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Tags Posts tagged with "OLTL"

OLTL

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Providers are reminded of the requirement to report the use of American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) funding. The Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) requires providers who received supplemental funding from the ARPA to report on their use of the funding by Friday, May 30, 2025. Reporting on the use of ARPA funding is critical to ensure compliance with federal requirements as the 2026 spending deadlines approach for the 10% enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) funds for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) and State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. ARPA funding disbursements subject to this reporting requirement include the initiatives listed below. Please note that you may have reported on the use of ARPA funding received in 2021, including Act 2021–24 and Strengthening the Direct Care Workforce payments; this reporting is in addition to previously reported initiatives.

  • Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Quality Improvement Funding
    • Authorized in May 2022
    • Available to HCBS providers
    • Funded by 10% enhanced FMAP funding for HCBS
    • Eligible uses include activities and expenses that expand, enhance, or strengthen HCBS, as outlined in the notice of the funding opportunity as well as the reminder notice

To complete a report, please log in to the ARPA Funding Portal, select the appropriate funding type, and then select “Create a New Funding Report.” The portal will prompt users to select a provider name (for individuals authorized to submit reports for multiple facilities or locations) and the applicable reporting period. Upon selection, review the prepopulated information and complete all required fields in the form.

For additional instructions on completing a report, please refer to the ARPA Funding Reporting Portal Business Partner Guide. For questions about registration and user access, please refer to the ARPA Portal Registration Guide. OLTL has also published a Frequently Asked Questions document and a Summary of ARPA Funding online at Long-Term Care for Providers | Department of Human Services | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Providers that received supplemental ARPA-funded payments must report to OLTL on their use of the funding so that the Commonwealth can produce documentation required by federal audits. Additionally, providers must retain detailed supporting documentation for the eligible use of supplemental ARPA-funded payments for a minimum of five (5) years from the payment date. Failure to submit a report may result in the recovery of funding through collection activities, audits, or legal action.

If you have questions regarding this message, please contact the Office of Long-Term Living via email.

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Due to the PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) Order of Selection (OOS) operations memorandum, effective April 1, 2025, the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) is providing guidance to the following entities regarding the referral of participants to OVR:

    1. Managed Care Organizations (MCO);
    2. Service Coordinators (SC);
    3. Service Coordination Entities (SCE); and
    4. Service Providers.

OVR recognizes three (3) disability categories:

    1. Non-Significant Disability (NSD);
    2. Significant Disability (SD); and
    3. Most Significant Disability (MSD).

The April 1, 2025, OOS is a wait-listing of customers who fall within the NSD and SD categories. Customers who are determined by OVR to fall within the MSD category will continue to receive OVR-funded services. Due to this being a partial OOS closure, OLTL participants who are requesting employment services/supports must continue to be referred to OVR for determination of eligibility.

Page three of the OLTL Employment and Employment Related Services Bulletin indicates that during a full OOS closure, “a participant who has not been referred to OVR may receive OLTL Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) employment services without a referral to OVR.”

Due to the current OOS being a partial closure and not a full closure, participants still need to be referred to OVR for evaluation of eligibility for services. As detailed in the 1915 (c) waiver and page two of the Employment Services Bulletin, participants do not need to be referred to OVR for Benefits Counseling Services.

MCOs and SCs should continue to monitor cases referred to OVR as detailed on page three of the Employment Services Bulletin, which states, “Prior to adding one of the OLTL HCBS employment services to a participant’s Person-Centered Services Plan (PCSP), the SC must determine the status of the participant’s case with OVR.” Additionally, SCs should continue to follow the guidance on page two of the Employment Services Bulletin, which states, “If OVR has not made an eligibility determination within 120 days of a referral being sent, then OVR services are considered to not be available to the participant, and OLTL employment services may be provided under an OLTL HCBS program.”

Please refer any questions to Randall Loss electronically.

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The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) issued the following update to Service Coordination Entities of the Annual Review process in Home and Community Services Information System (HCSIS) for the Act 150 Program and OBRA Waiver. Found here are the procedures and instructions for entering these service plans in HCSIS, starting Tuesday, April 1, 2025.

The Annual Review process is a good time to review your caseloads and finalize any dis-enrollments or inactive service plans. The Waiver/Program Transfer instructions can be found here for your convenience. Please also reference the attached “OLTL Fiscal Year 2025/26 Annual Review Instructions for HCSIS” for additional information on how file closures may impact the current Annual Review process.

If you have any additional questions or wish to receive the attached forms in alternate format, please contact Brian Lester at (717) 346-0716 or via email.

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The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has published responses to questions brought up at the Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting held on February 5, 2025.

The highlights include:

  • All consumer questions about the specifics of the Assisted Living In Lieu of Services should be addressed to the MCOs.
  • The information about Personal Needs Allowance in Personal Care Homes has been corrected. “SSI recipients will receive a PNA deduction of $52.10 ($30 SSI plus the individual state supplement of $22.10).”
  • Any organization who is interested in participating in the Direct Care Worker Quality Grant should contact Abigail Peslis, Director of Penn State Harrisburg Continuing Education.

If you have any questions, please contact Fady Sahhar.

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The Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting convened on February 5, 2025. During the meeting, a number of presentations were given. In addition to the presentations, the February meeting agenda and the meeting transcript from the January 8, 2025, LTSS Subcommittee meeting were provided.

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

The meeting transcript is available here.

The next LTSS Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for March 7, 2025, from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm and will be held via webinar and remote streaming.

To participate in the meeting via webinar, please register here.
If calling into the meeting, the dial-in information is: 1 (562) 247-8422; Access Code: 145-307-305#

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As was shared in the RCPA Alert sent on Tuesday, January 28, the House Human Services and Insurance Committees held a joint informational meeting on January 29 on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Care Needs and Coverage Options, where testimony was provided by RCPA, OLTL, Success Rehabilitation, BIAPA, and insurers.

Following the hearing, leadership from the House Human Services Committee has requested additional information from BI providers. Please review the questions below and provide responses to Melissa Dehoff by close of business Monday, February 3.

  1. Is your organization accredited by CARF as a Brain Injury Residential Rehabilitation Program (Adult) or Community Housing?
  2. Do you provide other non-residential services through the waiver? If so, please list them.

The important message to share is that we have the legislators’ attention! Things are moving very quickly; there are many meetings, calls, and ongoing communications with leadership in the legislature as we enter the key phase of budget negotiations.

It is critical that we have full participation in providing this information from every single BI provider/program. If we do not provide responses from 100% of our BI members, it could have an impact on funds being allocated to us in the budget.

Please contact Melissa Dehoff with questions and your responses.

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The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) is partnering with the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP), The Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, College of Education and Human Development, and the University of Kansas Center on Disabilities’ State of the States team to host Pennsylvania Technology Summits as part of a statewide initiative called PA Tech Accelerator.

The goal of the Summits is to expand the awareness of, and access to, assistive technology and remote technologies in order to build capacity of technology users throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The Summits will be held on March 6, 2025, in Philadelphia and March 13, 2025, in Pittsburgh. To attend, please register here.

The Summits will feature a keynote address by Rebekah Taussig, PhD; a panel of technology users giving advice, sharing their stories, and answering questions; and vendors showcasing services, devices, and solutions.

Who is invited?

  • People with disabilities and their families.
  • Direct Support Providers and professionals working with people with disabilities, such as Direct Care Workers, Direct Support Professionals, Support Service Professionals, Supports Coordinators, Job Coaches, and healthcare professionals.
  • Organizations and providers who serve people with disabilities.
  • Policymakers, advocates, and allies for people with lived disability experience.
  • Students looking to work in disability-related fields.
  • Anyone interested in technological supports for people with disabilities.

If you have additional questions about the Summit, please contact Kristy Crocetto at (215) 204-1356 or via email.

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