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DHS

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) announced that they will be offering a webinar on the topic of the PA Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Savings Program. The webinar is scheduled for June 8, 2023, from 10:00 am – 11:00 am and will be presented by a representative of the PA Treasury Department.

A PA ABLE account gives individuals with qualifying disabilities (eligible individuals) and their families and friends a tax-free way to save for disability-related expenses while maintaining government benefits. Federal and state law authorized the creation of PA ABLE accounts.

OLTL Service Coordinators, Direct Service Providers, Community HealthChoices (CHC) managed care organization (MCO) staff, and any individuals that work on employment are strongly encouraged to participate in this webinar to assist with understanding the PA ABLE Program and how it can benefit OLTL participants.

Please register here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Questions about this webinar should be directed to Ryan Dorsey, OLTL.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

The Department of Health has updated “Recommendations Regarding the Monovalent and Bivalent mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines.” A summary of these updates include:

  • The FDA announced on April 18, 2023, that it had rescinded the authorization for the monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech and monovalent Moderna COVID-19 vaccines and that the bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech and bivalent Moderna vaccines are now authorized for all doses for individuals 6 months and older.
  • The FDA authorization for the Novavax vaccine is unchanged.
  • The definition of up-to-date for COVID-19 vaccination was simplified, and now all individuals 6 years and older who have received a single dose of a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of past history of receiving monovalent COVID-19 vaccine, are considered up-to-date.
  • Children 6 months through 4 years of age who are unvaccinated may receive a 2-dose series of the Moderna bivalent or a 3-dose series of the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine.
  • Children who are 5 years old and are unvaccinated may receive 2 doses of the Moderna bivalent vaccine or 1 dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine.
  • Children 6 months to 5 years of age who received one, two, or three doses of monovalent COVID-19 vaccine may receive bivalent vaccine, but the number of doses that they receive will depend upon the vaccine given and their vaccination history.
  • Individuals 65 and older and those with certain immunocompromising conditions may choose to receive an additional dose of the bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech or bivalent Moderna vaccine.
  • If you have any questions, please call PA DOH at 877-PA-HEALTH (877-724-3258) or your local health department.

You can view the entire health advisory here.