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supports coordination organizations

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Photo by MChe Lee on Unsplash

Gov. Tom Wolf signed Senate Bill 664 into law on June 30, 2021, now known as Act 66 of 2021, that permits students with disabilities who graduated during the 2020–21 school year and turned age 21 during the 2020–21 school year to attend school during the 2021–22 school year and receive services as outlined on their most recent Individualized Education Program (IEP) with all the protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Parents have the power to decide if their children should repeat their final year to help catch up on learning loss due to the pandemic. The new law gives parents the final say in the decision, not just the school and teachers. However, the decision to repeat a grade level or remain an additional year must be made by July 15, 2021.

As you know, the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) requires Person/Family Directed Services (P/FDS) waiver capacity to be reserved by counties for high school graduates who are not eligible to continue their education through the next year. This year is unique since these students are now eligible to choose to continue for an additional year. However, the choice to repeat a grade or remain an additional year under Act 66 of 2021 does not preclude the person from enrollment in P/FDS. Every student slated for a 2021 graduation at age 21, must be offered enrollment in the P/FDS waiver, if they are not enrolled in another waiver, regardless of whether they exercise their right to continue for an additional year under Act 66. A graduate may choose to repeat their final year of high school and enroll in P/FDS. The P/FDS waiver can be used to support the assessed needs that the high school is not required to provide.

ODP expects that Supports Coordinators are immediately communicating this information to all individuals and families that were identified as 2021 graduates and assuring them that the determination to repeat a year of school will not impact their eligibility for or current enrollment in the P/FDS waiver.

Please note: Act 66 applies to students enrolled in any of the following school entities in Pennsylvania during the 2020–21 school year: a school district, intermediate unit, career and technical education center, charter school, cyber charter school, regional charter school, nonpublic school, approved private schools, and chartered schools for the deaf and blind.

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Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

ODP Announcement 20-111

The purpose of ODP Announcement 20-111 is to inform Supports Coordination Organizations (SCOs) of an updated statewide qualification process. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires a statewide process to ensure that SCOs are qualified to render services to waiver-funded individuals. The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is replacing the previous Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) SCO requalification process with the ODP AAW SCO qualification process outlined in this communication.

New SCO Requalification

Following the SCO’s initial qualification date, all SCOs classified as new are to be requalified by the end of the following fiscal year. This will be detailed on the AAW SCO qualification form (Note: This form is under development and will be distributed at a later time). For example, if a new SCO’s first qualification begin date is January 20, 2017, the SCO must be requalified by June 30, 2018, which is the end of the following fiscal year. A new SCO’s status will be updated from new to existing after the SCO is requalified.

Existing SCO Requalification Cycle

Previously, AAW SCOs were requalified during annual monitoring and the Quality Assessment and Improvement (QA&I) process. All activities associated to the AAW SCO requalification process will now occur during the ODP AAW SCO qualification process. Once an SCO is classified as existing, the SCO is to be requalified on a three-year cycle based upon the last digit of the SCO’s MPI number. The timelines for Cycle 2 of SCO requalification will be slightly different from the timelines for Cycle 2 of QA&I due to when the requalification process is starting and the corresponding fiscal year.

For inquiries regarding this communication, contact the AAW Enrollment mailbox.

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ODP published Announcement 19-032 to announce that all Supports Coordination Organizations (SCOs) and Providers delivering supports and services for participants in the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) program will be integrated into the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) QA&I process beginning July 1, 2019. The QA&I process will replace the existing AAW monitoring process and will be one of the tools used to evaluate the current system of supports and identify ways to improve it for all individuals supported by ODP.

The QA&I process was first introduced in July 2017 with ODP’s ID/A Waiver programs. The process is designed to conduct a comprehensive quality management review of county programs, Administrative Entities, SCOs, and Providers delivering services and supports to individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders.

The comprehensive quality management review is accomplished using a combination of self-assessment, desk review, onsite review, individual interviews, corrective action, Plan to Prevent Recurrence and quality management plans. The QA&I process occurs over a three-year cycle with each of the entities receiving a full review at least once within that period.

To support this integration, ODP will provide QA&I process training for SCOs and Providers serving AAW participants in the spring of 2019. Look for a date, time, and any specific instructions for this training in a future communication.

For more information about the QA&I process, please visit “QA&I Process Resources” on MyODP. Please submit any questions regarding this communication to Patrick Keating.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has issued updated provider agreements that must be completed and returned to ODP by May 1. All providers of Waiver Services in Pennsylvania, including Supports Coordination Organizations (SCO) and Agency With Choice (AWC), must sign and return the ODP IDA Waiver Provider Agreement. Each waiver provider only needs to submit one provider agreement for the legal entity, regardless of the number of services provided or the number of service locations operated by the legal entity.

The provider agreement is essentially the same as the current agreement with the addition of the Community Living Waiver, with an effective date of January 1, 2018, and the addition of condition number two. Condition number two states that the provider agrees “To comply with the approved waiver; including all standards enumerated in the service definition(s) which the Waiver Provider will be rendering, provider qualification requirements and other requirements established by the Department as outlined in the approved waivers.” The letter that was sent to providers from Deputy Secretary Nancy Thaler can be found here.

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The location for the ODP meeting with SCOs on Wednesday, September 16, 2015, from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, is the Hilton Harrisburg, 1 North Second Street, Harrisburg, PA, 717-233-6000. Coffee and tea will be available in the morning. However, lunch will be on our own.

The invitation is open to SCO directors and two additional key staff from your organization. Pre-registration

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