The Department of Human Services (DHS) has issued updated guidance on COVID-19 for Personal Care Homes (PCHs) and Assisted Living Residences (ALRs). As the Commonwealth, along with the nation, has obtained additional data and expanded their knowledge and understanding of COVID-19, guidance continues to evolve and change. The revisions to the guidance are identified in red text.
Questions on these revisions should be sent electronically or to the regional office.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) has announced a new initiative to assist long-term care facilities (which includes skilled nursing facilities, personal care homes, assisted living residences, etc.) respond to COVID-19, recover, and improve resiliency.
This new initiative, the Long-Term Care Resiliency, Infrastructure Supports, and Empowerment (LTC RISE) is funded by a federal grant provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which began on January 1, 2022, replacing the Regional Congregate Care Assistance Teams (RCATs), whose contract expired December 1, 2021.
With LTC RISE, these long-term care facilities may take advantage of improvement project opportunities in the following areas:
LTC RISE will continue to offer the following RCAT prevention and response support to LTC RISE-eligible facilities:
The LTC RISE program is a partnership among DOH, Department of Human Services (DHS), Pennsylvania Emergency Management Association (PEMA), and the following healthcare organizations that have established partnerships covering six regions across Pennsylvania to support preventive and emergent assistance for LTCFs:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control’s (NCIPC) Division of Injury Prevention recently announced a new notice of funding opportunities, which include:
RFA-CE-22-006 Research Grants to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Physical Therapy-Based Exercises and Movements Used to Reduce Older Adults Falls
NCIPC intends support up to two (2) recipients for 3 years at up to $350,000 per award per year.
Application Due Date: March 1, 2022
NCIPC is soliciting investigator-initiated research proposals to support both a process evaluation and an outcome evaluation of the effectiveness of strategies commonly used to improve community-dwelling older adults’ balance, strength, and mobility and subsequently reduce their risk of future falls and fall injuries. These strategies may include different types of physical therapy-based exercises and movements such as heel-to-toe walk, sit-to-stand exercise, calf raises, and side leg raises. Of particular interest is research that focuses on populations experiencing high rates of older adult falls and fall injuries, and could include populations disadvantaged by reduced economic stability or limited educational attainment.
Questions should be sent to NCIPC_ERPO (CDC).
RFA-CE-22-007 Reduce Health Disparities and Improve Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Related Outcomes Through the Implementation of CDC’s Pediatric Mild TBI Guideline
NCIPC intends support up to one (1) recipient for 4 years at up to $550,000 per year.
Application Due Date: February 22, 2022
NCIPC is soliciting investigator-initiated research proposals for an implementation study to promote the adoption and integration of the “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline on the Diagnosis and Management of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Among Children” in a large health care system to: a) improve mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) outcomes in children and adolescents, and b) reduce disparities in TBI-related care and outcomes.
Applicants are expected to focus on the following research questions:
What type of disparities in mTBI-related processes and outcomes currently exist at baseline in a healthcare system(s) prior to initiation of an intervention to systematically implement CDC’s Pediatric mTBI Guideline?
Does an intervention aimed at systematically implementing CDC’s Pediatric mTBI Guideline in a healthcare system(s) result in a reduction of health disparities, relative to baseline, vis a vis improved process and health outcomes?
Applicants are encouraged to supplement the mTBI Guideline implementation with added outreach efforts to children experiencing disadvantage, and implementation strategies that address TBI-related care and health disparities identified within the health system.
For the purposes of this NOFO, mTBI-related processes and outcomes include those related to the identification and treatment of an mTBI such as discharge instructions, counseling regarding return to school and return to play, communication with the school about symptoms, recovery, accommodations, as well as health outcomes. An indicator of care might be length of time between injury and diagnosis and treatment of an mTBI or the recovery trajectory of an mTBI. Disparities (health outcomes seen to a greater or lesser extent between populations) may be related to various factors of the injured child or adolescent, their family or neighborhood, or community, such as race, gender, sexual identity, disability, socioeconomic conditions, or geographic location.
Questions should be sent to NCIPC_ERPO (CDC).
All divisions within the Department of Human Services (DHS) recently shared a video message from Acting Secretary of DHS Meg Snead to thank providers for all you do for the communities you serve. Members are encouraged to watch and share it with staff.
As DHS plans for 2022, they would like to continue to recognize our county partners and providers — the dedicated professionals who spend their lives caring for others — and all others who make this work possible.
DHS is collecting stories from providers and caring professionals about why their work is essential and why they chose their careers. Their goal is to highlight the stories of our human services system and how those who make this work possible make an impact in all parts of our communities. If you or your colleagues are interested and willing, please share your story. DHS is looking for:
Stories can be emailed to the DHS Press Office. Please include names, county/place of residence, and a picture if you’re willing to share. DHS may use these stories on social media, the DHS blog, or the central human services job recruitment page. The DHS Press Office team will be in touch to obtain consent to use these stories.
The Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Subcommittee held their first meeting of 2022 on January 5. The handouts referenced and shared during this monthly meeting are provided below:
The next MLTSS Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 2, 2022.
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) is offering a webinar on the topic of the PA Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Savings Program on January 28, 2022, from 1:00 pm–2:00 pm. A PA ABLE account gives individuals with qualifying disabilities (eligible individuals) and their families and friends a tax-free way to save for disability-related expenses while maintaining government benefits. Federal and state law authorized the creation of PA ABLE accounts. The presentation will be given by a representative of the PA Treasury Department.
OLTL Service Coordinators, Direct Service Providers, CHC-MCO staff, and any individuals that work with employment are strongly encouraged to participate in this webinar, which will help you understand the PA ABLE Program and how it can benefit the OLTL participants you serve.
Please register for this event. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Questions about the webinar should be directed to Edward M. Butler, OLTL, via email or at 717-214-3718.
The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has issued Bulletin 59-21-03, which pertains to the Home and Community-Based Settings (HCBS) Heightened Scrutiny process. Also included are the following bulletin attachments:
OLTL is currently working to develop a training for providers on this topic and will host training sessions sometime in early 2022. Questions about the bulletin and/or the attachments should be sent via email. The bulletin is effective December 29, 2021.
A Financial Management Services (FMS) Stakeholder meeting has been scheduled for January 7, 2022, from 1:00 pm–2:30 pm. The purpose of this public meeting is to discuss upcoming changes for the administration of FMS under the Community HealthChoices (CHC), OBRA Waiver, and Act 150 programs. Representatives from both the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) and the CHC Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) will be in attendance to discuss the upcoming changes. The meeting information is provided below:
Meeting Number:
Meeting Number Access Code: 2631 798 3447
Meeting Password: Stakeholders
Join by Phone:
408-418-9388 (U.S. Toll)
202-860-2110 (U.S. Toll — Washington, D.C.)
Join from a Video System or Application
Dial 26317983447@pa-hhs.webex.com
You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released guidance on the Omnibus COVID-19 health care staff vaccination interim final rule that was published on November 5, 2021. The emergency regulation helps safeguard health care workers and the people they serve from COVID-19 and its variants for all individuals seeking care. This is done by imposing requirements regarding vaccinations for eligible staff at health care facilities participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
This guidance provides important information on implementation as well as guidelines to assess and maintain compliance with the COVID-19 vaccination requirements for health care workers at facilities participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has outlined its plan to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to strengthen the workforce and assist Adult Day Services (ADS) providers. This plan is in response to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), which provides a temporary 10 percent 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.
The OLTL ARPA plan directs $46.5 million to Personal Assistance Service (PAS), Community Integration (CI), and Residential Habilitation (Res Hab) providers to assist with recruitment and retention of direct care workers. The plan directs an additional $13 million to ADS providers to strengthen ADS. To qualify for these payments, providers must have been in operation as of November 1, 2021.
OLTL sent letters to providers with details about the payments, including information about the approved use of and reporting on these funds. For reference, samples of the letters, a list of qualifying entities and payment amounts, and a blank copy of the Provider Attestation Form are available on the DHS Long-Term Care Providers page under the heading “American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funding.”
To receive a Strengthening the Workforce or Adult Day Services payment, providers must complete the OLTL Provider Attestation form and return via email or fax it to the OLTL Bureau of Finance at (717) 787-2145. Providers who return completed forms by January 7, 2022, will receive payment in February 2022.
Strengthening the Workforce Payments
Strengthening ADS Payments
Acceptable Uses of ARPA Funding
ARPA funding must be used for things such as sign on bonuses, retention payments, COVID-19 related leave benefits and paid time off, vaccination incentives, or the purchase of personal protective equipment and testing supplies. Additionally, ADS providers can use the funding for retrofitting adult day centers, expenses to re-open the centers, and expenses to develop alternative models to provide ADS.
Questions about this information should be directed to the OLTL Provider Helpline at 800-932-0939.
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