The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) recently announced that the waiver amendments effective as of October 1, 2017 have been posted to the Department of Human Services (DHS) website. The waivers and links to each one include:
Questions related to this communication may be directed to the OLTL Bureau of Policy and Regulatory Management at 717-783-8412.
As the implementation of Community HealthChoices (CHC) approaches the January 1, 2018 launch in the Southwest Region, the Department of Human Services (DHS) has developed informational materials for those individuals who will be covered by the new program. The documents, including notices and the pre-enrollment packet, are posted on the DHS website, where you will also find their most recent participant document, “CHC: Here’s What You Need to Know” (available for download in English and Spanish).
In addition, a document designed to clarify eligibility for CHC is available here. It includes the following information:
Individuals are NOT eligible for CHC if they are a person with an intellectual or developmental disability who is eligible for services through the Department of Human Services’ Office of Developmental Programs (ODP), OR are a resident in a state-operated nursing facility, including state veterans homes.
Please visit the CHC website or call the CHC Provider Hotline at 833-735-4417 with any questions.
Pennsylvania Acting Secretary of Human Services Teresa Miller announced the following three staffing changes within the Department of Human Services (DHS):
RCPA congratulates each of these individuals and commits to working with them in a constructive manner to advance the best interests of our shared constituencies.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) recently issued the following information and resources in preparation for the roll-out of Community HealthChoices (CHC) beginning January 2018 in the Southwest zone of the state.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) is committed to open and frequent communication to educate and inform individuals who will move to Community HealthChoices (CHC). It is critical that they are aware of the upcoming changes and are able to make an informed decision on their plan selection. We are using multiple channels to get the message out, and want to ensure that you are aware of upcoming information that potential participants will receive.
Participants in the Southwest Zone received this flyer (also available in Spanish) in August 2017 to inform them that CHC was coming to their county in January 2018.
Participants in the Southwest will receive an invitation to community meetings in late September.
There will be more than 40 events in the Southwest Zone, with at least one in each of the 14 impacted counties. The meetings will give more information about CHC, the LIFE program, and answer questions participants may have.
To register for a community meeting, participants can go to www.healthchoices.pa.gov or call 1-833-735-4416. A copy of the invitation is available here.
DHS will mail notices to potential participants beginning today. The notice will inform participants that they will transition to CHC in January and will need to select a health plan, also called a managed care organization (MCO).
The notice also tells potentially eligible participants that they may be eligible for the LIFE program.
Copies of the notices are be available here.
Beginning on October 2, 2017, pre-enrollment packets will be mailed to participants. This packet will contain information about each of the health plans and the benefits offered by each plan, and tell participants how to enroll in a health plan. There will be a toll-free number and website for participants to use to make their selection. A day after the packets are mailed, automated calls will be made to let participants know that the packets are coming.
If participants do not select a health plan, they will get a follow-up call.
Individuals who do not select a plan by November 13, 2017, will be assigned to a plan. Individuals can change their plan at any time.
DHS’ Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts make CHC information readily available. If you are not following us yet, please click the provided links to make sure you are receiving all up-to-date information on CHC and all department priorities.
(Map, Community HealthChoices Phases)
The Department of Human Services (DHS) published a notice that will appear in tomorrow’s Pennsylvania Bulletin that they intend to make a supplemental payment in fiscal year (FY) 2017/2018 to certain special rehabilitation facilities (SRFs) that have high Medical Assistance (MA) and total facility occupancy levels. An SRF is one that specializes in providing services and care to adults who have a neurological/neuromuscular diagnosis and condition, as well as severe functional limitations. Because of the complex needs of these individuals, SRF’s typically incur staffing and specialized medical equipment costs that are very high. Additionally, SRF’s with high MA and total facility occupancy levels are dependent on MA payments to continue to operate. To help offset the higher costs incurred by these SRFs while they reconfigure to home and community-based services, DHS intends to make a supplemental payment to these facilities to assure that the unique services they provide continue to be available to MA beneficiaries.
To qualify for an MA dependency payment the following requirements must be met:
DHS will accept comments on this notice for thirty days following publication. Comments should be sent to: Department of Human Services, Office of Long-Term Living, Bureau of Policy and Regulatory Management, Attention: Marilyn Yocum, PO Box 8025, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8025.
Governor Wolf announced that he has selected Teresa Miller, current Commissioner for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department, to lead the Department of Human Services, effective Monday, August 21. Commissioner Miller’s leadership, advocacy, and dedication to the people of the Commonwealth have been evident during her tenure at Insurance, and the Governor’s Office is confident that she will lead DHS with those same characteristics and commitment. As Commissioner Miller joins DHS, Jessica Altman will begin serving at the helm of the Pennsylvania Insurance Department.
The Department of Human Services (Department) is soliciting public input on the use of electronic visit verification (EVV) systems for Medicaid-funded personal care and home health care services in Pennsylvania. See announcement below and here.
In the May 13, 2017 PA Bulletin, the Department of Human Services (Department) made available for public review and comment the Medical Assistance Quality Strategy for Pennsylvania.
The Department is complying with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) requirement that states draft and implement a written quality strategy for assessing and improving the quality of health care and services furnished by managed care organizations that have a contract with the Department. As a result, the Department has developed the Medical Assistance Quality Strategy for Pennsylvania, which discusses the various quality improvement initiatives the Department has implemented to increase the quality of care for individuals receiving services through its managed care programs. The Medical Assistance Quality Strategy for Pennsylvania is not intended to comprehensively describe all the activities that the Department undertakes to assure the quality of care rendered to individuals who are receiving services through managed care programs.
The Department’s quality strategy will be used to assure that the contractors that are implementing the Department’s managed care programs are in compliance with the terms of their agreements with the Department and have committed resources to meet the following: to perform monitoring and ongoing quality improvement; to contribute to the improvement of health for the populations they serve; and to incorporate new programmatic changes to assure that the individuals they serve have timely access to high-quality care.
The Medical Assistance Quality Strategy for Pennsylvania will include programs and initiatives within the following:
The Medical Assistance Quality Strategy for Pennsylvania can be viewed here and interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding the Medical Assistance Quality Strategy for Pennsylvania to the Department via email. Comments received within 30 days must be reviewed and considered before the Quality Strategy is submitted to CMS for review.
Persons with a disability who require an auxiliary aid or service may submit comments using the Pennsylvania AT&T Relay Service at 800-654-5984 (TDD users) or 800-654-5988 (voice users).
(From DHS)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2017
Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Department of Human Services (DHS) released the 2016 Child Protective Services report. The newly formatted report is available here.
“This year’s revamped report includes all county-specific information in one section, which will improve readability and increase usability,” said DHS Secretary Ted Dallas. “We want to ensure this critical information is available for all Pennsylvanians to increase awareness on the issue and empower people to report suspected abuse or neglect.”
The child welfare system in Pennsylvania is state-supervised and county-administered with both agencies having vital roles in the protection of children. DHS is responsible for oversight and enforcement of laws, regulations, and policies that guide the provision of child welfare services at the county level by each of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania. DHS provides funding, oversight, and technical assistance to each county agency. Additionally, DHS is responsible for the licensure of public and private child welfare agencies and the investigation of complaints received regarding these agencies.
In 2016, 46 children lost their lives as a result of abuse, up from 36 in 2015. Seventy-nine nearly died as a result of abuse, an increase from 57 in 2015. Every child fatality and near fatality is closely examined by review teams to determine what, if any, risk factors may have contributed to the child’s death with an eye toward preventing future child fatalities. Most children who die or nearly die due to abuse are under the age of 4 and their parents are most often responsible for their death or near death. Violent acts or lack of supervision are noted as the leading reasons for these fatalities and near fatalities.
“One case of child abuse or neglect will always be one too many. Increased awareness in the commonwealth is leading to more Pennsylvanians taking active steps for prevention,” said Dallas. “Although reports continue to increase, the incidents of substantiated child abuse reports are approximately the same as last year – 1.7 per 1,000 children versus 1.6 in 2015.”
The report includes both child protective services (CPS) and general protective services (GPS) reports.
CPS reports are those that allege a child might have been a victim of child abuse. Reports alleging that a child under 18 years of age may have been abused are accepted for investigation when reported prior to the victim’s 20th birthday.
GPS reports are those reports that do not rise to the level of suspected child abuse, but allege a need for intervention to prevent serious harm to children. The department is responsible for receiving and transmitting reports to county children and youth agencies when GPS concerns are alleged.
DHS continues to process child abuse clearance requests in less than six days, and in 2016, more than 943,000 employee and volunteer requests were processed.
The 2016 Child Protective Services report is available here. To report suspected child abuse, call ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313.
MEDIA CONTACT: Rachel Kostelac, 717-425-7606
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