As you may know, on December 1, the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of individuals who have autism, brain injury, and other disabilities and who receive services funded through the OBRA Waiver.  The press release is also attached.

 If you have questions or concerns about the Community Integration service, please contact Kelly Darr, DRN Legal Director, at kdarr@drnpa.org.

 Thanks,

 Chava Kintisch, Staff Attorney
Assistive Technology Project Director
Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania

121311 Community Integration Notice
120111 Press Release Leonard Complaint

The report states that changes are needed so that spending is controlled, efficiency is embraced and services reflect the population’s unwavering sentiment of wanting to remain at home.

“This 60-page report explains how the Medicaid program has evolved since its inception in 1965 and how our philosophy of consumer choice and control has changed; yet Medicaid regulations have not,” explained PHA Executive Director Vicki Hoak.

To read the full report, click here.

The House of Representatives passed a budget proposal last week that is of concern to Home and Community Based Services Providers due to both cuts and program consolidation. This budget proposal now heads to the Senate which will likely take up the measure when they return to session after the Memorial Day weeklong recess. Members of the PCA Board and staff continue to work with key legislators and decision makers, but advocacy from you and your networks would be beneficial.

Thus, please take time to contact your local legislators (especially Senators this week when they are in their district offices), as well as members of the Senate Appropriations and Aging Committees listed immediately below (names link to their contact info) asking to restore funding to the Governor’s budget for Home and Community Based Services.

APPROPRIATIONS

Officers
Corman, Jake , Chair
Tomlinson, Robert M., Vice Chair
Hughes, Vincent J. , Minority Chair
Ferlo, Jim, Minority Vice Chair
Pileggi, Dominic, ex-officio
Costa, Jay, ex-officio
Scarnati, Joseph B., III, ex-officio

Majority
Argall, David G.
Baker, Lisa
Brubaker, Mike
Gordner, John R.
Greenleaf, Stewart J.
Mensch, Bob
Pippy, John
Rafferty, John C., Jr.
Smucker, Lloyd K.
Vance, Patricia H.
Waugh, Michael L.
White, Mary Jo

Minority
Blake, John P.
Boscola, Lisa M.
Farnese, Jr., Lawrence M.
Fontana, Wayne D.
Tartaglione, Christine M.
Wozniak, John N.
Yudichak, John T.

AGING & YOUTH

Officers
Ward, Kim L. , Chair
Orie, Jane Clare, Vice Chair
Washington, LeAnna M. , Minority Chair
Scarnati, Joseph B., III, ex-officio

Majority
Alloway, Richard L., II
Argall, David G.
Baker, Lisa
Vogel, Elder A., Jr.

Minority
Schwank, Judith L.
Stack, Michael J.
Yudichak, John T.

If you didn’t have an opportunity to see Jenn, please click here…

Harrisburg, PA
May 4, 2011
Contact: William Kepner, United Disabilities Services (UDS), 717.397.1841

Concerned Pennsylvania seniors and people with disabilities, community service providers and disability advocates held a press conference today at 3:00 in the Capitol Rotunda. The speakers described the impact of recent and proposed Office of Long Term Living payment policy changes on services to individuals who daily rely on home care workers to assist them with essential personal care. Speakers stated that the changes are likely to result in many disability services providers being financially unable to continue to provide one or more of the services in the near future, and that these payment policy issues are not related to the sufficiency of the current or proposed state appropriations that fund these programs.

Provider representatives described the actions they may need to take in the next 60 days, including issuing staff lay-off notices and not accepting new consumers into the program. Individuals with disabilities using personal assistance services and disability advocates shared their concerns about disruptions in service or service provider, and presented petitions urging policy makers to take immediate action to prevent disastrous human and financial consequences.

The services affected by the payment policy changes include personal assistance services for both the consumer-directed and agency models, financial management services that assist individuals to employ and pay their workers, and service coordination. The affected programs are Attendant Care and the OBRA, Independence, Aging and COMMCARE waivers. As of 6/30/10, these programs served about 33,000 adults. For many months stakeholders have been urging the Office of Long Term Living to develop and implement these necessary and long-overdue rate changes simultaneously. The presenters believe that providers, consumers, and the Office of Long Term Living can work together to get the Right Rates First, which will stabilize the system, remove uncertainty, and establish long term sustainability for essential services to people with disabilities and seniors.

Stakeholders called on the Corbett Administration to implement policies so that critical services are not interrupted while new payment rates are developed and implemented.  They maintained that it is only through a healthy and stable community service system that the goals of rebalancing long term care, expanding consumer choice, and promoting independent living can be accomplished.  Speakers included policy-makers, providers, and consumers of personal care services from across the state who described the need for payment policies that ensure the ongoing sustainability of the home and community services system in Pennsylvania.

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A Message from the President
Tina Seidel

PA PCA continues to be a viable and recognized association; teamwork, partnership and transparency are entwined within our membership which has made us very successful.

This year proved to be another challenging year due to an exorbitant number of issues the membership needed to expend their expertise and time on, including, but not limited to the following;

• Office of Long Term Living and PA Department of Aging Waiver Policy Changes directly impacting Consumers and Providers
• F/EA Certification
• Case Management Certification
• FMS Rates and CM Rates

As we complete our second year together as an official association, we look towards future accomplishments and challenges we may encounter together with a new administration and another year of strong collective advocacy for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) in what is projected to be the most challenging budget year we will have to face thus far.

Together, we will need to move forward to continuously advocate for HCBS to individual members of the legislature, but grass roots activity from all segments of our membership is needed to ensure adequate funding is adopted in next years’ budget.

There were a host of challenges (Cost Reporting, Fee For Service Definition, SAS90, Transfer Standards, Fraud and Abuse, OHCDS and National presentations to name a few) that took an extraordinary amount of time on the part of members whose collective effort, expertise and skills were crucial to PA PCA position papers.

Appreciation and Recognition go to PA PCA members who exerted an enormous amount of time on behalf of PA PCA in 2010; Debbie Bacon, Kim Bitner, Linda Bradley, Gary Brandt, Greg Coleman, Joan Hardaway, Beth Hennigan, Tracy Hunt, Roxanne Huss, Cindy Landis, Helen Logan, Greg Manz, Joan Martin, Kris Pate, Marty Puschak, Dot Robinson, Lou Anne Rudy, Margaret Rybinski, Duane Seidel, Marybeth Tearpock, Kim Winhauer, Nadine Yanarella and Debbie Zielinski.

I want to acknowledge the Board and Committee Chairs; William Kepner and Carl Berry, of the Executive Committee; and Donna Boyer, Regina Stewart, Lily Altman, and Mary Lou Knabel; for all of their dedication and commitment throughout this past year.

Our association continues to expect the unexpected, and is prepared to make adjustments should the need arise — as it almost always does. We’ll focus on our hopes for a bright future for Consumers, Quality Consumer Fiscal Management Services and Home and Community Based Services -and for us. Then we’ll continue to go out and do everything we can to make that future happen.