';
State

Executive Order to Review State Licensure Board Requirements & Processes

In the November 11, 2017 Pennsylvania Bulletin, Governor Wolf issued an Executive Order (No. 2017-03) that directs the Commissioner of Professional and Occupational Affairs within the Department of State to conduct a review of the State Professional and Occupational Licensure board requirements and processes. This includes a comprehensive review of the processes, fees, training, and continuing education requirements and prepared report for each type of professional and occupational license. The report is to include: training requirements; licensing, registration, and renewal fees; continuing education requirements; and any other requirements described within the executive order. The report is to also include information regarding the number of other states which require a license for each professional or occupational license, the national and regional averages for training requirements, fees, and continuing education requirements.

The Commissioner has been given the authority to establish an advisory group to assist with the research, data collection, and formatting of the reports, and any other function the Commissioner deems necessary. The advisory group shall be composed of members chosen by the Commissioner from the professional Boards and Commissions, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA) staff, and any other persons the Commissioner deems necessary. The advisory group must be established within 30 days from the effective date of this executive order. Additional details regarding the report are provided in the bulletin.

The report is due to the Governor, the Secretary of Policy and Planning, and the Secretary of the Commonwealth no later than 180 days from the establishment of the advisory group or 210 days from the effective date of this executive order, whichever is sooner.

Some of the boards impacted by this executive order include: State Board of Physical Therapy, State Board of Speech–Language Pathology and Audiology, the State Board of Medicine, the State Board of Nursing, the State Board of Occupational Therapy, etc.

The executive order is effective immediately.

0 2819

From: DHS STAKEHOLDERS – On Behalf Of HS, Secretary’s Office
Sent: Monday, November 06, 2017 12:00 PM
Subject: [DHS-STAKEHOLDERS] Community HealthChoices Update

The Wolf Administration is committed to providing access to high-quality services to all Pennsylvanians and to serving more people in the community.

Community HealthChoices (CHC) is the commonwealth’s program for older Pennsylvanians and individuals with physical disabilities to use health plans to provide coordinated physical health care and long-term services and supports. The goals of CHC are to improve quality of services and the health care experience – serving more people in their communities rather than in facilities, giving them the opportunity to work, spend more time with their families, and experience an overall better quality of life.

CHC is being implemented in three phases. For Phase 1, notices have been mailed to participants in the 14 counties in the Southwest Zone to inform them that they will move to CHC on January 1, 2018. Participants are currently learning more about CHC through community meetings and the independent enrollment broker. Phase 1 is expected to include approximately 80,000 people.

CHC is about choice – choice in where a person wants to live and choice in who will provide the care needed to make that a reality. Even though the deadline for Phase 1 participants to select a managed care organization (MCO) is not until November 13, 2017, more than 21,500 people have already made an active choice by already selecting their health plan and their primary care provider.

Recognizing how critical these services are, we are focused on getting this right – the health care coverage for 420,000 Pennsylvanians depends on it.

We are confident that the southwest is ready for Phase 1, but in order to allow for the deliberate and purposeful implementation of CHC in the southeast region (Phase 2) and the remainder of the state (Phase 3) we need to have the flexibility of learning from that roll out with proper time to make any needed adjustments.

Given this, the commonwealth has decided to shift the implementation dates for the next two phases of CHC. The new start dates are as follows:

  • Phase 2 will now begin on January 1, 2019, instead of July 1, 2018
  • Phase 3 will now begin on January 1, 2020, instead of January 1, 2019

chc-rollout-map

These new dates will allow us to provide Pennsylvanians eligible for CHC with a health plan that will give them better access to health care. Our commitment to CHC is unwavering and we look forward to continuing to work with you in preparation for January 2018’s Phase 1 rollout.

Regards,
Teresa Miller
Department of Human Services, Acting Secretary

Teresa Osborne
Department of Aging, Secretary

As the implementation of Community HealthChoices (CHC) approaches the January 1, 2018 launch in the Southwest Region, the Department of Human Services (DHS) has developed informational materials for those individuals who will be covered by the new program. The documents, including notices and the pre-enrollment packet, are posted on the DHS website, where you will also find their most recent participant document, “CHC: Here’s What You Need to Know” (available for download in English and Spanish).

In addition, a document designed to clarify eligibility for CHC is available here. It includes the following information:

Individuals are NOT eligible for CHC if they are a person with an intellectual or developmental disability who is eligible for services through the Department of Human Services’ Office of Developmental Programs (ODP), OR are a resident in a state-operated nursing facility, including state veterans homes.

Please visit the CHC website or call the CHC Provider Hotline at 833-735-4417 with any questions.

0 5302

Pennsylvania Acting Secretary of Human Services Teresa Miller announced the following three staffing changes within the Department of Human Services (DHS):

  • Executive Deputy Secretary. Leesa Allen, currently DHS’ Deputy Secretary for Medical Assistance Programs, will be moving into the Executive Deputy Secretary position. Ms. Allen has more than 23 years of experience in the Commonwealth in positions ranging from children and youth case worker to Chief of Staff for the Office of Medical Assistance Programs (OMAP). She will continue to support OMAP until her replacement is found.
  • Chief of Staff. Johanna Fabian-Marks will serve as DHS Chief of Staff. Ms. Fabian-Marks is coming from the Pennsylvania Insurance Department where she serves as the Special Deputy and Director of Life, Accident, and Health Insurance Product Regulation. Prior to joining the Insurance Department, she worked on implementation of the Affordable Care Act at the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight at the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
  • Deputy Secretary, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS). Lynn Kovich will become the new OMHSAS Deputy Secretary on November 13. Ms. Kovich has 26 years of experience in direct services and administration in both the nonprofit and government sectors, working with individuals who have developmental disabilities, mental illness, and substance use disorders, as well as those experiencing homelessness.

RCPA congratulates each of these individuals and commits to working with them in a constructive manner to advance the best interests of our shared constituencies.

0 1873

Yesterday, the State Senate voted 43–7 to non-concur with the House GOP’s budget revenue plan. The vote to non-concur intensifies the three-month budget stalemate between parties. Now that the House plan was rejected, leaders will have to go back to the drawing board to see how to cobble together the necessary votes to pass a budget revenue bill. The House may decide to tinker with the Senate revenue package, contained in HB 452, which includes the following revenue:

  • $571 million in new or increased taxes (which include a severance and gross receipt tax on Marcellus Shale drillers);
  • $1.3 billion in borrowing against the Tobacco Settlement Fund;
  • $200 million from fund transfers; and
  • $200 million from gaming expansion.

Or the House may amend HB 453, which was what the Senate rejected last night. HB 453 contains more than $2.4 billion in funds which come mostly in the form of transfers from various state special funds that, according to the Republicans, who crafted the revenue package, have “inordinately high” account balances.

After non-concurring with the House revenue package, the Senate recessed to the call of the Senate President Pro Tem, which means, members will remain on a six-hour call, ready to return to the Capitol should there be a resolution to the budget situation on which the chamber could vote. The House will return to session on Monday, September 25 at 1:00 pm.

0 1957

By Chris Comisac
Bureau Chief
Capitolwire

HARRISBURG (Sept. 20) – As warned by many, credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s downgraded Pennsylvania’s bond rating.

“The downgrade largely reflects the commonwealth’s chronic structural imbalance dating back nearly a decade, a history of late budget adoption, and our opinion that this pattern could continue,” said S&P Global Ratings credit analyst Carol Spain on Wednesday about the decision to reduce Pennsylvania’s general obligation bond rating from AA- to A+. The downgrade increases the cost of borrowing by the Commonwealth, which in turns costs taxpayers more.

Spain added the downgrade – the sixth by the three major credit rating agencies since 2012 – reflects the weakening of Pennsylvania’s liquidity position, notably the delay or non-payment of scheduled expenditures for the first time in the Commonwealth’s history.

S&P noted state Treasurer Joe Torsella and Auditor General Eugene DePasquale cited the lack of near-term prospects of a balanced budget in their decision to refuse to authorize, as has been done in past years, lending to the state’s General Fund. Without a short-term loan from the Treasury, the state’s cash flow situation this month – revenues collected later in the month, but bills to pay earlier in the month – prompted the Commonwealth to delay paying $1.167 billion to Medicaid managed care organizations and a $581 million payment to cover the state’s share of public school employee pension obligations.

“We understand that the Commonwealth plans to make payments to both the Medicaid insurers and school districts within a week of the scheduled due dates; however, in the absence of additional liquidity, and with the likely need for external borrowing, these late payments could recur,” Spain said.

And while the ongoing budget mess, and the proposals offered by both the House and Senate, are major concerns for S&P, the agency had more of a problem “from a credit perspective” with the delayed payments.

“Deficit borrowing does not exemplify strong budget management practices, but, in our view, borrowing that restores the Commonwealth’s liquidity to a position in which it can make timely payments would be preferable from a credit perspective than an accumulation of unpaid bills,” explained Spain.

Wednesday’s downgrade of Pennsylvania’s credit rating appears to be a bit of a Rorschach test, with the reactions to the downgrade depending on the ideological and policy perspectives of the state officials reading the report.

“For months, I have warned that a credit downgrade was looming. I have said repeatedly for three years that we must responsibly fund the budget with recurring revenues. My budget proposal was balanced, cut more than $2 billion in expenditures and consolidated agencies, while also fixing the deficit,” said Gov. Tom Wolf in a statement Wednesday morning.

Senate Republican leaders, who like the governor have been urging a longer-range budgetary perspective, added in a combined statement: “The significance of this downgrade is something that we grasp and is part of why the Senate worked to finalize a responsible budget package in July. We agree with S&P’s concerns about the need for stability in our financial plans to address the ongoing structural deficit. We are concerned about the overall fiscal health of the Commonwealth. The perceptions of Pennsylvania and its finances are vital when attracting economic growth of small and large employers.”

Legislative Democrats were more pointed in their assessment of the situation, blaming House Republicans.

“The plan that House Republicans finally passed last week was a bad joke. It cuts vital services and doesn’t add up. It used almost every gimmick that the credit rating agencies specifically warned against. Costing Pennsylvania taxpayers millions of dollars in future costs is no joke, but that’s what House Republican obstruction has achieved,” said House Minority Leader Frank Dermody, D-Allegheny.

“Given the House Republicans’ inaction for months followed by the passage of an irresponsible plan, it is not surprising that Pennsylvania’s credit rating was downgraded. Their plan was revenue deficient and would fail to put Pennsylvania on solid financial footing,” added Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny. “After review of the House Republican plan – including the $630 million in fund transfers – S&P took decisive action to downgrade our credit rating.”

House Republicans seized on S&P’s concern regarding unpaid state bills.

“When those in charge of the checkbook – the same fiscal officers who approved the deficit spending last fiscal year – very publicly refuse to pay bills, even as bank accounts hold billions, of course our credit rating will take a hit,” the leadership of the House Republican Caucus stated in a press release.

“Pennsylvanians are paying taxes and it is very disappointing Commonwealth budget costs will increase thanks to a small group of unknown people at Standard & Poor’s who make decisions based on interviews with a governor and press releases from the state’s fiscal officers,” added the House GOP.

S&P, along with Moody’s and Fitch, are the three main credit rating agencies globally. They wield significant power in the United States, with the federal government requiring banks to use their ratings. Given that influence, the agencies, their ratings and their methods have also been faulted for a least a portion of the many financial crises in this nation and around the world during the past decade.

The House GOP noted S&P’s prior credit rating for the state was AA-, which S&P website indicates Pennsylvania had a “very strong capacity to meet financial obligations.” The new rating of A+ means the state has a “strong capacity to meet financial commitments, but somewhat susceptible to adverse economic conditions and changes in circumstances.”

 

Despite the various interpretations of the downgrade, state officials – to a person – said the downgrade should be a wake-up call to get serious about balancing this year’s state budget and addressing the Commonwealth’s chronic imbalance, dating back nearly a decade, between expenditures and revenues, which has been eroding the state’s ability to pay its bills without additional short-term borrowing of significant amounts of money.

In addition to lowering the rating for the state’s general obligation bonds, S&P lowered its departmental appropriation rating for Pennsylvania to A- from A, and their departmental and moral obligation rating to BBB+ from A-, with the outlook for all of the bond ratings as “stable” (compared to the prior “negative” outlook, which means a downgrade is more likely).

0 4429

The Department of Human Services has implemented the following staffing changes:


Johanna Fabian-Marks and Gwen Hauck are joining the secretary’s office. Both of these women have previously worked at the PA Insurance Department.

Policy Director Jen DeBell will be leaving DHS on September 15 to join PennAEYC (Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children). Caitlin Palmer will be re-joining DHS as the new policy director.

Patricia Allan has been named as acting executive director of CHIP.

Dr. Dale Adair, the Acting Deputy Secretary of OMHSAS, has left the Commonwealth to head to South Carolina and Ellen DiDomenico will serve as Acting Deputy Secretary until further notice.

RCPA looks forward to working with each of these individuals in their new roles, helping to serve Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable citizens.

0 1903

Yesterday, a group of state House Republicans held a press conference announcing they have found more than enough money to pay for both last year’s budget deficit and this year’s additional spending without raising any new taxes.

The more than $2.4 billion in funds would come mostly in the form of transfers from various state special funds that, according to the work group, have “inordinately high” account balances.

The state’s operating budget contains 218 such funds, most having both a balance for yearly operating expenses and a reserves balance (some also have investment fund balances as well), and the work group’s plan is to tap 41 of them. Of that total, the GOP legislators said 34 have been used in a similar fashion in the past, so precedent already exists for what they are proposing to do this budget year.

The transfers are as follows:

Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Fund

Proposed transfer: $27 million

Fund balance: $36.7 million

Fund purpose: Created in 1988, this fund was to be used for farmland preservation through the purchase of agricultural conservation easements.

 

Banking Fund

Proposed transfer: $25 million

Fund balance: $36.1 million

Fund purpose: It provides for the administration of the Department of Banking and Securities and regulation of the financial services industry and are to be used in the event of a seizure or liquidation of a financial institution, association or credit union.

 

Environmental Stewardship Fund

Proposed transfer: $72.7 million

Fund balance: $104.8 million

Fund purpose: This fund, which is fueled by money that comes in from landfill fees, is to provide for farmland preservation, open space protection, abandoned mine reclamation, watershed protection and restoration, water and sewer infrastructure, and improvement and conservation of state and community parks and recreational facilities.

 

Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund

Proposed transfer: $50 million

Fund balance: $80.4 million

Fund’s purpose: Created in 1987, this fund is to finance the cleanup and restoration of abandoned hazardous waste sites in the commonwealth.

 

Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund

Proposed transfer: $100 million

Fund balance: $147.6 million

Fund’s purpose: This is to provide for increased acquisitions, improvements, and expansions of state and community parks, recreation facilities, historic sites, zoos, public libraries, nature preserves and wildlife habitats.

 

Machinery and Equipment Loan Fund

Proposed transfer: $49 million

Fund balance: $59.5 million

Fund’s purpose: Created in 1988, this fund is to provide low-interest financing for machinery and equipment for Pennsylvania businesses to facilitate their growth, competitiveness, and value-added capacity.

 

Multimodal Transportation Fund

Proposed transfer: $120 million

Fund balance: $189.8 million

Fund’s purpose: Created in 2013, this is to provide for additional funding for passenger rail, rail freight, ports and waterways, aviation, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, roads and bridges and other modes of transportation.

 

911 Fund

Proposed transfer: $40 million

Fund balance: $74 million

Fund’s purpose: Created in 2015, this fund, fueled by a surcharge on cell phone bills, is to support a statewide integrated 911 plan.

 

PA Infrastructure Bank Fund

Proposed transfer: $30 million

Fund balance: $52.9 million

Fund’s purpose: Established in 1997, this fund is to make loans to or enter into leases with qualified borrowers to finance the costs of transportation projects and rail freight infrastructure.

 

Public Transportation Trust Fund

Proposed transfer: $357 million

Fund balance: $477.8 million

Fund’s purpose: Created in 2007, this is to provide dedicated funding for public transportation to cover public transit agencies’ operating costs, capital and asset improvements, and programs of statewide significance.

 

Racing Fund

Proposed transfer: $27 million

Fund balance: $36.2 million

Fund’s purpose: This fund is to be used for the regulation of horse and harness racing.

 

Recycling Fund

Proposed transfer: $75 million

Fund balance: $89.5 million

Fund’s purpose: Created in 1988, this fund, fueled by a fee on waste disposed at landfills or recycling centers, is for recycling and planning grants, market and waste minimization studies, and public information and education activities.

 

Small Business First Fund

Proposed transfer: $25 million

Fund balance: $27.5 million

Fund’s purpose: This provides low-interest loans for small businesses of 100 employees or less for such projects as land and building acquisition and construction, machinery and equipment purchases, working capital, compliance with environmental regulations and municipal or commercial recycling.

 

Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Fund

Proposed transfer: $100 million

Fund balance: $224.7 million*

Fund’s purpose: Created in 1989, this fund is to provide claim payments to owners and operators of underground storage tanks who incur liability for taking corrective action or bodily injury or property damage caused by a release from underground storage tanks.

*Rep. Dan Moul said this was the year-end balance on June 30, 2017.

 

Volunteer Companies Loan Fund

Proposed transfer: $25 million

Fund balance: $49.3 million

Fund’s purpose: This fund provides loans for acquisition and replacement of volunteer fire, ambulance, and rescue company equipment and facilities.

 

Pennsylvania Professional Liability Joint Underwriting Association

The plan proposes to take $200 million from this fund that was created by state law to offer medical malpractice insurance of last resort for doctors and medical facilities.

 

Budgetary reserve

The plan proposes to eliminate $189.4 million that was included in the enacted 2017/18 state budget that was put in reserve by Gov. Tom Wolf to ease the state’s cash flow problem while waiting on a completed revenue package.

 

Among the items that would be impacted by cutting out this funding altogether are the $5 million for Capitol Complex fire protection that is paid to the City of Harrisburg; $4 million for the mobile science van program; and more than $1.1 million for mental health services, along with 65 other budget lines that would get trimmed.

 

Unspent money from past years

The plan includes using $400 million in money that was appropriated in past years but went unspent.

 

Managed Care Organization Assessment Increase

The plan proposes to use the increase in the annual monetary assessment on managed care organizations that went into effect on July 1 to generate $100 million to help fully fund the state budget.

 

Redirecting tax dollars to general fund from restricted accounts

The plan calls for diverting $100 million of tax money that is carved out for special funds and redirect to help bring the state’s general fund into balance.

 

VW Settlement

The plan calls for using the $30.4 million that Pennsylvania received from a settlement of a multi-state lawsuit against Volkswagen over the company’s diesel emissions-cheating scandal.

 

Tapping the PA Liquor Control Board for more money

The plan also would require an additional $25 million transfer from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board from wine and spirit sales, for a total of $210 million.

 

Imposing a sales tax on online marketplace

The plan proposes to recover more state sales tax from online purchases to generate $31.7 million. The Senate-passed tax and borrowing plan to balance the budget also included this as a revenue generator.

 

Cutting tax credits

The plan calls for cutting in half funding available for most state tax credit programs but leaves the popular Educational Improvement and Opportunity Scholarship tax credit programs untouched. This is expected to free up $28.3 million.

 

The PA House is scheduled to reconvene next Monday, September 11, and during the session week the House as a whole will determine whether there’s enough support within their own caucus to pass the work group’s proposal. House Democrats and the Governor’s office do not support the work group’s plan.

 

As more information becomes available, RCPA will keep members informed. In the meantime, if you have questions, please contact Jack Phillips, RCPA Director, Government Affairs.

 

*Information contained in this info sourced from a Pennlive.com article – Here’s a breakdown of ‘taxpayers’ budget’ and how it avoids a major tax increase or borrowing money, posted on September 05, 2017, at 06:20 pm | Updated September 06, 2017 at 06:18 am and a Capitolwire news story written by Capitolwire Staff Writers Robert Swift and Carley Mossbrook.