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Tags Posts tagged with "Regulations"

Regulations

On December 6, 2021, the Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) issued the following notice:

Pursuant to Act 73 of 2021, the suspensions of various regulatory provisions under the state disaster emergency declaration were extended until March 31, 2022, unless sooner reinstated by the Department. Effective December 6, 2021, the Department has reinstated a number of suspended regulations. A list of suspended regulations and their current status is available here.

Members are encouraged to review the list for the latest updates.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared that effective December 6, 2021, the Department has reinstated all of ODP’s suspended regulations. A list of the regulations that were previously suspended and the date they were reinstated is available here.

Pursuant to Act 73 of 2021, the suspensions of various regulatory provisions under the state disaster emergency declaration were extended until March 31, 2022, unless sooner reinstated by the Department.

Please note that the current version of the COVID-19 At-A-Glance Guide reads that “the suspension of various regulatory provisions under the state disaster emergency declaration that are currently in effect and which were set to expire on September 30, 2021, are now extended until further notice.” This guidance is no longer accurate; again, all of ODP’s suspended regulations have been reinstated. The At-A-Glance guide will be updated to reflect this change in the near future.

If this action is cause for concern for any RCPA member, please contact Carol Ferenz for assistance.

HB 1995, which would require the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) to go through the regulatory review process any time it makes changes that would affect licensed drug and alcohol treatment providers, today passed the House of Representatives and heads to the Senate for concurrence. The next scheduled Senate session days are December 13–15.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Carrie Lewis-DelRosso, specifically outlines the following instances in which DDAP would be required to promulgate regulations:

  • The implementation of new or additional licensing requirements for drug and alcohol facilities;
  • The implementation of new or additional drug and alcohol staff credentialing requirements;
  • The implementation of new or additional drug and alcohol counselor staffing ratios; and
  • The implementation of new or major programmatic changes and requirements imposed on drug and alcohol facilities, including the requirement of adding programs that significantly increase the cost of delivering care and meeting staffing requirements.

The legislation includes any proposed regulatory requirement not currently in effect or any regulatory requirement that the General Assembly has delayed through legislation.

Contact Jason Snyder, Director of Drug and Alcohol Division, with any questions.

Effective October 18, 2021, the following regulatory statutes and regulations are reinstated:

If you have any questions or concerns related to this announcement, please contact your local OMHSAS Regional Field Office at the following numbers:

Central Field Office — 717-705-8395
Northeast Field Office — 570-963-4335
Southeast Field Office — 610-313-5844
Southwest Field Office — 412-565-5226

If you have further questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director(s).