As part of RCPA’s commitment to keeping you informed of critical legislative in Harrisburg, we are sharing a voluntary opportunity for your organization to weigh in on House Bill 1939, which is currently introduced in the PA General Assembly.
Background of the Legislation
H.B. 1939 proposes to amend the Human Services Code by establishing a market index rate adjustment process for ID/A services. The primary intent of the legislation is to tie fee schedule rates to an inflationary index to establish regular rate adjustments and stabilize the DSP workforce.
RCPA’s Position
RCPA remains committed to finding sustainable solutions for the ongoing workforce crisis and improving provider reimbursement rates. However, regarding the specific mechanism proposed in H.B. 1939, RCPA is maintaining a neutral position.
While we recognize the goals of the legislation, RCPA continues to hold strong concerns regarding the specific language contained within the bill. Outstanding questions remain regarding how certain statutory provisions (i.e. pending appropriations), lower-bound wage mandates, and reporting requirements could operationally and financially impact diverse provider organizations.
Guidance for Providers
Because this legislation contains complex regulatory mechanisms that may affect individual provider organizations differently, RCPA strongly encourages all providers to read the bill in its entirety to fully evaluate its scope and potential impacts. The full text of the bill can be found
here.
Please note the following:
RCPA will not be issuing an official association-wide endorsement for or against the current text of H.B. 1939.
Deciding whether to support, seek amendments to, or oppose this legislation is entirely at the discretion of each member organization. Any outreach or advocacy to lawmakers regarding this bill is completely voluntary.
If your organization chooses to support H.B. 1939 in its current form, you can share your support via this
Community Stakeholder Sign-On Letter Supporting House Bill 1939.
If your organization opposes the bill’s language or would seek to recommend amendments to the language, you do not need to respond to the linked letter above but are encouraged to continue to share your feedback with
Tim Sohosky.
RCPA will continue to monitor this legislation as it moves through the legislative process and will provide updates as they become available.
