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Tags Posts tagged with "letter"

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The PA Provider Advocacy Coalition, an organization that constitutes a variety of PA providers and advocates across all fields, recently sent a letter to the Shapiro Administration regarding the FY 2024/25 budget. RCPA signed onto the letter, which calls for rate adjustments and investments in Medicaid services in order to address the current workforce crisis. The Coalition states in the letter:

We recognize that addressing these workforce challenges will require a sustained, coordinated, multi-faceted public and private sector response. Earlier this year, our coalition met with representatives of your administration to recommend the creation of a Health Care Workforce Council to help lead this multiyear effort. However, there is one aspect of this overall problem that is relatively straightforward—chronic underpayment by the Medical Assistance program.

RCPA will continue to keep our members informed of updates. If you have any questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director.

RCPA recently joined over a dozen PA associations in delivering a joint letter to the Shapiro Administration requesting investments be made in behavioral health services for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024/25 budget. As noted in the letter, which was compiled by the PA Provider Advocacy Coalition:

The mental health system all too often is unable to deliver the right care, at the right time and in the right setting. We recognize that there is no simple fix and that a sustained, multiyear effort by all stakeholders—the commonwealth, counties, providers, insurers, and advocates—is necessary to rebuild and create a mental health system for the 21st century.

RCPA will continue to keep our members informed of updates. If you have any questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director.

Several provider associations sent a joint letter to the Deputy Secretary in April 2023, sharing concerns that members have expressed regarding the Supports Intensity Scale (SIS) reassessments, needs groups, needs levels, and the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) processes associated with changes to the above items and resulting rate changes. ODP shared that they would be engaging with AAIDD to perform a fidelity audit at the time.

We received a response from the Deputy Secretary that summarizes the findings of the audit and outlines actions that ODP plans to take in response. View the response here.

The sustained funding of community-based mental health services, such as community residential programs, family-based support, outpatient care, and crisis intervention, are critical to the wellbeing of our constituents and our communities. Funding levels for county mental health services have direct impacts on whether these important community and family supports will be available. Yet for too many years, state funding for mental health services has lagged far behind its needs. Counties find themselves advocating for the prevention of funds being cut instead of achieving the increases that are needed to catch up from years of underfunding.

This week’s letter, sent on behalf of the Coalition for the Mental Health Safety Net, stands as an open call to the PA General Assembly and stakeholders. For Pennsylvanians with a mental illness, the impact of the county funding shortfalls is already evident. The effects include: shortages of key mental health professionals; chronic underpayment of mental health providers; reductions/closures in mental health residential programs and supportive services, including employment and psychiatric rehabilitation services; uneven crisis response services; outpatient program closures; and the continuing criminalization of mental illness. Across the Commonwealth, there is no consistent level of mental health services available, and access to critical services largely depends on which county a patient lives in.

The Coalition is open to all new partners who wish to join our mission of advocacy for this 2023/24 initiative, as the time to act and engage with your representative is now. The Coalition will also be developing an advocacy toolkit for members to come together to sustain the safety net and serve those who need it most. The reality is that the demand for service far outweighs capacity and rate structures to serve this population.

If you have additional questions or would like to join the Mental Health Safety Net Coalition, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.

Statewide associations have been united in advocating for an increase of $430 million in state funds to the home and community-based waiver rates to offset the impact of actual inflation not included in these rates. This was in addition to the budget proposed by the Governor in March of this year. This $430 million in state funding would be matched by an additional $470 million in federal funding to the State.

HB 611 decreased the Governor’s proposal from March by $170 million for the Community Waiver line item, a decrease that represents the growing loss of services within our system. This decrease was a result of underutilization due to the lack of staffing, as individuals struggled to find providers available to support them in their communities.

The ID/A associations joined together to send a message to the General Assembly in a letter expressing our concerns for the viability of ID/A services in PA. Please share this letter with your legislators to ensure adequate funding for ID/A services.

The sustained funding of community-based mental health services, such as community residential programs, family-based support, outpatient care, and crisis intervention, are critical to the wellbeing of our constituents and our communities. Funding levels for county mental health services have direct impacts on whether these important community and family supports will be available. Yet for too many years, state funding for mental health services has lagged far behind its needs. Counties find themselves advocating for the prevention of funds being cut instead of achieving the increases that are needed to catch up from years of underfunding.

This week’s letter, sent on behalf of the Coalition for the Mental Health Safety Net, stands as an open call to the PA General Assembly and stakeholders. For Pennsylvanians with a mental illness, the impact of the county funding shortfalls is already evident. The effects include: shortages of key mental health professionals; chronic underpayment of mental health providers; reductions/closures in mental health residential programs and supportive services, including employment and psychiatric rehabilitation services; uneven crisis response services; outpatient program closures; and the continuing criminalization of mental illness. Across the Commonwealth, there is no consistent level of mental health services available, and access to critical services largely depends on which county a patient lives in.

The Coalition is open to all new partners who wish to join our mission of advocacy for this 2023/24 initiative, as the time to act and engage with your representative is now. The Coalition will also be developing an advocacy toolkit for members to come together to sustain the safety net and serve those who need it most. The reality is that the demand for service far outweighs capacity and rate structures to serve this population.

If you have additional questions or would like to join the Mental Health Safety Net Coalition, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.