ODP Announcement 22-015 announces that the Operational Guide for the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) has been updated to reflect current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Additionally, guidance has been added regarding regulatory compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are always looking for better ways to support someone to achieve the quality of life they desire. This requires a social, behavioral, and biological understanding of that person. Positive Behavioral Support (PBS) is an empirically documented, person-centered approach that can be used in day-to-day supports for all people across all systems. For those of you who are not familiar with PBS, ODP will provide an overview of this framework, sharing examples and ways that this has been implemented. For those of you who have a general understanding of the essential elements of PBS, ODP will provide you with tools and ways to infuse PBS into your programs and supports to strengthen your focus on supporting a positive quality of life.
Please join ODP on one of the following dates and times:
Registration information will be released in the near future.
ODP Announcement 22-012 provides information regarding the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) Bulletin 00-21-02, Incident Management, including the specific roles and responsibilities for Supports Coordination Organizations (SCOs). On June 25, 2021, ODP released Announcement 21-049 to clarify that SCOs were not expected to report more than what they were currently reporting until further notice. ODP is clarifying that announcement 21-049 does not apply to the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW).
SCOs serving individuals in the AAW have always been required to report all incidents that occurred in the absence of a provider rendering services at the time of the incident or if the target of an investigation is not an employee or volunteer of a provider organization. There has been no change in those requirements.
This data is critical to evaluating AAW program outcomes. Please note that with the release of ODP Bulletin 00-21-02 that was effective July 1, 2021, two new categories, Passive Neglect and Self-Neglect can be used to report incidents that were previously reported as Neglect when applicable. For further clarification on Passive Neglect and Self-Neglect, refer to the Learning Management System (LMS) for the recorded module on Enterprise Incident Management (EIM) System Changes, County Management and SC Incidents.
The SCO has a responsibility to respond to and assess emergency situations and incidents as well as assure that appropriate actions are taken to protect the health and welfare of participants. Incident management activities that are the responsibility of and completed by the SCO are billable activities. Billable incident management activities are considered part of the SCO’s function of location, coordinating, and monitoring.
SCOs are responsible for checking alerts generated by Enterprise Incident Management (EIM) that identify incidents entered for participants receiving services through their organization. SCOs shall monitor individual incidents in EIM and make recommendations to ODP regarding the appropriateness and effectiveness of the provider’s actions taken to protect the health and safety of the participant as described in the initial incident report. They must also monitor final EIM incident reports to determine if corrective actions are appropriate, revisions to the Individual Service Plans (ISP) are needed, or additional monitoring of the situation is necessary. Monitoring of incidents by the SCO is integral in helping the ODP incident management reviewer in making a determination regarding the approval or disapproval of the incident report.
For targeted technical assistance or questions, please contact ODP’s Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations’ Provider Support mailbox.
ODP Announcement 22-011 announces that, in preparation for revisions to the Targeted Support Management (TSM) Bulletin, the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is offering training for Supports Coordination Organizations (SCOs) and Administrative Entities (AEs) that covers important updated information to the soon-to-be-released TSM Bulletin.
Training can be found on MyODP. The course “Understanding and Implementing the Targeted Support Management Bulletin #00-22-01” is available now.
Additionally, ODP will be offering an accompanying virtual office hour (VOH) session where ODP leadership will be available to address any TSM-related questions. The VOH session is scheduled for March 1, 2022, from 2:00 pm–3:00 pm and is open by registration only. Prior to registering for the VOH, ODP recommends participants review both the draft TSM Bulletin and the “Understanding and Implementing the Targeted Support Management Bulletin” webcast.
The Office of Developmental Programs invites you to save the date for the 2022 Virtual Everyday Lives Conference. The Everyday Lives Conference is a statewide event that presents pertinent information to individuals with a disability and/or autism, their families, and the professionals that support them in an effort to empower individuals to live their ideal everyday life.
ODP Announcement 22-018 is to make stakeholders aware that the proposed renewals of the Consolidated, Community Living, and Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS) waivers are available for public review and comment. There is a 30-day public comment period on the information proposed in the waivers that starts on February 12, 2022, and ends on March 14, 2022.
ODP Announcement 22-007: UPDATE provides information to providers in order to prepare for upcoming rate increases that are scheduled to be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on February 26, 2022.
Per the final public notice for Fee Schedule Rates, Department-established fees, and the AWC FMS Department-established fees rendered through the Consolidated, Community Living (CLW), and Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS) waivers:
ODP anticipates processing gross adjustments during the April to May 2022 timeframe to ensure all billing for dates of service January 1, 2022–February 28, 2022 has been completed. Providers are strongly encouraged to bill in a timely manner to minimize the need for corrections.
Since the new rates will have a begin date of March 1, 2022, two service/rate segments in authorized status will be present on ISPs, assuming no errors set. One service/rate segment will reflect the period July 1, 2021, to February 28, 2022, or the begin date of the service when it was initially authorized on the plan during Fiscal Year (FY) 2021–2022. The second service/rate segment will reflect the period March 1, 2022, to June 30, 2022.
Authorized units on the first service/rate segment, July 1, 2021–February 28, 2022, will reflect 67% of total authorized units for the FY 2021–2022. The second service/rate segment will reflect 33% of total authorized units for the remainder of FY 2021–2022. If an individual requires more than 33% of the total annual authorized units for the remainder of FY 2021–2022, a revision to the plan will be necessary to move units from the first service segment to the second service segment on the ISP. For the period July 1, 2021, to February 28, 2022, providers should bill normally for any services rendered.
See the ODP Announcement for the full instructions.
ODPANN 22-019 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funding for Respite and Family Driven Support Services (FDSS) informs stakeholders of ARPA funds that are available to AEs to disperse in order to meet respite and/or the Family Driven Support Services (FDSS) needs of individuals on the waiting list who do not currently receive waiver funded services. This communication is intended to:
You can also view the family supports funds tracker here.
Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) and Adult Community Autism Program (ACAP) providers are invited to sign up for a scheduled one-on-one VOH session to discuss incident management topics with the Office of Developmental Programs’ (ODP) Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations (BSASP).
Providers may sign up for one 30-minute session, and multiple staff from the provider may join at the provider’s discretion. Topics for discussion may include: provider-specific IM issues or concerns; EIM reports; general questions about certified investigations; brainstorming ideas of how to improve “performance” related IM tasks; review of provider IM data and compliance; discussion of provider trends; etc.
Due to the positive feedback received from attendees of our previous sessions, ODP will be offering additional 30-minute sessions on a first-come, first-served basis.
Sessions begin Wednesday, March 9, 2022, with the first scheduled session beginning at 12:30 pm.
Register here. Be sure to complete all required information to reserve a time slot.
Please contact the Provider Support Mailbox with questions.
ODP Announcement 22-017 is to announce that Residential ISP Staffing training sessions are now available to Administrative Entities (AEs), Supports Coordination Organizations (SCOs), and Providers of Residential Services in the Consolidated and Community Living Waivers from February through June 30, 2022. Residential ISP Staffing trainings described in ODP Announcement 21-057 have been completed, but additional training can be provided by agency professionals who have volunteered to provide training and participated in delivering training in the fall of 2021, referred to ODP Designated Trainers.
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