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Tags Posts tagged with "Public Comment"

Public Comment

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The Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) published the proposed amendment to the Community HealthChoices (CHC) Waiver in the Pennsylvania Bulletin for November 12, 2022.

DHS and OLTL are proposing to amend the CHC Waiver by adding Agency with Choice as a Financial Management Services (FMS) model for the participant-directed services of Personal Assistance Services (PAS) and Respite. This would modify Service Coordinator and Service Coordinator Supervisor qualifications to align with the CHC Agreement and to amend the service definitions for the following CHC waiver services:

  • Benefits Counseling;
  • Nursing Services;
  • Physical Therapy Services;
  • Occupational Therapy Services; and
  • Speech and Language Therapy Services.

Also proposed is a technical change to the waiver by revising performance measures.

The proposed CHC waiver amendment and summary of all revisions are available for review on the OLTL Waiver Amendments, Renewals, and Accompanying HCBS Transition Plans web page under Additional Resources.

Interested persons are invited to submit written comments regarding the proposed waiver amendment to the Department of Human Services, Office of Long-Term Living, Bureau of Policy Development and Communications Management, Attention: CHC 2023 Waiver Amendment, P.O. Box 8025, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8025. Comments may also be submitted to the Department via email. Use ”CHC 2023 Waiver Amendment” as the subject line. Comments received within 30 days of publication of this notice will be reviewed and considered for revisions to the proposed waiver amendment.

The proposed amendment will be effective April 1, 2023.

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The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs is accepting public comment on the Pennsylvania Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SABG) application submission. This submission will occur in three parts: The Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Assessment and Plan, or Mini-Application, which is currently available in draft and available for review; the SAPT Report, which will be posted in November; and the Annual Synar Report, which will be made available in December.

These documents can be accessed here utilizing “citizenpa” as your login and “citizen” as your password.

To review the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Plan Mini-Application:

  1. From the “Welcome to WebBGAS” page, click on “View an Existing Application.”
  2. On the next page, select “2023 SABG Only Application/Behavioral Health Assessment and Plan.” (The status of this application is shown as “In Progress.”)
  3. On the next page, click “View Application.”
  4. All of the links on the following page — “Pennsylvania – FY 2022-2023 SABG Only Application/Behavioral Health Assessment and Plan Submitted” — comprise the Mini-Application now open to public comment. Some components may read as “In progress” at this point, because they are still incomplete or may not be completed if they are not required.

Please submit all comments electronically by Friday, September 30.

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ODP Announcement 22-092 announces that the Department of Human Services (Department) is accepting comments on Pennsylvania’s Final Statewide Transition Plan (STP) for Home and Community-Based Services, which can be accessed here. Comments received by 11:59 pm on September 22, 2022, will be reviewed and considered for revisions to Pennsylvania’s Final STP that will be submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

A webinar specific to STP Information for the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) will be held on September 8, 2022, from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. Please register for the webinar.

Stakeholders may provide public comment through one of the following methods:

  1. Electronic comments submitted via email. Stakeholders are asked to use the subject header “PA Final STP” when submitting comments.
  2. Written comments submitted via mail: Department of Human Services, Office of the Secretary, P. O. Box 2675, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2675.
  3. Verbal and written comments during public comment webinars.

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ODP Announcement 22-088 reports that ODP is seeking public comment on the proposed initiatives specific to programs and services for individuals with an intellectual disability and/or autism (ID/A) for which ARPA funds will be used.

ARPA provides a temporary 10% increase to the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for certain Medicaid expenditures for home and community-based services (HCBS). The funding must be used to enhance, expand, or strengthen HCBS beyond what is available under Medicaid programs, including ODP’s waivers.

ODP is proposing additional initiatives in the following areas:

  • Data Management Enhancements;
  • Targeted Program Recovery; and
  • Expansion Supplemental Payments.

Interested persons are invited to submit written comments regarding the proposed ODP ARPA initiatives. Comments should be addressed to: Department of Human Services, Office of Developmental Programs, Division of Provider Assistance and Rate Setting, 4th Floor, 625 Forster Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120.

Comments may also be submitted to the Department via email using the subject header “ODP ARPA Initiatives.” Comments received by 11:59 pm on August 19, 2022, will be reviewed and considered for final implementation.

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ODP Announcement 22-030 shares that the proposed amendment to the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) is available for public review and comment. There is a 30-day public comment period that starts on March 12, 2022, and ends on April 11, 2022.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is seeking your valuable feedback and comments. Information regarding the proposed waiver amendment changes, including how to provide comments, can be found in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, Volume 52, Number 11, which was published on Saturday, March 12, 2022. The waiver amendment and the record of change document are available here.

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Solicitation of Public Comment on the Pennsylvania Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Combined State Plan for 2020—2024

[51 Pa.B. 7805]
[Saturday, December 11, 2021]

PA L&I WIOA 2022 Update Link & Information to Offer Comments From December 20, 2021 Through January 18, 2022

Some disability areas for possible commentary include:

  • OVR: District Offices, Pre Employment Transition, Services, under/un served populations (specific disabilities of groups; ESL issues (Spanish, Chinese, Russian languages, etc.), collaboration with other state agencies (PA DHS for OLTL, OMHSAS and ODP populations; PDE-Bureau of Special Education);
  • PA Career Links (including physical & programmatic accessibility, which are required under the Federal WIOA passed in 2014 with 2016 regulations put forth);
  • Home or vehicle modifications (policies, process, and waiting lists);
  • Deaf Blind Services (SSP), which are state funds only at this time (no federal funding); and
  • Movement away from sheltered workshops and segregated employment settings towards competitive employment per Federal guidance put forth earlier this year.

You can also see more from the Federal Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) on what they are looking for from states.

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The PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) will hold a 30-day public comment period (October 1, 2021–October 30, 2021) on the draft 2-year modification of the 2020–2024 VR Services Portion of the Combined State Plan. All comments should be sent here.

In addition, virtual public meetings will be held on October 19, 2021, from 1:00 pm–3:00 pm, and October 21, 2021, from 10:00 am–12:00 pm. The meetings will be held via Zoom. Meeting details, including information for CART and sign language interpreting, and a copy of the draft plan will be posted on OVR’s website.

Paid for with Pennsylvania taxpayer dollars.

View The Draft Plan

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Image by Werner Moser from Pixabay

The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs is providing the opportunity for public comment on the Pennsylvania Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SABG) submission. This submission will occur in three parts: the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Assessment and Plan, or Mini-Application, which is currently available in draft and available for review; the SAPT Report, which will be posted in November; and the Annual Synar Report, which will be made available in December.

These documents can be accessed utilizing “citizenpa” as your login and “citizen” as your password. Please submit all comments by Thursday, September 30.

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Message from the Department of Human Services:

As you may know, the American Rescue Plan of 2021 (ARP) provides a temporary 10% increase to the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for certain Medicaid expenditures for home and community-based services (HCBS). The funding must be used to enhance, expand, or strengthen HCBS beyond what is available under the Medicaid program as of April 1, 2021.

On Monday, June 14, the Department of Human Services (DHS) submitted a preliminary spending plan to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that serves as a foundation for Pennsylvania’s planning efforts by outlining our principles and overarching priorities. The preliminary plan encompasses many of the stakeholder recommendations that have been made to date. The overarching priorities include:

  1. Increasing access to HCBS;
  2. Enhancing HCBS provider payment rates and benefits;
  3. Protecting the health and well-being of direct care workers and direct support professionals through the provision of supplies and equipment;
  4. Recruitment and retention efforts to support the workforce;
  5. Supporting caregivers;
  6. Assistive technology and other supports to improve functional capabilities of persons with disabilities;
  7. Supporting the transition of individuals to community-based living arrangements;
  8. Investing in activities to address Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder treatment and recovery needs of Medicaid beneficiaries; and
  9. Building HCBS capacity and rebalancing Long-term Services and Supports.

With these priorities in mind, we hope to hear more from stakeholders about Pennsylvania’s efforts as we continue to flesh out the details of our plan to strengthen, enhance, and expand HCBS. Comments must be submitted by close of business on July 6.

Please visit the public comment overview as well as Pennsylvania’s preliminary spending plan for further information. Your comments can be submitted via email. Additionally, a live virtual public comment session will take place on Wednesday, June 30 at 10 am for those who are unable or prefer not to submit written feedback. More information about how to RSVP for this session will be available soon.

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