View Upcoming PA Congressional Town Hall Dates, Recaps of Previous Town Halls
Disabilities Community ‘Concerned’ by Proposed Cuts, Changing Landscape: RCPA Capitol Day Event Highlighted, RCPA Members CIL and Step by Step, Inc. Quoted
RCPA, PA Lawmakers Spotlight Urgent Need for Fair Funding, Workforce Investment in Human Services
HARRISBURG, PA — A bipartisan group of Pennsylvania lawmakers joined members of the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA), the Commonwealth’s largest health and human services trade association, at a press conference at the state Capitol in support of vital disability and human service programs. These programs serve millions of Pennsylvanians annually and play a transformative role in their lives.
At the March 26 press conference, RCPA and lawmakers pushed for continued funding and improved payment models, including Medicaid capitation, as well as decreasing administrative burden in the safety net system, as part of any final 2025/26 budget adopted by the General Assembly. These initiatives will help improve services and make the system work better for everyone. They also highlighted the need to invest in the workforce, ensuring strong support for licensed clinicians, direct support professionals, counselors, case managers and support/service coordinators, and peers.
Richard S. Edley, PhD, President and CEO of RCPA, spoke on behalf of members and those who rely on health and human services. Fady Sahhar, MBA, PhD, RCPA Director of Physical Disabilities & Aging, also communicated the need for Medicaid preservation and continued funding.
| Richard S. Edley, PhD, President & CEO | Fady Sahhar, MBA, PhD, Director of PD&A |
 |
 |
RCPA members also raised their voices to stress the importance of not only maintaining but improving the systems in place. Speakers included Melva Fair, an RCPA Board Member and CEO of Community Living and Support Services (CLASS), and Annie Smith, Director of Early Intervention at RCPA member Strawberry Fields. Also in attendance were RCPA Board Members Susan Coyle of Chartiers Center and Gretchen Kelly of PLEA.
| Melva Fair | Annie Smith | Susan Coyle and Gretchen Kelly |
 |
 |
 |
Representatives from both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate spoke in agreement with RCPA’s message, voicing continued support for vital services in Pennsylvania.
| Representative Doyle Heffley | Representative Joseph Hohenstein | Senator Tim Kearney |
 |
 |
 |
Last but not least, RCPA thanks everyone who attended this year’s Capitol Day. Your support and presence made this year one of our most successful press conferences to date!
 |
 |
 |
 |
RCPA 2025 Capitol Day Resources and Details
Join RCPA for our 2025 Capitol Day, which will be held Wednesday, March 26. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to advocate for yourselves and those you serve by meeting with legislators directly! We will hold a press conference in the Main Rotunda between 10:00 am – 11:00 am. The following legislators and leaders in the Health and Human Services arena will be speaking:
- Richard S. Edley, PhD, President/CEO, RCPA;
- Fady Sahhar, MBA, PhD, Director, Physical Disabilities & Aging Division, RCPA;
- Melva Fair, CEO, Community Living and Support Services;
- Annie Smith, Director of Early Intervention, Strawberry Fields;
- Representative Doyle Heffley (R-Carbon);
- Representative Joseph Hohenstein (D-Philadelphia);
- Senator Michele Brooks (R-Crawford/Lawrence/Mercer); and
- Senator Tim Kearney (D-Delaware).
If you haven’t done so yet, you can register for our Capitol Day press conference by contacting Christine Tartaglione. Please let us know if additional staff or colleagues within your organization are planning to attend Capitol Day with you.
RCPA requests that members schedule appointments with their Senate and House legislators directly to discuss the state budget, legislation, and regulations after our press conference. If you have scheduled meetings, please contact Jack Phillips with details, as we can provide some level of coordination. RCPA will provide policy specific materials at the rally, including the RCPA 2025 Legislative Priorities.
As an additional resource, members can visit the Pennsylvania Capitol website to locate parking and view maps of the building. If you have questions regarding our 2025 Capitol Day, please contact Jack Phillips.
RCPA Shares Senate Appropriations 2025 DHS Budget Hearing Overview
The Senate Appropriations Committee held the 2025 Department of Human Services (DHS) Budget Hearing at the Capitol in Harrisburg on Wednesday, March 5, 2025. DHS was represented by Secretary Dr. Valerie Arkoosh and Gloria Gilligan, Director of Fiscal Management, Office of the Budget. Other DHS leadership was also present.
The Senate Appropriations Committee was equipped with questions surrounding the proposed $21B DHS budget that focused on intersects with operating critical services for vulnerable Pennsylvanians across the human services landscape. RCPA submitted questions to the House Appropriations Committee’s legislators that voiced the concerns of the membership across all policy areas.
The hearing today covered several of those questions, including:
- The projected $2.5B dollar increase in the capitation and intersects with Medicaid unwinding in PA;
- Impacts of potential federal Medicaid cuts on state Medicaid funding;
- Addressing IDD waitlists and funding;
- The ongoing funding of SNAP benefits and how the state is addressing fraud, waste, and abuse;
- Efforts to stabilize the human services workforce infrastructure with hiring and retention funding;
- Maternal Health Care funding;
- The viability of funding for the PA Medicaid 1115 Waiver;
- Childcare and early education funding, including $10M in early intervention workforce monies;
- Concerns about the fiscal and operational risks of covering GLP-1 medications; and
- The absence of a unified plan for the allocation and implementation of the $100M in school-based mental health funding.
View the 2025/26 Department of Human Service Blue Book for in-depth budget information. Members can watch the full hearings and read the transcripts below:
Contact your RCPA Policy Director with any questions.
Reminder: RCPA All-Member Webinar “Capitol Day Review and FAQ” to Be Held March 13
RCPA Shares Overview of Tuesday’s DHS House Budget Hearings
The House Appropriations Committee held the 2025 Department of Human Services (DHS) Budget Hearing at the Capitol in Harrisburg on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. DHS was represented by Secretary Dr. Valerie Arkoosh and Gloria Gilligan, Director of Fiscal Management, Office of the Budget. Other DHS leadership was also present.
The House Appropriations Committee was equipped with questions surrounding the proposed $21B DHS budget that focused on intersects with operating critical services for vulnerable Pennsylvanians across the human services landscape. RCPA submitted questions to the House Appropriations Committee’s legislators that voiced the concerns of the membership across all policy areas.
The hearing today covered several of those questions, including:
- The projected $2.5B dollar increase in the capitation and intersects with Medicaid unwinding in PA;
- Impacts of potential federal Medicaid cuts on state Medicaid funding;
- Addressing IDD waitlists and funding;
- The ongoing funding of SNAP benefits and how the state is addressing fraud, waste, and abuse;
- Efforts to stabilize the human services workforce infrastructure with hiring and retention funding;
- Childcare and early education funding, including $10M in early intervention workforce monies;
- Concerns about the fiscal and operational risks of covering GLP-1 medications; and
- The sustainability of State human services with the increases over the last several years.
RCPA will continue to monitor the hearings and subsequent reporting, and we plan to provide an overview of the Senate Appropriations Committee DHS Budget Hearing held today, March 5. If you have any questions, please contact your respective RCPA Policy Director.
Members can watch the full hearings and read the transcripts below:
Watch This Week’s House and Senate DHS Budget Hearings
For members’ convenience, please find below the links to the House and Senate Department of Human Services (DHS) budget hearings. The House hearing is tomorrow, March 4, and will be starting at 10:00 am; the Senate hearing is on Wednesday, March 5, and will be starting at 9:30 am. Both hearings will be held the entire day, with a break scheduled for lunch.
If you have any questions, please contact Jack Phillips.
State Representative Dan Miller to Host “The Defense of Medicaid” Press Conference Feb. 28
Message from Representative Dan Miller’s Office:
Supporting and defending Medicaid funding to our Commonwealth has always been a top priority of mine, and this week we’re having a press conference to discuss the potential impact that Federal cuts to Medicaid may have on our most vulnerable populations.
Joining me will be U.S. Reps. Chris Deluzio and Summer Lee, other state lawmakers, and Allegheny County officials to highlight why defending Medicaid is imperative. We will also hear from self-advocates who would be directly impacted by Medicaid changes.
The loss of Federal funding to states would be devasting for the more than 3 million Pennsylvanians who are enrolled in Medicaid. Medicaid also pays for 30% of Medicare. Those that depend on its supports and services, include:
- Seniors
- Low-income families and individuals
- People with disabilities
- Pregnant women and children, and many more.
The news conference will be held at 10:15 am Friday, February 28, at the Portico of the City-County Building, 414 Grant St., Pittsburgh.
We’ll also be joined by state Reps. Dan Frankel, Emily Kinkead, Jess Benham, Lindsay Powell, Aerion Abney, La’Tasha D. Mayes and Arvind Venkat; state Sens. Jay Costa, Wayne Fontana, Lindsey Williams and Nick Pisciottano; Mayor Ed Gainey; Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor; Pittsburgh Councilwoman Erika Strassburger; and the offices of County Executive Sara Innamorato and U.S. Sen. John Fetterman.
There is a lot to be discussed, and everyone is welcome to join us this Friday at 10:15 am at the Portico of the City-County Building located at 414 Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh.
As always, if you have questions about this event or any state-related matter, please contact our office at 412-343-3870 or RepMiller@pahouse.net.
|
|
RCPA All-Member Webinar “Capitol Day Review and FAQ” to Be Held March 13
