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Physical Disabilities & Aging

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra has again issued the renewal of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) due to the continued consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The renewal became effective on October 18, 2021 and will extend the PHE into early 2022. This PHE status enables the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to keep all applicable waivers in place.

As vaccinations and/or testing of employees becomes more of a requirement for many of our members, there will also be a need to develop policies for the implementation of these requirements. Philadelphia providers have already been forced to deal with this situation, and others are preparing, or have already decided to implement, mandatory vaccine protocols for their employees.

We are trying to gather as much information as possible to help all of our members handle this new demand, including determining what testing will be acceptable to meet the mandate in lieu of vaccinations, who the mandates will apply to, and what are acceptable reasons for exemption from a vaccination mandate.

RCPA is requesting that those who have developed polices and who are willing to share those policies send them to RCPA HR Committee staff so that others may learn from your experiences. We will make these available to other members only and will share them in whatever format you choose to send them (with or without your agency name).

Thank you in advance to any members who are willing to share your policies.

RCPA will close the workforce survey at close of business today, Monday, October 18, 2021. The survey, which is open to all Human Service Providers in Pennsylvania, covers workforce issues for a diverse range of programs, including Mental Health, IDD/Autism, Brain Injury, Drug & Alcohol, and Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRF). The survey responses seek to gather data related to hiring, retention, vacancy rates, pay structures, vaccinations, and COVID-19 impacts on programs as well as access to care associated with the pandemic.

We thank you for your time in completing this survey. We will begin the survey analysis of the survey outcomes and will complete a report for distribution to our General Assembly, state stakeholders, members and participants.

Please complete the survey here. If you have any questions, please contact RCPA Director of Children’s Services Jim Sharp.

PENNSYLVANIA DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES COUNCIL (PADDC) REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS

We are pleased to announce that the first Request for Application (RFA) book for 2022–2026 State Plan is now available for you to download, which includes 13 separate grant opportunities. The deadline to submit applications for these grants is December 1, 2021. Visit here to read more and download the RFA book and other application resources.

In addition, PADDC is offering funding on a rolling basis through our Community Grants Program. Get more information about the Community Grants Program here.

The PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) will hold a 30-day public comment period (October 1, 2021–October 30, 2021) on the draft 2-year modification of the 2020–2024 VR Services Portion of the Combined State Plan. All comments should be sent here.

In addition, virtual public meetings will be held on October 19, 2021, from 1:00 pm–3:00 pm, and October 21, 2021, from 10:00 am–12:00 pm. The meetings will be held via Zoom. Meeting details, including information for CART and sign language interpreting, and a copy of the draft plan will be posted on OVR’s website.

Paid for with Pennsylvania taxpayer dollars.

View The Draft Plan