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OLTL

The Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting was recently held on November 12, 2025. During the meeting, a number of presentations were provided. In addition to the presentations, the agenda and a document that provided follow-up items from the LTSS Subcommittee meeting on October 1, 2025, were provided.

Members should take time to review the PowerPoint presentations from the meeting below:

The next LTSS Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 3, 2025. The meeting will be held virtually only from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. Register here to participate. Participants also have the option to call in by dialing (415) 655-0052; Access code: 883-556-407#.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) is offering a webinar on the PA Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Savings Program. A PA ABLE savings account gives individuals with qualifying disabilities (eligible individuals) and their families and friends a tax-free way to save for a wide range of disability-related expenses while maintaining government benefits. The state and federal tax-free investment options are offered to encourage eligible individuals and their families to save private funds to support health, independence, and quality of life.

Some of the topics that will be discussed include: eligibility requirements for opening a PA ABLE account; federal and state tax benefits of PA ABLE; and how a PA ABLE account interacts with current benefits.

Please register for the PA ABLE Savings Program webinar, which will be presented by Diana Fishlock, Outreach Specialist for PA ABLE with the PA Department of Treasury. This webinar is scheduled for October 29, 2025, from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

If you require accommodations to participate in this webinar, please send them electronically.

If you have questions regarding this email, please contact Randy Loss, OLTL.

The PA Office of Medical Assistance Programs (OMAP) issued a new Bulletin that applies to personal assistance and community habilitation services under the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) and the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP). The key changes from earlier guidance include:

  • Providers 85% Compliance Requirement Effective January 1, 2025: Providers must ensure at least 85% of EVV records are verified without manual edits.
  • Starting January 2026, DHS will issue alerts to fee-for-service providers whose manual edits exceed 15% in the prior quarter. Managed care organizations (MCO) will also receive lists of noncompliant providers for follow-up.
  • Providers failing to meet the 85% thresholds for two consecutive quarters will be required to submit corrective action plans. Continued noncompliance may lead to sanctions, potentially including loss of license.
  • FMS and Participant-Directed Models are also responsible for EVV compliance. Persistent noncompliance can result in termination from participant-directed service models.
  • Additional Resources: DHS EVV Guidance and Handbook now available.
  • Compliance Reports are available on the Sandata platform. The reports allow providers to identify the non-compliant visit dates, participants, and caregivers to initiate internal corrective action.

If you have any questions, contact Fady Sahhar.

The Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting was recently held on August 6, 2025. During the meeting, a number of presentations were given. Included in this package is a critical update on revalidation with specific dates associated with your agency. ALL communications will be done electronically and could end up in your spam folders. Please review that segment of the presentation and consider reading the transcript for that segment.

Other important updates relate to the CHC procurement stay and an analysis of the impact of OBBB Act on Pennsylvania Medicaid.

Materials Include:

If you have any questions, contact Fady Sahhar.

The Bureau of Human Services Licensing (BHSL) has received a small number of reports of issues with faxing the updated Documentation of Medical Evaluation (DME) forms. These reports indicate that some fax machines cannot pick up the contrast in the grey shaded areas. You will find both DME forms with the grey areas lightened significantly. These forms are also being added to the BHSL website.

Please note, BHSL has fax-tested both versions of these forms and did not encounter any issues. Issues with faxing may be related to the age/condition or settings of individual fax machines. Online faxing services that do not require the use of a fax machine are widely available, as are alternative methods of form transmission, such as in-person drop off, email, online drop boxes, or the United States Postal Service.

Questions about this communication may be sent electronically.

RCPA’s 2025 Conference Strive to Thrive will be held in Hershey September 9 – 12, 2025. Early bird rates for registration end August 8! Be sure to register today and take advantage of the early bird rates!

RCPA is proud to host those who lead PA in health and human services at our Annual Conference. This year, DHS Secretary Valerie Arkoosh will be presenting as our kickoff plenary speaker on September 9. Throughout the week, we will hear updates from various departments and leaders of DHS, including:

  • ODP Deputy Secretary Kristin Ahrens;
  • OLTL Deputy Secretary Juliet Marsala;
  • DDAP Deputy Secretary Kelly Primus; and
  • OMHSAS Deputy Secretary Jennifer Smith.

View our Registration Brochure for complete details of the conference schedule and speakers. You can also register directly here. Be sure to check the RCPA Conference website regularly for details and updates to the schedule, registration, and sponsors/exhibitors.

In addition to registration, there are still many opportunities available for sponsorship and exhibit booths, so don’t delay! We are grateful to all our sponsors and exhibitors who help make the conference happen. If your organization is interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at our conference, all information is available in our Sponsor, Exhibit, and Advertise Brochure. You can contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator, for more details.

Thank you to our Sponsors and Exhibitors! We thank you for your support!

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) is offering a webinar on the PA Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Savings Program. A PA ABLE savings account gives individuals with qualified disabilities (Eligible Individuals) and their families and friends a tax-free way to save for a wide range of disability-related expenses while maintaining important benefits. The state and federal tax-free investment options are offered to encourage Eligible Individuals and their families to save private funds to support health, independence, and quality of life.

Some of the topics OLTL will discuss include eligibility requirements for opening a PA ABLE account; federal and state tax benefits of PA ABLE; and how a PA ABLE account interacts with current benefits.

OLTL Service Coordinators, Direct Service Providers, Community HealthChoices Managed Care Organization staff, and any individuals who work in employment supports are strongly encouraged to participate in this webinar, as it will help them understand the PA ABLE Program and how it can benefit the OLTL participants they serve.

Please register for the PA ABLE Savings Program webinar scheduled for July 23, 2025, from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm using this registration link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

If you require accommodations to participate in this webinar, please send them electronically.

If you have questions regarding this email, please contact Randy Loss at OLTL.

The Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting was recently held on July 2, 2025. During the meeting, a number of presentations were given. In addition to the presentations, the agenda and a document that provided follow-up information from the June 4, 2025, LTSS Subcommittee meeting were provided.

Members should take time to review the PowerPoint presentations from the meeting below:

The next LTSS Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for August 6, 2025. The meeting will be held from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm in the Forest Room at the Commonwealth Keystone Building, which is located at 400 North Street in Harrisburg, PA.

The option to participate virtually is also available. If attending virtually, please register here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. The option to call in is also available by dialing: (631) 992-3221; Access code: 625-783-611#.

Remote captioning and streaming services will be provided. If you require these services, please visit this remote captioning and streaming link.

Image by Werner Moser from Pixabay

The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) is sharing the message below from the Pennsylvania Department of Aging (PDA):

As part of Aging Our Way, PA, PDA is conducting an evaluation of the PA Link to inform the design of a strategic plan. The goal is to improve and redesign the program to better serve older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers. The entire project was informed by extensive stakeholder engagement, including consultation of an advisory committee.

Please use the Public Comment Form to review the DRAFT Evaluation Report and DRAFT Recommendation report. You will then be able to upload your comments.

The public comment period will close on Monday, July 28, 2025, and all comments will be considered in the creation of the final strategic plan to refresh the PA Link.

The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) released a communication that focused on the update to the Health and Welfare Performance Measure #8 (HW-8) that was included in the OBRA Waiver amendment that was approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and took effect on January 1, 2025. The update includes:

Number and percent of incidents for waiver participants each month with more than three reported incidents within the past 12 months where results of trend analysis were addressed by the Service Coordinator (SC). Numerator: Total number of incidents for waiver participants each month with more than three reported incidents within the past 12 months where results of trend analysis were addressed by the SC. Denominator: Total number of incidents for waiver participants with reported incidents within the past 12 months where a trend analysis was performed.

In accordance with this requirement, for any participant with more than three critical incidents within a 12-month period, the Service Coordinator (SC) must perform an analysis (trend analysis) and take action as necessary to prevent or mitigate further incidents. The SC must commence the analysis and implement the actions to address potential issues related to the health and welfare of the Participant within the 30-day investigation period. If additional time is needed to investigate and to implement any necessary actions to address potential issues related to the health and welfare of the Participant, the SC must document an extension in Enterprise Incident Management (EIM). The trend analysis document must be provided to a Critical Incident Management Unit (CIMU) team member for review upon request and subsequently uploaded to the respective EIM entry upon completion and submission of the critical incident report’s final section. If necessary, OLTL’s CIMU staff will provide additional feedback to the SC via the State Management Review in EIM.

For any questions regarding this change, please contact the CIMU via the resource account. Additionally, questions related to critical incidents may be emailed to the CIMU team member identified in any case-specific communication.