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Physical Disabilities & Aging

RCPA staff and the Conference Committee are gearing up for our long-awaited in-person conference to be held in Hershey, PA, October 11 – 14, 2022! Registration is now open; details on workshops, networking, and more are all available here.

We would also like to thank some of our early sponsors. Thank you for showing your support of our 2022 Conference!

We have additional sponsorship opportunities available and invite you to contact Carol Ferenz or Sarah Eyster for more information. We look forward to seeing you all Together this October!

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide guidance to the county and private children and youth social service agencies, county mental health/behavioral health programs, early intervention (EI) programs, and managed care organizations on the process for referring children to the county intellectual disability and autism program when a child has a diagnosis of an intellectual disability, developmental disability, and/or autism (ID/DD/A) (information regarding eligibility and diagnostic criteria can be found here) or when it is suspected that a child may have one of these diagnoses.

Referring the child to the county ID/A program can provide eligible children and their families with access to information, services, and supports in the community, as well as assistance with preparing for life’s transitions through childhood into adulthood.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) wants to improve services and supports to all children and their families or legal guardians so that children can grow to adulthood living in a home with loving adults. The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP), the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), the Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF), the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS), and the Office of Medical Assistance Programs (OMAP) work closely together to ensure children with ID/DD/A and their families have access to high quality services that support the child’s growth and development. Please visit here for further information about each DHS Office addressed in this bulletin.

During the registration and eligibility process for services, the county ID/A program or TSM provider should offer families information about the Charting the LifeCourse framework and tools that were developed by the UMKC Institute for Human Development, UCEDD.

If stakeholders have any questions about the bulletin, they should send their questions via email.

Information and registration for the August Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Subcommittee meeting was recently released by the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL). The meeting will be held on August 3, 2022, from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. Attendees can participate via webinar or in person at the PA Department of Education Building’s Honors Suite at 333 Market Street in Harrisburg.

To participate in the meeting via webinar, please register via the link below. Those participating by webinar are encouraged to register early. When registering, please verify that you entered your email address correctly. You will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar if you registered correctly.

Webinar Registration Link
If you have trouble accessing the webinar registration through the Internet Explorer or Safari web browsers, please try accessing it through a different web browser such as Chrome or Edge.

Dial In Number:
The dial-in number is: 
(415) 655-0052
Access Code: 205870515#

Photo by visuals on Unsplash

In concert with the Pennsylvania Office of Advocacy and Reform, HEAL PA, United Way of Pennsylvania, and Collectively Rooted are working to help Pennsylvania residents become more trauma aware and have practical tools to identify and address the trauma in their world.

Join us for this upcoming summer series about building a trauma aware Pennsylvania – free to all residents in the state and open to everyone for personal and professional growth. We invite you to join some of the world’s leading experts on trauma to learn:

  • Where and how trauma appears in our lives and communities;
  • What happens when we experience trauma;
  • The role of community in healing; and
  • How we can heal ourselves and support healing in others.

Learn more and pre-register by creating an account at Resilient PA today! If you already have an account, you will be notified when the training is live!

Register today!

If you have questions, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.