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Tags Posts tagged with "PAR"

PAR

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Advocate for yourselves and others by meeting with legislators directly! RCPA invites you to join us as we hold our annual Capitol Day this year on Wednesday, March 25. We will hold a press conference in the Main Rotunda between 10:00 am – 11:00 am, which will include legislators and leaders in human services.

You can register for our Capitol Day press conference by contacting Christine Tartaglione. We invite you to bring individuals and the families you support, additional staff, and colleagues to this advocacy event, and ask that you let us know if these individuals are planning to attend.

RCPA requests that members schedule appointments with their Senate and House legislators directly to discuss the state budget, legislation, and regulations either prior to or immediately after our press conference. For providers of IDD services, we are aware that PAR is also having a day of legislative meetings (non-Press Event) at the Capitol on the same day. If you are a member of both associations, please join our Press Conference as you attend other meetings with both associations. We will continue to coordinate with PAR to ensure that the events are seamless.

We highly encourage everyone who is attending to utilize RCPA’s 2026 legislative priorities during your legislative visits. As an additional resource, members can visit the Pennsylvania Capitol website to locate parking and view maps of the building, and you may use the following resources for coordinating your day at the Capitol:

If you have questions regarding our 2026 Capitol Day, including questions or concerns with scheduling an appointment with a legislator, please contact Jack Phillips, Director of Government Affairs. We look forward to seeing you at the Capitol!

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RCPA partnered with The Alliance of Community Service Providers, The Arc of Pennsylvania, MAX Association, PAR, and TPA, in a collaborative workforce study and surveyed our members to collect data on the impact of the Commonwealth’s ID/A investment. We are pleased to share the results of that study, published and released today. This report also includes information on the demographic profile of our workforce, employee benefits provided, and critical data on vacancies and retention for Direct Support Professionals who provide the lifeline for individuals and families served by our community system.

Also available is a one-page infographic highlighting key data points from the compensation report, complemented with additional facts regarding inflation and the waiting list for intellectual disability services. Examined together, these factors illustrate the continued urgency for ongoing investment to meet the needs of our ID/A community and the thousands of people who remain on a waiting list without essential services.

The associations plan to continue our joint advocacy efforts regarding the budget for the coming Pennsylvania fiscal year.

Contact Carol Ferenz, IDD Division Director, with any questions.

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HARRISBURG, PA (July 12, 2024) – Intellectual disabilities and autism (ID/A) advocates and providers are calling the final 2024/25 Pennsylvania budget a “strong step forward” that will “change so many lives for the better.” The approved budget includes additional funding for increased rates and more capacity to serve the waiting list. As Gov. Josh Shapiro noted last night in his final budget remarks, “The ID/A community was finally heard in these halls of power.”

“I am grateful for the partnership and collaboration with Pennsylvania Advocates and Resources for Autism and Intellectual Disabilities (PAR), The Provider Alliance, MAX Association, The Alliance of Community Service Providers, The Arc of Pennsylvania, and RCPA,” said Richard Edley, PhD, CEO and President of Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA). “It was this unique and unified advocacy that has led to this important step forward in the administration’s multi-year growth strategy. Thank you, Governor Shapiro, and the House and Senate, for listening. We look forward to our continued work together.”

View the full press release here.

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Governor Shapiro has proposed a significant increase of funding to the ID/A system, and the legislature will begin deliberating the Governor’s plan. Now is the time to ask to secure this funding and maintain it in the next fiscal year’s budget.

RCPA has partnered with The Arc of PA, TPA, PAR, The Alliance, and MAX to develop a document for our members to share with legislators and other stakeholders that summarizes our message regarding support for the Governor’s budget. This document is now available to use. Additionally, RCPA has made available our legislative priorities one-pager that covers all divisions. We ask that you use both the ID/A document and the one-pager during your legislative visits, including those scheduled during our Capitol Day event on March 19.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Carol Ferenz.

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