/or autism must be encouraged to pursue their vision for an everyday life, which may include working in competitive integrated employment. Competitive integrated employment offers a person an opportunity to achieve economic independence, build self-confidence, enhance self-determination, and meet new people while building new skills. The Everyday Lives: Values in Action publication, developed by the ODP Information Sharing and Advisory Committee (ISAC), which includes self-advocates, reads, “Employment is a centerpiece of adulthood and must be available for every person. The benefits of employment for people with disabilities are significant and are the same as for people without disabilities.” This report serves as an update to all stakeholders on the progress that has been made to support individuals served by ODP on finding and maintaining competitive integrated employment.
Access the 2023-2024 Employment First report here. This document can also be found by visiting the MyODP Employment Home web page.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-046. This announcement provides information on how to register for new 2025 Quality Management (QM) Certification classes.
Key things you should know about the virtual class:
2025 SPRING/SUMMER CLASS DATES:
Please review the announcement for additional information and details.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has begun distributing notifications related to Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) and Pay-for-Performance (P4P) awards to designated representatives of residential providers.
If you have not yet received your PBC or P4P notification, please contact ODP electronically.
If you believe there is a discrepancy in your tier determination or P4P award, please reach out directly to Tim Sohosky for assistance with resolving the issue.
ODP Announces New IM4Q Leads
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) recently welcomed two new leads to the IM4Q community. Abigale Bowen is taking over for Alisha Walker at Ebensburg Center. Mark Costello brings prior IM4Q experience as a monitor to his new position as the IM4Q lead in the Southeast Region. Both introduced themselves at the recent regional meetings. Welcome, Abigale and Mark!
2024-2025 Contacts List
The IM4Q Contacts List (v2.9) can be found here. Please take a moment to verify this information, and if an update needs to be made, please notify ODP and technical advisors at the earliest opportunity. When contact information is not current or correct, then the appropriate people are not informed.
April Regional Meeting Minutes
Consolidated minutes taken from the three regional meetings can be found here. If there are any questions, please contact your ODP regional leads. Dates and Zoom links for the October 2025 meetings are listed at the end of the minutes.
Enterprise Case Management (ECM) Update
The IM4Q ECM work group met with ODP, Public Consulting Group (PCG), and Accenture (the DHS vendor), for discovery sessions related to the IM4Q pre-survey and considerations processes to be implemented within the new platform. The sessions went well, especially with the creation of process flows for each, which provided everyone the ability to visually follow the discussions. The next discovery sessions involving IM4Q will be during the reporting epic, but no firm dates have been provided.
ODP sincerely thanks all the work group members who were able to participate in the sessions and the additional clarification meetings held with the ODP Functional Architect!
ODESA 2.0
The Human Services Research Institute (HSRI), which oversees the National Core Indicators (NCI) Project, still projects implementation of the new data entry platform for most states on July 1. HSRI and the vendor met with ODP, technical advisors, and several local programs to receive feedback on proposed overall changes and what other features would be helpful. However, with the number of customizations needed for Pennsylvania, ODESA 2.0 will not be available for data entry until November, which aligns with when the current ODESA generally opens.
End of 2024 – 2025 Cycle
This is a reminder that all interviews and data entry must be completed by June 30, and there will be no exceptions. If any local programs are experiencing last-minute issues with either of these activities, please contact the technical advisors and your regional lead immediately!
2025 Annual Statewide Training
As a reminder, the 2025 IM4Q Annual Statewide Training (AST) will occur at the Harrisburg Hilton on July 29 – 30. The Institute on Disabilities expects to issue the final agenda, including the link for registration, in the next several weeks. The registration fee is $75 per person. Supports Coordinators are again offered the opportunity to have two attend the AST for the price of one. A block of hotel rooms has been reserved for $159 per night. Any Steering Committee members interested in attending and who need to book a room should contact Mary Kay Cunningham.
The second keynote presentation will feature four panelists long associated with IM4Q: self-advocate Bill Krebs; former Deputy Secretary Nancy Thaler and IM4Q innovator Dana Olsen, both retired from ODP; and former Executive Director Celia Feinstein, retired from the Institute on Disabilities.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-045, which states that the Temple University Harrisburg Certified Investigator (CI) Program and ODP will be facilitating forums for CIs and others involved in the incident investigation process. These forums are an opportunity for current Certified Investigators and other interested parties to receive up-to-date information about the incident investigation process.
Next Session Date and Time:
Friday, June 13, 2025
10:00 am – 11:30 am
Topic: Investigation Standards and Expectations (ODP Announcement 25-035)
Register at MyODP
Postings of Q&A documents from past CI Forums are also now available on MyODP.
Please review the announcement for additional information and details.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-044. This communication is to inform all interested stakeholders about the new assessment protocol that is replacing most of the previous assessments required for participants in the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW), effective July 1, 2025, and to announce a mandatory training for AAW Supports Coordinators (SC) and SC Supervisors.
Beginning with assessments conducted on July 1, 2025, participants in the AAW will no longer be assessed using the SIB-R, Quality of Life Questionnaire, Baseline Outcomes, or Parental Stress Scale. All participant ISPs with plan effective dates beginning October 1, 2025, are subject to the new assessments.
All AAW participants will be assessed using the following five assessment tools, all of which are completed via QuestionPro:
Mandatory Training for AAW SCs and SC Supervisors on New Assessment Protocol
SCs and SC Supervisors are required to register for and attend one of the following two training sessions. Content is the same for both sessions, so attendance is only mandatory for one session.
Please review the announcement for additional information and details.
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