Governor Shapiro Delivers First Budget Address; Acting Secretary Arkoosh to Speak Regarding DHS Proposed Budget
Shapiro Administration
What to Watch: Shapiro Will Pitch First Budget as Governor
Call to Action: Contact Governor Shapiro to Fund IDD Services
RCPA has partnered with other organizations representing intellectual disability and/or autism (ID/A) providers to send a letter to Governor Josh Shapiro asking him to invest an additional $430 million for IDD services in the 2023/24 state budget proposal. Governor Shapiro needs to hear from providers, families, individuals, and advocates for the IDD system that we are in critical need of this additional funding. This investment would enable providers to improve the wages for the Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who provide care to individuals with ID/A. Improving wages will help to ensure services are available to the individuals and families who rely on these services.
Currently, thousands of Pennsylvanians with ID/A are not receiving the supports they are entitled to through Medicaid, and those individuals who are currently receiving services are in danger of losing them. The current rate system does not support the ever rising costs of providing services and paying the DSPs a wage that is reflective of their duties. Our workforce is not sufficient to meet the needs of everyone who requires care.
The additional investment into the Home and Community-Based Services rates will enable providers to give their DSPs a raise and a better starting wage to compete with other employers.
Please reach out to our Governor and ask for his support today! You can reach Governor Shapiro via this online form.
Shapiro Admin Can Do More as Rollbacks to Food and Health Benefits Loom in PA, Experts Say
PAS/SCE Strategic Member Meeting — March 1, 2023
Court Ruling Declares PA’s School Funding System Unconstitutional
Shapiro Administration Seeks Provider Input in Preparation for Fentanyl Test Strip Distribution
Effective January 1, Act 111 of 2022 amended the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device, and Cosmetic Act of 1972 to no longer define fentanyl test strips (FTS) as drug paraphernalia in Pennsylvania, making them a legal, low-cost method to prevent drug overdoses.
The Pennsylvania Departments of Drug and Alcohol Programs, Health, and Human Services, and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency have created a survey to gauge interest in and demand for FTS as the administration works to make them available at no cost across the commonwealth. The survey contains questions on currently available trainings/materials, preferred brands, and current distribution methods and takes about five minutes to complete.
Organizations are urged to complete the survey here and to distribute the link to others.
Shapiro Appoints Inspector General, Nominates General Services Secretary
Governor Shapiro Signs Executive Order to Improve Commonwealth Licensing & Certification Processes
Governor Shapiro is directing all state agencies, boards, and commissions to compile a catalog of the licenses, certificates, and permits they issue – including the statutory authority governing the length of time they must process applications and the application fee charged by each agency. Commonwealth agencies will have 90 days to send this information to the Governor’s Office, which will then review, analyze, and establish efficient application processing times for all occupational permits or licenses based on agency recommendations. Once those recommendations are put in place, if an agency does not respond to an applicant before the date-certain, the agency will be required to refund the application fee.
Under this Executive Order, the Governor’s Office will also conduct a review of the existing digital services that Pennsylvanians use to apply for licenses, certificates, and permits and work to modernize those application platforms and services to better serve Pennsylvanians.
Unpredictability and long wait times for Commonwealth-issued licenses, certificates, and permits can create unnecessary barriers for Pennsylvania workers and businesses. For example, an NPR analysis from 2021 found that Pennsylvania had some of the longest wait times in the country for issuing nursing licenses. More than half of the nursing applicants who applied in Pennsylvania that year waited at least three months to hear back.
In addition to nursing licenses, the Commonwealth issues hundreds of licenses, certificates, and permits, from barber and salon licenses to teacher certifications to business permits. Under the direction of the Governor, the Administration will work expeditiously to ensure Pennsylvanians get responses in a timely manner — and the Shapiro Administration will have real skin in the game. Governor Shapiro is making clear his Administration will be customer-service oriented and that state government will work harder to get them a response, so that they can pursue their dreams.
Read Executive Order 2023-07, Building Efficiency in the Commonwealth’s Permitting and Licensing Processes, here.
ID/A Associations Develop Unified Budget Ask
RCPA has partnered with several other ID/A associations to develop a unified budget ask to send to Governor Shapiro. RCPA, The Provider’s Alliance, The Arc of PA, PAR, MAX, and The Alliance sent a letter asking the governor to include $430 million in the 2023/24 state general fund budget proposal to significantly improve the wage rates for the Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who provide care to individuals with ID/A. This funding, along with its federal match, is crucial because the ID/A system is in crisis. Nearly 60,000 Pennsylvanians with ID/A are at risk of losing or experiencing a reduction of essential services because there are not enough DSPs to care for them. The letter outlines several specific challenges in the ID/A system.
The letter was also sent to Dana Fritz, Chief of Staff; Lindsey Mauldin, Deputy Chief of Staff; The Honorable Uri Monson, Secretary of the Budget; The Honorable Akbar Hossain, Secretary of Policy and Planning; The Honorable Mike Vereb, Secretary of Legislative Affairs; and The Honorable Valerie Arkoosh, Secretary, Department of Human Services.
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