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OLTL

On July 28, 2017, an Info was issued regarding the Office of Long-Term Living’s (OLTL’s) proposed waiver amendments to the Aging, Attendant Care, Independence, and OBRA waivers. On August 1, OLTL issued a follow-up email regarding these amendments, as well as some additional information including how to view a side-by-side comparison of the current and revised language, the comment forms, and information on webinars that have been scheduled in August. The webinars will be used to receive comments on the proposed waiver amendments. The information in that email is provided below for additional details. As a reminder, the public comment period on the proposed waiver amendments ends on August 31, 2017.

 

From OLTL
In September 2017, the Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) will be submitting amendments to the Aging, Attendant Care, Independence, and OBRA waivers. To view a side-by-side comparison of the current and revised language, and to access the amendments in their entirety, please use this link.

 

On this site, select the individual waiver amendment you would like to view under “Related Topics.” All documents are available in alternate format and in paper copy upon request by calling the Office of Long-Term Living Bureau of Policy and Regulatory Management at 717-783-8412.

 

Public Input

The July 29, 2017, Volume 47, Number 30 issue of the Pennsylvania Bulletin contains the public notice announcing amendments to the Aging, Attendant Care, Independence, and OBRA waivers. OLTL is seeking public comment on these waiver amendments. Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to the Department of Human Services, Office of Long-Term Living, Bureau of Policy and Regulatory Management, Attention: Aging Waiver, Attendant Care, Independence, or OBRA Waiver, PO Box 8025, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8025. Comments can also be sent via email using the comment forms that OLTL has provided. The comment forms can be found at this link.

 

On this site, select the individual waiver amendment you would like to view under “Related Topics” and the comment form will be listed in the documents. The public comment period ends on August 31, 2017. Comments received within the 30-day comment period will be reviewed and considered for revisions to the amendments.

 

The Office of Long-Term Living will offer two webinars in August for public input and discussion. The webinars will be held on Monday, August 7, 2017, from 10:00 am – 11:00 am and Wednesday, August 16, from 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm. Please see the information below for further details on the scheduled webinars.

 

  • Please register here for the Aging, Attendant Care, Independence, and OBRA Waiver Changes Webinar on August 7, 2017 10:00 am EDT.
  • Please register here for the Aging, Attendant Care, Independence, and OBRA Waiver Changes Webinar on August 16, 2017 1:30 pm EDT.

    After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. The connection link you receive will be unique to you and should not be shared with others.

The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has released two documents for direct service providers that serve COMMCARE Waiver participants. The documents outline the activities that will occur in the coming months as the COMMCARE Waiver participants transition to either the Community HealthChoices (CHC) program or the Independence Waiver. These documents include a detailed overview and timeline of the transition and a fact sheet about CHC. The COMMCARE Waiver will end statewide on December 31, 2017.

OLTL Service Coordination Entities (SCEs) and participants will be notified of these changes in a separate communication in mid-July.

The Office of Long-Term Living has announced registration information for stakeholders to participate in the next MLTSS Subcommittee of the Medical Assistance Advisory Committee:

Attendance via phone/webcast:

If you wish to participate in the Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Subcommittee meeting on Friday, July 7, 2017, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, in the Honor’s Suite at 333 Market Street Tower in Harrisburg, and cannot attend in person, OLTL is offering webcast and dial-in capabilities.

To participate via webcast, please register by using the link below. We encourage those participating by webcast to register early. When registering, please verify that you entered your email address correctly. You will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webcast if you registered correctly. Please be advised that space is limited on the phone line.

Webinar Registration Link

The dial-in number is: 888-468-1160  PIN: 252190#

If you have any questions about registering for the webcast, please contact the Office of Long-Term Living.

Webinar and FAQ Available on Home and Community-Based Settings (HCBS) Requirements

On March 7, 2017 and March 9, 2017, the Office of Long Term Living (OLTL) held webinar presentations on the Home and Community-Based Settings (HCBS) Requirements as described in OLTL Bulletin 59-16-14. This training was to provide guidance on the HCBS Final Rule and provide steps providers of waiver services must take in order to comply with the rule. A recording of this training, the powerpoint presentation, and an FAQ from these training sessions are now available on the DHS website.

Questions on the HCBS Final Rule should be sent via emailFor questions, call 717-783-8412.

A listserv has been established for ongoing updates on the CHC program. It is titled OLTL-COMMUNITY-HEALTHCHOICES, please visit the ListServ Archives page to update or register your email address.

Please share this email with other members of your organization as appropriate. Also, it is imperative that you notify the Office of Long-Term Living for changes that would affect your provider file, such as addresses and telephone numbers. Mail to/pay to addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers may be updated electronically through ePEAP, which can be accessed through the PROMISe™ provider portal. For any other provider file changes please notify the Bureau of Quality and Provider Management Enrollment and Certification Section at 800-932-0939 Option #1.

To ensure you receive email communications distributed from the Office of Long-Term Living, please visit the ListServ Archives page to update or register your email address.

Join MITC and RCPA on Thursday, June 1, 2017, 10:30 am–12:00 pm, at Penn Grant Centre (RCPA) for a special presentation on Workforce Management Priorities for Physical Disabilities and Aging (PD&A) Division members. This registration was previously an in-person meeting, but is now also available by webcast. We look forward to your participation. Register now to join in on this educational and networking event.

Following this presentation, the Physical Disabilities & Aging Division will meet at 1:00 pm. Deputy Secretary Jen Burnett and other Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) representatives will be in attendance to discuss Community HealthChoices (CHC) and provide other OLTL updates. Also attending will be Josh Sloop, President, Government Programs, PA Health and Wellness, presenting on rebalancing strategies and the importance to CHC success. Register here for the PD&A Division meeting.

On March 17, 2017, The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) announced the availability of classroom trainings for staff of Service Coordination (SC) Entities.

As a prerequisite to these classroom trainings, participants must have completed the three OLTL online SC modules available online, which provide a strong foundation for the basics needed to fulfill service coordination requirements.

The one-day, instructor-led classroom sessions will allow participants to take what they learned from the online modules and apply it to situations found every day on the job. Attendance at these sessions will be limited to SCs (not supervisors or directors) and to two participants per agency. Preference will be given to new SCs hired in 2016 and 2017. Additional registrations will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis.

There will be three, one-day instructor-led sessions held this spring (there will be additional trainings in other parts of the state later this year) which will run from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm each day, as follows:

The first training will be held in Harrisburg on Wednesday, April 5, 2017, at the PaTTAN Building, which is located at 6340 Flank Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17112 (717-541-4960). Addresses for the other trainings will be provided when established, and will be held in the following locations:

  • Bethlehem – May 3, 2017 – Location TBD
  • State College – June 6, 2017 – Location TBD

You must register in order to attend one of these sessions and complete the registration form. If you have questions about the training, please contact OLTL’s Bureau of Participant Operations at 717-787-8091.

Please join the Office of Long-term Living (OLTL) and the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) for an informational webinar on Community HealthChoices (CHC) on Friday, March 31, 2017 at 1:00 pm. The webinar will feature a presentation from OLTL’s Chief of Staff, Kevin Hancock. Kevin will provide an update on CHC, describe progress to date, and discuss next steps. There will be an opportunity for questions and answers at the end of the presentation.

Background on CHC
The commonwealth is in the process of implementing CHC. CHC is a mandatory managed care program for eligible individuals, providing physical health services and long-term services and supports, such as attendant care services. CHC is being geographically phased in across the commonwealth beginning in January of 2018 in 14 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania, followed in July 2018 by five counties in the southeastern portion of the commonwealth. The CHC implementation will be completed in January 2019, when the remaining counties are implemented. The move to CHC will assist DHS in continuing to provide quality services.  CHC managed care organizations will be required to coordinate covered services, Medicare, and behavioral health services for enrolled participants.

To register for the webinar, please follow this link. Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email containing connection information. Please note, the connection information you receive will be unique to you and should not be shared with others.

Reminder: All CHC-related information can be found here. Comments can be submitted electronically. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Long-Term Living Bureau of Policy and Regulatory Management at 717-783-8412.

A listserv has been established for ongoing updates on the CHC program, titled OLTL-COMMUNITY-HEALTHCHOICES. If you would like to update or register your email address, please follow this link.

Late on Friday, October 28, the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) released a draft Request for Proposal (RFP) for an Independent Enrollment Broker (IEB) to manage the enrollment processes for all OLTL programs. The RFP includes enrollments for Community Health Choices when implemented, Home and Community-based Services Waivers, the Act 150 program, and the LIFE program. Comments are due no later than 5:00 pm on Monday, November 21, 2016, and should be submitted via email by using the drop down menus within the comment template.

The Department of Human Services Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) announced they will be submitting a renewal of the OBRA waiver, which expires on June 30, 2016. This announcement/public notice will be published in the February 27 Pennsylvania Bulletin, which seeks public comments.

Written comments regarding the OBRA Waiver renewal should be sent to the Department of Human Services, Office of Long-Term Living, Bureau of Policy and Regulatory Management, Attention: OBRA Renewal, PO Box 8025, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8025 or via email, using the comment forms that OLTL has provided. Please use OBRA Renewal as the subject line. The comment forms, as well as a side-by-side comparison of the current and revised language, and the renewal in its entirety (including the OBRA-specific HCBS Allowable Settings Transition Plan and the Community HealthChoices Transition Plan, which are contained in the main module), can be found on the “OLTL Waiver Amendment, Renewals and Accompanying HCBS Transition Plans” web page. The public comment period ends on Monday, March 28, 2016.

OLTL will offer two webinars for public input and discussion on March 9 and March 23, 2016. Please see the information below for further details on the scheduled webinars.

Title: OBRA Renewal
Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Time: 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Join WebEx meeting
Meeting number:  644 892 538
Meeting password:  OBRA##1
Join by phone
1-877-668-4493 Call-in toll-free number (US/Canada)
1-650-479-3208 Call-in toll number (US/Canada)
Access code: 644 892 538
Toll-free calling restrictions

Title: OBRA Renewal
Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Time: 10:00 – 11:00 am
Join WebEx meeting
Meeting number:  640 051 990
Meeting password:  OBRA##2
Join by phone
1-877-668-4493 Call-in toll-free number (US/Canada)
1-650-479-3208 Call-in toll number (US/Canada)
Access code: 640 051 990
Toll-free calling restrictions

The Department of Human Services Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) is establishing a Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Subcommittee of the Medical Assistance Advisory Committee (MAAC). The kickoff meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 1, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at Temple University in Strawberry Square, Harrisburg, PA.

The second meeting of the MLTSS Subcommittee will be held on Monday, September 14, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm in the PA Department of Education Honors Suite, 333 Market Street, 1st floor, Harrisburg, PA. Future meetings will be posted on the OLTL website as dates are confirmed.

The membership of the subcommittee will be announced in the coming weeks. A majority of subcommittee members will be users of long-term living services and supports, and family caregivers. The subcommittee will advise the department on the design and implementation of MLTSS in Pennsylvania. A number of RCPA members submitted nominations to be considered for the subcommittee.