CP State News
Have a Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃
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Care Manager and Provider Information Session on Dec. 2
Registration is now available in SLMS for the December 2, 2020 noon-1:30 information session on Service Options for Children: Overview of the Early Intervention Program; the Department of Health (DOH) Children’s Waiver; & the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) Comprehensive Waiver, click here to enroll.
You will be prompted to sign in to SLMS. The session registration is also available in SLMS under class code OPWDD-Provider-CCO-InfoSession.
This Information Session will provide Care Managers with information on the Early Intervention Program, Department of Health (DOH) Children’ Waiver compared to the OPWDD Comprehensive Waiver, and the Transfer Process between the waivers. If you have any issues with registration or logging in on the day of the session, please contact Talent and Development by email at talentdevelopment@opwdd.ny.gov or by phone at 518-473-1190.
The PowerPoint materials will be available through SLMS the day of the session and a recording will be available to view in SLMS after.
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OPWDD updated Interim Guidance on Home Visits
OPWDD recently released updated Requirements for Participating in Home Visits, adding and amending the following criteria for travel and gathering capacity (revisions underlined):
- There shall be no travel to any state that is non-contiguous to NY (any state besides VT, CT, NJ, MA or PA) for more than a 24 hour period unless, upon return to NYS, the individual complies with any quarantine and/or testing protocols currently required by the NYS COVID-19 Travel Advisory prior to returning to their certified residence; and
- Staff should remind families to ensure that individuals are washing and/or sanitizing hands throughout the day, implementing social distancing whenever possible, meeting current local requirements regarding indoor/outdoor gathering capacity limitations, and wearing face coverings whenever social distancing cannot be maintained in public.
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Google’s Project Euphonia helps individuals with impaired speech use voice-activated tech
On today’s Affiliate Update call, Susan mentioned CP Unlimited's involvement in Google’s Project Euphonia, designed to improve how speech recognition systems recognize impaired speech. The project is designed to refine the speech recognition algorithms that drive devices like Google Home, Alexa, and other voice-activated technologies by introducing atypical speech patterns from individuals with disabilities.
Click here for more information. Clicking on the “Record phrases” button in the upper righthand corner will bring you to the application an individual would need to fill out before participating in the project.
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HCBS Waiver Application and Documentation of Choices Form Memorandum Issued November 18, 2020
Please see the below Memorandum implementing changes to Application for Participation in the OPWDD Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Waiver and Documentation of Choices Form.
Please begin using the combined form for all new HCBS Waiver applicants effective immediately.
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Crain's Health Pulse:
80% of disability care providers say cuts will result in their closure, reduced services: survey
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The New York Disability Advocates—a statewide coalition of seven nonprofit provider associations whose members serve more than 140,000 New Yorkers with disabilities—last week released the results of a survey finding that 80% of responding health care providers for the intellectual and developmental disability community say incoming budget cuts will result in their closure or a reduction in services.
The coalition surveyed a sample of agencies representing over 38% of the residential support system in the state.
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ABC News 7:
3 men with severe autism face potential relocation from longtime home on Long Island
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From the 'Do as we say, not as we do' file:
Family members of three men with autism who have resided for years at a state-run home on Long Island are worried the home may be closed after they received a letter stating as such....
In July, family members received a letter from the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) informing them that "this location is unable to recruit and maintain staff and presently relies on high overtime to ensure appropriate health and safety of the individuals. The agency recognizes that we must provide a more sustainable solution and therefore offer the individuals residential opportunities suitable to meet their needs at other available locations."
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Albany Times Union:
Disability service providers warn of cuts without restored state funding
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A report released Thursday found that 80 percent of healthcare providers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities fear future state budget cuts will force them to eliminate services.
The New York Disability Advocates surveyed providers from across the state — collectively representing over 38 percent of the residential support system in New York — who fear additional reductions in state funding will “result in the closure or reduction of existing services and support.”
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CP State featured as Litmos Customer Story
Our partners SAP Litmos recently featured CP State's use of the online learning platform to provide efficient and thorough training for Affiliate staff.
We provide top-level professional development courses within our online learning library!
For more information contact:
Tim Ferguson
Director of Online Learning
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HHS offering $300k in prizes for ideas to transform DSP workforce
The Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is announcing a competition to strengthen the Direct Support Professional (DSP) workforce and overall stability of home and community based services (HCBS) for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD). To achieve this, the Blazing New Trails for Community Based Direct Support Professionals challenge seeks to engage the marketplace to innovate, pilot, and expand innovations that will transform the DSP workforce.
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NYC Ballet offering holiday workshops geared toward children with I/DD
Our partners at the New York City Ballet are again offering workshops for children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Each Saturday from December 5-19, Journey to the Land of the Sweets in these 45-minute movement workshops exploring the music, movement, and themes of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. Each workshop will be led by a NYCB dancer and will include a warm-up and choreography inspired by this treasured holiday classic.
Movement options will be offered throughout, and young movers of all abilities and their siblings are welcome.
Workshop livestreams are free of charge, but advance registration is required. For $15 per workshop, users get access to the workshop recording until January 4, 2021, a Nutcracker coloring page, and Nutcracker activity page
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Public comment period for OPWDD Comprehensive HCBS Waiver Amendment open until December 18
OPWDD has opened public comment on the draft Comprehensive Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waiver Amendment that they are seeking to make effective April 1, 2021.
The HCBS Waiver is the Medicaid program that provides opportunities for over 88,000 adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities to receive services in their own home or community. Click here to read the full text of the waiver.
Written comments will be accepted from November 10, 2020 through December 18, 2020 and may be submitted by mail to: OPWDD, Division of Policy and Program Development, 44 Holland Ave., Albany, NY 12229 or by e-mail to: peoplefirstwaiver@opwdd.ny.gov.
For more information, including a summary and previous versions of the waiver, click here.
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