BI Committee Meeting With OLTL and Additional Meeting on Mercer Rate Study on July 30
OLTL
OLTL Call on July 18 to Focus on Mercer Rate and Wage Study
The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has announced that the quarterly Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) provider call on July 18, 2024, from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, will focus on the Mercer Rate and Wage Study. To participate in the Zoom call, registration is required. Because this is an HCBS Provider Call, registration for the call will be limited to providers who are enrolled with the Department of Human Services (DHS) to provide any of these particular services to individuals. Participant-Directed Common Law Employers are also encouraged to attend.
Everyone is welcome to submit questions electronically about the HCBS Rate and Wage Study to OLTL in advance. Questions received will be read during the call as time allows, and both questions and answers will be compiled into a Q&A document that will be available afterwards.
If you have any questions about the call itself, please contact Kristi Mundis via email.
HCBS Provider Call on July 18 to Focus on Mercer Rate & Wage Study
The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has announced that they will be hosting a Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) provider call on July 18, 2024, from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm that will include a presentation from Mercer providing an overview of the HCBS rate and wage study.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) contracts with Mercer Government Human Services consulting for actuarial services, Medicaid policy and fiscal analysis, financial monitoring, and other technical support.
Mercer will evaluate the following services categories in this rate study:
- Adult Daily Living;
- Residential Habilitation;
- Personal Assistance (Agency and Participant-Directed);
- Structured Day Habilitation; and
- Employment and Training Services.
Because this is an HCBS Provider Call, registration for the call will be limited to providers who are enrolled with DHS to provide any of these particular services to individuals. Participant-Directed Common-Law Employers are also encouraged to attend. If you are not a provider of these services or are unable to attend the July 18 HCBS Provider Call, you are welcome to attend the July 2 Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting to hear from Mercer about the HCBS Rate and Wage Study and ask questions.
Everyone is welcome to submit questions about the HCBS Rate and Wage Study electronically to OLTL in advance of the July 18 call. Questions submitted will be read during the call as time allows. Questions and Answers will be compiled into a Q&A document that will be available after the call.
A registration link for the July 18, 2024, HCBS Provider Call will be issued shortly. If you have any questions about the call itself, please contact Kristi Mundis.
RCPA BI Committee Meeting With OLTL on July 30
OLTL Issues Notice on 2024 Pre-Administration of the HCBS CAHPS Survey
The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has released a message providing advance notice of the 2024 pre-administration of the home and community-based services (HCBS) Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey.
OLTL has the HCBS CAHPS survey administered to participants who receive HCBS through the Act 150 Program as well as the OBRA and the Community HealthChoices (CHC) Waiver Programs in the fall. The department then uses the responses received to assist them with improving the services participants receive. To increase response rates, OLTL is requesting Service Coordinators to begin having conversations with the HCBS participants in order to provide an introduction and encourage participation in the upcoming administration of the survey.
The HCBS CAHPS Survey will be administered from August 1, 2024, to October 31, 2024. This survey will ask questions about the services HCBS participants receive at home or in the community and how well the services meet their needs. Press Ganey, an independent firm, will conduct the survey. They will call participants to set up a time to talk. Member’s participants may also call Press Ganey toll free at 1-800-588-1659 (TTY: 711) if they would like to take the 30-minute survey. The number can also be used to make an appointment to take the survey at a time that works for them. Participants are randomly selected to participate in the survey from a list of all participants receiving HCBS through either the Act 150 Program, the OBRA Waiver, or the CHC Waiver Programs. Language Services can be provided to HCBS participants at no cost.
Members are encouraged to remind participants that their privacy is important. If they choose to participate, any information that they provide will be kept confidential. Participants will not be identified in any report that is released, and their answers will not be shared with their providers, Service Coordinator, or anyone else who assists them. It is the participant’s choice whether to participate, and their decision to participate will not affect any HCBS received through OLTL.
OLTL Releases Waiver Amendments for Public Comment
The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has announced two waiver amendments that are open for public comment. The amendments detail the Community HealthChoices (CHC) waiver renewal and the OBRA waiver amendments. Information on the CHC waiver and OBRA waiver are available individually as well as in the June 15, 2024, PA Bulletin. Comments are due July 15, 2024.
Those interested in submitting comments can do so in the following ways:
- For the CHC waiver:
- Send a letter to the Department of Human Services, Office of Long-Term Living, Bureau of Policy Development and Communications Management, Attention: Keeley Anglin—CHC Waiver Renewal, PO Box 8025, Harrisburg.
- Submit comments to the department via email. Use “CHC Waiver Renewal” in the subject line.
- Please use the CHC Waiver Comment Form.
- For the OBRA waiver:
- Send a letter to the Department of Human Services, Office of Long-Term Living, Bureau of Policy Development and Communications Management, Attention: Keeley Anglin—OBRA Waiver Amendment, PO Box 8025, Harrisburg.
- Submit comments to the department via email. Use “OBRA Waiver Amendment” as the subject line.
- Please use the OBRA Waiver Comment Form.
Comments received by July 15, 2024, will be considered in subsequent revisions to the proposed renewal and amendment. For more information, please contact Fady Sahhar or Melissa Dehoff.
June 2024 LTSS Subcommittee Meeting Documents and July 2024 Meeting Details Available
The meeting documents from the June 5, 2024, Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting are now available. These documents include the transcript and PowerPoint presentations. You can view the documents below:
- Meeting Transcript
- OLTL LTSS Updates
- Mercer LTSS Rate Study Overview
- UPMC LTSS Support for Loss of Eligibility During Redetermination PowerPoint
- AmeriHealth Caritas LTSS Support for Loss of Eligibility During Redetermination PowerPoint
- PHW LTSS Support for Loss of Eligibility During Redetermination PowerPoint
The next LTSS Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for July 2, 2024, from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm, in the PA Department of Education’s Honors Suite at 333 Market St. in Harrisburg, PA. The option to participate via webinar is also available.
To participate in the meeting via webinar, please register here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. If you plan to participate via phone, the dial-in number is: (562) 247-8422; PIN: 919 715 035#. Comments and questions may be sent electronically.
June 26 Brain Injury Committee Meeting With OLTL Postponed
RCPA’s Brain Injury Committee meeting with representatives from the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL), which was rescheduled to June 26, 2024, is unfortunately being postponed again. This postponement is due to a scheduling conflict for staff within OLTL. RCPA is currently working on finalizing a new date for this meeting and will advise members as soon as this has been scheduled.
RCPA’s regularly scheduled bi-monthly Brain Injury Committee meeting is still being held as scheduled on June 12, 2024. If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Dehoff.
OLTL Announces Rate Study for Select Services
The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has announced the launch of a Rate Study to be conducted by Mercer for Personal Assistance, Adult Day, Structured Adult Day, Residential Habilitation, and Employment Services. This study is intended to inform the 2025/26 budget process. You can view details for the Rate Study here. Key dates for this process include:
- June 2024: The release of the Provider Survey. RCPA will share it with members as soon as it becomes available.
- June Provider Meeting: A discussion of the Rate Study components.
- July 2: The LTSS Subcommittee Meeting.
- July 18 Provider Meeting: Details to come and will be shared once available.
- September 4: LTSS Subcommittee Meeting to discuss the Rate Study results.
For more information, please contact Fady Sahhar.
RCPA’s BI Committee Meeting With OLTL Rescheduled to June 26
RCPA’s Brain Injury Committee meeting with representatives from the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL), originally scheduled for May 22, 2024, has been rescheduled to Wednesday, June 26, 2024, from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. The meeting will include Deputy Secretary Juliet Marsala and Director of the Bureau of Coordinated and Integrated Services Randy Nolen. Additionally, representatives from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) advised they will be attending the meeting.
While this will be a hybrid meeting, members are encouraged to attend in person if possible. Register for the meeting here.
We are asking members to send topics and/or questions to Melissa Dehoff by Friday, May 31, 2024.
Prev