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Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities

It’s always worth celebrating when someone is placed in the right job, but the depth of the employer relationship doesn’t need to stop there! True engagement with business partners can take advocacy and experience and turn it into real social change. Learn how to find mutual mission matches with businesses in your community and how it can lead to deeper levels of support for you and for their businesses as well.

RCPA Members are reminded that they are invited to attend this FREE webinar Thursday, June 24, 2021 from 2:00 pm–3:30 pm. Register here.

Presented by Jeannine Pavlak, CEO of New England Business Associates

As a part of the NEON project, RCPA is offering this webinar presented by Jeannine Pavlak. Pavlak is the President and CEO of New England Business Associates (NEBA), a community provider known nationally and internationally for its work in the supported and community-integrated employment field. She holds a Master of Science degree in Nonprofit Management and has 32 years of practical experience in designing, planning, evaluating, and delivering individualized employment services for people with significant disabilities. Pavlak is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) with the NEON Project through the Office of Disability Employment Policy.

Image by Dirk Wouters from Pixabay

From ANCOR:

The CDC and CMS have asked ANCOR to provide input on infection control practices and needs within the ICF program. The specific first round of questions for input relates to vaccination and are outlined below. ANCOR is offering two options to collect input from ICF Providers:

1. Complete linked survey (responses requested by Monday, June 21 at noon)
Feedback to CDC on ICF/IID Infection Control Practices and Needs

2. Workgroup session scheduled for Thursday, June 17 at 2:00 pm ET.
Join Session: us02web.zoom.us/j/84238000555
Meeting ID: 842 3800 0555
Dial  +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

CDC Questions for ICF/IID Stakeholder Engagement:

  • How do individual ICF/IIDs currently track vaccinations for clients? What about Staff?
  • To what extent are ICFs/IIDs required to report vaccination data for clients and/or Staff to local or state surveillance systems?
  • To what extent would ICFs/IIDs be able to report vaccination data for clients and/or Staff to designated surveillance systems?
  • What kinds of challenges will/are ICFs/IIDs face(ing) as they seek to implement the new COVID-19 vaccination offering and education requirements from the Interim Final Rule “Medicare and Medicaid Programs; COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Long-Term Care (LTC) Facilities and Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICFs-IID) Residents, Clients, and Staff.”?
  • What kinds of guidance, education, training, tools or assistance will/do ICFs and IIDs need to implement the new COVID-19 vaccination offering and education requirements?

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Catherine Thibedeau
Orono, ME
(207) 866-3769 (103)
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Message from the Department of Human Services:

As you may know, the American Rescue Plan of 2021 (ARP) provides a temporary 10% 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 beyond what is available under the Medicaid program as of April 1, 2021.

On Monday, June 14, the Department of Human Services (DHS) submitted a preliminary spending plan to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that serves as a foundation for Pennsylvania’s planning efforts by outlining our principles and overarching priorities. The preliminary plan encompasses many of the stakeholder recommendations that have been made to date. The overarching priorities include:

  1. Increasing access to HCBS;
  2. Enhancing HCBS provider payment rates and benefits;
  3. Protecting the health and well-being of direct care workers and direct support professionals through the provision of supplies and equipment;
  4. Recruitment and retention efforts to support the workforce;
  5. Supporting caregivers;
  6. Assistive technology and other supports to improve functional capabilities of persons with disabilities;
  7. Supporting the transition of individuals to community-based living arrangements;
  8. Investing in activities to address Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder treatment and recovery needs of Medicaid beneficiaries; and
  9. Building HCBS capacity and rebalancing Long-term Services and Supports.

With these priorities in mind, we hope to hear more from stakeholders about Pennsylvania’s efforts as we continue to flesh out the details of our plan to strengthen, enhance, and expand HCBS. Comments must be submitted by close of business on July 6.

Please visit the public comment overview as well as Pennsylvania’s preliminary spending plan for further information. Your comments can be submitted via email. Additionally, a live virtual public comment session will take place on Wednesday, June 30 at 10 am for those who are unable or prefer not to submit written feedback. More information about how to RSVP for this session will be available soon.

ODP Announcement 21-046 is intended to instruct providers on how to proceed when a claim denial is received for Error Status Codes (ESC) 545 and 512. The short descriptions for these ESCs are “Claim Past Filing Limit” and “Claim Past 365 Day Filing Limit.” Providers should utilize the Bureau of Financial Management and Program Support 180-Day Timely Filing Exception/Special Handling Request Form when requesting payment for these claims. Please note: the release of this communication will obsolete Informational Memo 037-17.

Additionally, Medical Assistance (MA) Regulation 55 Pa. Code § 1101.68(b)(1) established criteria for submitting invoices for services rendered to MA recipients. Please view the regulation here.

ODP Announcement 20-056 Update is to release the Office of Developmental Programs’ (ODP) revised Individual Transition Guide. The Guide has been renamed the Supports Coordinator (SC) Guide for Community Reintegration (the Guide).

As communities begin to reopen on a larger scale, people will have different levels of readiness to return to pre-pandemic activities. This guide is designed for SCs supporting individuals, their families, staff, and other involved parties to facilitate conversations to identify supports and services to assist in a successful reentry into the community.

On June 11, 2021, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a document titled “Provider Relief Fund General and Targeted Distribution: Post-Payment Notice of Reporting Requirements” to notify Provider Relief Fund (PRF) recipients of the data elements and deadlines that constitute the post payment reporting process. The June 11 PRF requirements establish:

  1. the deadlines by which recipients are required to use or return funds, and
  2. the deadlines by which recipients must submit a report on use of funds.

The previous PRF guidance, titled “General and Targeted Distribution: Post-Payment Notice of Reporting Requirements,” was released on January 15, 2021 and is superseded by the June 11 guidance. Principle differences between the guidance are:

  1. Updated Reporting Times
  2. Updated Payment Use Periods
  3. Reporting Requirement Changes

Please see the document provided to us by ANCOR for the information.