RCPA submitted comments regarding the upcoming waiver renewals after receiving feedback from members. The comments on Consolidated, Community Living, and P/FDS Waivers include comments on the Consolidated-Community-Living-PFDS Waiver Record of Change document published by the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP). The comments on the Adult Autism Waiver also include comments made directly on the AAW Record of Change document published by ODP.
ODP Announcement 21-080 is to inform all interested parties of the availability of the public comment webinar recordings regarding proposed changes to the Consolidated, Community Living, Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS), and Adult Autism Waivers with an anticipated effective date of January 1, 2022.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) held three webinars to discuss proposed changes to the Consolidated, Community Living, P/FDS, and Adult Autism Waivers and to obtain public comment on the proposed changes. The following webinars were recorded and are now available online along with the PowerPoint presentations utilized:
ODP Announcement 21-079 announces the release of an updated Administrative Review Process Manual. This document replaces the manual that was published in 2018. All prospective and current Administrative Review Committee members are required to be familiar with the Administrative Review Process guidelines that are outlined in the manual.
These changes were made in order to align with Incident Management (IM) Bulletin 00-21-02 (which was issued March 1, 2021 and became effective on July 1, 2021) and the Enterprise Incident Management (EIM) system. Several new or expanded topics have been added to the manual. Major changes to the new manual include:
If you have any questions regarding the 2021 Administrative Review Process Manual, please submit them via email.
Dual Diagnosis Professional Conference Series:
Trauma Informed Care — Overview and Practical Applications
The Department of Human Services’ Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) and the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) are pleased to announce the Dual Diagnosis Professional Conference Series, which offers presentations focused on supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism (IDA) and mental health needs. The selected presenters share their expertise on best and promising practices as well as provide general knowledge. Session topics, which focus on increasing capacity to serve individuals with dual diagnosis in the community, are chosen based on identified needs and with input from the field of professional stakeholders.
Please see the flyer for additional information, including registration information.
If you have questions or concerns regarding registration for this event, please email PA Training.
ODP Announcement 21-078 announces recent recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines. All three available vaccines, Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), now have available guidance regarding booster doses.
On Thursday, October 21, 2021, the CDC issued a recommendation for Moderna and Janssen booster doses for certain groups of individuals. This is in addition to the CDC’s earlier recommendation on September 24, 2021 for the Pfizer booster dose.
Eligible individuals are now able to schedule appointments and receive booster doses. The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) will not be coordinating vaccine clinics for booster doses.
This announcement provides ODP’s expectations for residential providers, long-term care facilities, individuals and families. Questions about this announcement may be directed here.
ODP Announcement 21-077 provides updated guidance to providers of ICF/ID services related to infection control procedures and mitigation of the spread of COVID-19. This guidance replaces the DHS COVID-19 Provider Guidance on COVID-19 for Personal Care Homes, Assisted Living Residences, and Private Intermediate Care Facilities with the following guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as well as any future replacements of the referenced guidance from the PA DOH and CMS.
This announcement and the guidance contained within is intended to supplement—not replace—any federal, state, or local public health and safety laws, rules, and regulations with which providers of services in ICF/IDs must comply. Providers should take an individualized approach to determining appropriate risk mitigation strategies when working with individuals, including consideration of the Level of Community Transmission as identified in the CDC COVID Data Tracker.
Other news for ICF/ID Providers:
ICF Task Force Meetings
November 2 had been proposed earlier this year as a tentative date for another ICF Task Force meeting. That meeting is being rescheduled for a later date. Please let the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) know if you have any specific topic suggestions that you would like to have covered. You may submit suggestions here.
PA Health Alert Network (HANs)
This is a reminder to stay tuned in to the PA Department of Health’s updates impacting Long-Term Care facilities. Recent HANs contain updated information regarding the SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant and recommendations regarding COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose. A list of the 2021 Health Alerts, Advisories and Updates can be found here.
Announcement 21-037 is to inform all provider agencies that the 2019–2020 IM4Q Reports have been published and are available on MyODP. As previously announced, provider-level Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q) reports and provider profiles will not be issued with 2019–2020 data
Due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) suspended completion of all face-to-face interviews by IM4Q local programs in March 2020. This resulted in a significant number of surveys not being completed. While ample data was collected to create a statewide summary report for 2019–2020, the data was not sufficient to provide reliable provider-level reports.
This has also prevented provider profiles based on 2019–2020 IM4Q data from being completed. A reduced number of IM4Q interviews resumed virtually in 2020–2021. Following the closure of the IM4Q cycle, ODP determined that there was enough data collected to release the 2019-2020 report, including a Statewide Summary for 2020.
ODP Announcement 21-076 announces the release of the Office of Developmental Programs’ (ODP’s) Annual Waiting List report. The waiting list is comprised of individuals who are eligible to receive services and supports through ODP’s four home and community-based services (HCBS) waivers; however, due to insufficient waiver capacity, the state cannot currently meet their needs.
In this report, you’ll find information regarding ODP’s strategies and initiatives to address the problem. The report also demonstrates the progress that has been made since 2015 to reduce the number of individuals on the waiting list. The Annual Waiting List Report 2021 is located online at MyODP.
ODP Announcement 21-075 provides information regarding a new webcast for members of Human Rights Teams (HRT) and Human Rights Committees: “Making A Determination.” With the release of Bulletin 00-21-01 Guidance for Human Rights Teams and Human Rights Committees, the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) released a 4-part webcast series titled “Human Rights in Depth” to provide information and support for stakeholders involved in implementing the guidance and requirements related to individual rights and restrictive procedures.
The four webcasts, which are available on MyODP, provide detailed discussion regarding the responsibilities to inform, the strategies to support people to exercise their rights, the ability to make a determination, and human rights teams and human rights committees. Following up on those webcasts, ODP is now offering members of HRTs and HRCs webinar training to delve more deeply into the process of “MAKING A DETERMINATION.”
Use the following link to register. A demographics information form and training confirmation will need to be completed before the registration link will become available.
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