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SDoH

The Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has developed a funding opportunity under an approved home and community-based services (HCBS) spending plan that includes the two following HCBS provider types:

  • Adult Daily Living; and
  • Specialized Medical Equipment and Supplies.

OLTL will provide the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to these enrolled providers to strengthen HCBS. Consistent with the original announcement, the purpose of the funding opportunity is for the implementation of quality improvement projects by HCBS providers to improve the services available to HCBS participants through the Community HealthChoices (CHC) and OBRA 1915(c) waivers. More specifically, this funding opportunity is focused on supplementing activities in a manner that improves and strengthens the quality of HCBS services. The use of the ARPA funding, however, is limited to those activities that supplement HCBS services rather than supplant the existing services.

DHS will provide funding of up to forty thousand dollars ($40,000) per approved request submission to qualified providers. DHS will approve funding on a one-time basis to each qualified provider and will review and approve submissions in the order in which they are received until the total funding allocated has been exhausted. Funding will only be provided for the following improvement projects:

  • Supplemental activities to address the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). For example, SDOH activities may include:
    • Activities to address affordable and accessible housing. Rent and room and board are not allowable expenditures under this funding opportunity.
    • Activities to improve access to competitive integrated employment for participants. This may include access to benefits counseling, or remote technology to support employment.
    • Activities to improve or enhance transportation for CHC and OBRA participants.
    • Activities to improve food insecurities for participants.
  • Purchase of remote support technology by providers. This can include provider technology initiatives that improve service transparency and quality assurance, such as providing direct care workers with access to tablets and software that support in-home documentation of participant conditions and other related care needs.
  • Payment for the development and implementation of enhanced training for direct care workers, Medical Assistance (MA) providers, or both. This may include enhanced training on infection control practices, which can include the development of videos and online modules to address best practices in infection control. This may also include training for professional development. For example, this funding may be used to promote training or coursework related to the professional advancement or development for direct care workers.
  • Purchase and implementation of new software and technology for electronic health records or quality or risk management functions. This includes funding for providers to contract with a Health Information Organization. Having access to electronic health care records enables HCBS providers to connect with local hospitals and physicians, and ensure real time communication between the HCBS provider and the participant’s medical providers.

Please see the Funding Opportunity document for more information and for the HCBS Quality Incentive Funding Request Form. The document is also available on the Department’s Long-Term Care Providers web page under the heading “Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Quality Improvement Funding Opportunity.”

If you have any questions about this message, please send them to the OLTL HCBS Opportunities Resource account.

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a short, animated explainer video, “Social Determinants of Health Items: Determining When a Proxy Response is Allowed,” for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF), home health (HH), and long-term care hospital (LTCH) providers. CMS developed this video to assist providers in accurately determining when the use of a proxy response is allowed for the following Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) items: A1005. Ethnicity, A1010. Race, A1110. Language, A1250. Transportation, B1300. Health Literacy, and D0700. Social Isolation.

If you have questions about accessing the resources or feedback regarding the trainings, please email the PAC Training Inbox. Content-related questions should be submitted to the HH QRP Help Desk, IRF QRP Help Desk, or the LTCH QRP Help Desk.

Foothold Technology is hosting a series of webinars and podcasts related to staffing, social determinants of health, and DEI. Descriptions, times/dates, and registration details are below.


Webinar/Panel — Caring Companies: Shifting the Focus to Staff Retention and Well-Being
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
1:00 pm EST

In the disability field, when we talk about the care economy and specifically the workforce crisis, a lot of attention has been focused on recruitment, so we wanted to shift the focus to retention, staff well-being, and the unpaid workforce. Come join Elliot Massuda, the Strategic Partnerships Manager at Foothold Technology, as he engages in a live conversation with industry experts about the Care Economy. Visit here for more information and to register.

Webinar/Panel — Identifying Impact: How to Find Common Language Around SDoH
Thursday, March 31, 2022
1:00 pm EST

Social Determinants of Health have always been mission critical to our community. Now, it’s getting the much needed attention that it deserves. Although there’s a lot of buzz around SDoH, there are still many obstacles providers face when trying to get paid for SDoH services and demonstrating the impact of these services.

Come listen to a panel of industry experts talk about the landscape of SDoH, some initiatives to improve funding of these services, and where they see these efforts going. Visit here for more information and to register.

Sharing In Our Caring — Episode 4 | An Ongoing Journey in Committing to Do Better 

We just launched our next episode on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are so relevant in our world right now that we would be remiss not to discuss it. In this episode of “Sharing in Our Caring” (a platform for human services professionals, policy-makers, and thought leaders to shed light on the topics and trends impacting their industry), hosts Elliot Massuda and Natalie Wright-Umoh discuss the importance of DEI and how that work has become more prominent. They are joined by Cindy Joseph, the Founder and CEO of The Cee Suite, who shares her experience as a talent management consultant, with a specialized focus in DEI. Tune in to hear the insights Cindy shares with organizations that are making a commitment to this work. Visit here to listen. “Sharing In Our Caring” is available on most podcast platforms.