The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released an informational bulletin, as well as a slide presentation, that are related to continuity of coverage for individuals receiving home and community-based services (HCBS). The purpose of the bulletin is to highlight the federal renewal requirements and available flexibilities to promote continuity of coverage.
The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL), with support from Mercer Government Human Services Consulting (Mercer), part of Mercer Health & Benefits LLC, is sharing the PowerPoint Presentation from the July 18, 2024, HCBS Rate and Wage Study Meeting. You can view the PowerPoint here.
If you have any questions, please send them via email.
On July 19, 2024, the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) presented a Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Provider Technical Assistance Webinar. The webinar, developed and presented by OMHSAS and their partner Mercer, provided an excellent overview of the VBP landscape and valuable guidance for providers to consider future efforts to incorporate VBPs into their service matrix.
OMHSAS supports providers interested in pursuing VBP programming to contact and collaborate with their respective BH-MCOs on VBP options. The Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Provider Technical Assistance PowerPoint provides an outline of the information covered in the webinar. Should you have any questions or comments, please contact the OMHSAS VBP Resource Account via email.
If you have any additional questions, please contact RCPA Policy Directors Jason Snyder or Jim Sharp.
Deputy Secretary Ahrens of the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) shared a PowerPoint today, July 25, 2024, at the MAAC meeting. Highlights included ODP’s plan to publish several documents. ODP will be submitting waiver amendments for the 1915(c) waiver and the new 1915 (b)(4) waiver to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 26, 2024. In addition, ODP Bulletin 00-24-01: Performance-Based Standards for Residential Services and an ODP announcement regarding the waiver submission, including an implementation guide and provider self-assessment, will be released tomorrow, July 26.
RCPA will share these documents with members as soon as they are available.
Today, June 3, the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) held the first of four Provider Preparedness Summits for Residential Services providers. The purpose of the summits are to take a deeper dive into the specifics that are being proposed for implementation of performance-based contracting (PBC).
The PowerPoint is now available, and a recording of the session will be posted shortly on the MyODP website.
ODP staff in attendance answered many questions submitted by providers. One of the key takeaways from today’s summit is that ODP will be postponing the due date for residential provider agreements to be signed and submitted to ODP. Originally, they were projected to be due by June 30, 2024; however, ODP has now stated that the due date will be July 31, 2024. The agreement has not yet been published, but it is expected to be released tomorrow, June 4, 2024.
There are three additional summits planned, and ODP will be recording each summit. Providers are encouraged to attend all four sessions as well as watch a pre-recorded webinar. All of these resources can be found on the MyODP website.
Contact Carol Ferenz for further information.
Last week, Governor Shapiro presented his proposed budget for 2024/2025. The PowerPoint with the Human Services Spending Overview outlines the priorities, and the recording is available on the DHS YouTube channel.
RCPA staff will continue to advocate for appropriate levels of funding for our members’ services in the community. We will keep you updated with information as the process continues. If you have any questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director.
The meeting documents from the December 6, 2023, Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Subcommittee meeting are available below. documents include the agenda, transcript, and PowerPoint presentations.
The next MLTSS Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for January 3, 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 an option. Register here to participate in the meeting via webinar. 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: 1-(631) 992-3221; Access code: 809-647-074#.
On March 24, 2023, the Department of Human Services (DHS) conducted a public meeting on Electronic Visit Verification (EVV). The PowerPoint presentation from this public meeting is available. You can view the PowerPoint here.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) held two informational webinars regarding the new waiver amendments that became effective in January 2023. Some of the changes will go into effect when Appendix K expires, most likely in November of 2023. Other changes are in effect now. The recordings of the sessions are available on MyODP.
The presentation from the February 6 “Adult Autism Waiver Amendment” webinar is available here.
The presentation from the February 9 “Waiver Renewals Effective January 1, 2023: Consolidated, Community Living, and P/FDS Waivers” webinar is available here.
The monthly Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Subcommittee convened on February 1, 2023. The meeting handouts included the agenda as well as the following PowerPoint presentations:
UPDATE on 02/06/23 — In addition to the above handouts, the following are now available:
