IARF BOARD OF DIRECTORS ANNOUNCES DUES RESTRUCTURING
On Wednesday, the IARF Board of Directors sent a formal communication to members announcing the restructuring of Full Member/provider dues for calendar year 2022 and beyond. As included in the letter, the Board unanimously approved dues restructuring on October 13th, which will result in reduced dues for provider agencies with budgets of approximately $9 million or less. This action is part of the Board’s long-term goals of growing the organization to represent the diverse geography and service array in our state, as well as diversifying the Association’s revenues.
IARF’s 2022 renewal and recruitment cycle will begin on November 1st. If you have questions and/or are interested in learning more about membership, please contact Maggie Henley, Director of Member Services. (Contact: Maggie Henley)
STATE ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL $65 MILLION INVESTMENT INTO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE
On Thursday afternoon, ahead of Friday’s Senate Behavioral Health Committee hearing on the Behavioral Health Workforce Shortage (see below), DHS Secretary Grace Hou and HFS Director Theresa Eagleson released a joint statement to behavioral health providers announcing further investment into the behavioral health infrastructure in Illinois. At the direction of Governor Pritzker, DHS and HFS will be investing an additional $65 million in the “near term” to behavioral health providers across the state. According to the letter, these investments will include:
- $13M for FY’22 MH Medicaid Provider Sustainability Payments from ARPA Recovery Funds
- $27.4M for FY’22 SUPR Sustainability Payments from State and Federal Sources
- $25M for Expansion of Services in Underserved Areas and Underutilized Services from ARPA Home and Community Based Services Enhanced Match
In addition to these new investments, the letter also indicates that the two departments are continuing to explore “together how additional funding and/or rate increases could be leveraged for behavioral health providers, whether through ARPA funding or reinvestment of MCO quality withhold dollars.”
In an additional correspondence from DMH Director Dr. David Albert Thursday evening, the Division outlined a further breakdown of additional funds that will be available to, and used for, community mental health providers. This includes direct financial support for providers ($13 million in retention payments), as well as support for services and supplies needed for covid mitigation efforts ($3.4 million).
IARF applauds and appreciates the Pritzker administration’s ongoing commitment to continued investments into the behavioral health system, including this additional funding to address the ongoing workforce crisis impacting providers across the state. (Contact: Emily Miller)
SENATE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH COMMITTEE HEARING ON WORKFORCE SHORTAGE
The Senate Behavioral Health Committee will hold a subject matter only hearing on Friday, October 22, to discuss the behavioral health workforce crisis. Emily Miller will be testifying on behalf of the Association and will express acknowledgment and appreciation to the Pritzker administration, including HFS and DHS, on yesterday’s announcements regarding the additional $65 million in investments into the behavioral health system in Illinois, along with a call for continued investments through all avenues possible, especially those immediate actions that can be achieved through ARPA funding, including additional block grant funding, as well as more longer-term actions that will help to alleviate the ongoing workforce crisis impacting the system. Testimony will also include a call for the state to take steps to alleviate overburdensome administrative requirements for providers that would allow for a stronger focus on the delivery of services for those in need. The hearing will begin at 1:00 p.m. and can be viewed here in Virtual Room 3. (Contact: Emily Miller)
PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY EXTENDED INTO JANUARY 2022
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced they will be extending the declaration of a public health emergency (PHE). HHS announced it was renewing its COVID-19 public health emergency declaration for another 90 days effective, October 18, 2021. The PHE was first declared by Alex Azar, the former Secretary of HHS, on Jan. 31, 2020, and has been renewed six times. Current HHS Secretary, Xavier Becerra’s recent announcement now extends the PHE through Jan 16, 2022. With this extension, states will continue to receive the current 6.2% FMAP increase on Medicaid expenditures through March 2022 – another quarter of the current fiscal year. (Contact: Beth Owens)
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES 5.9% COLA IN 2022
Based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) from the third quarter of 2020 through the third quarter of 2021, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries will receive a 5.9% COLA for 2022. In the last 10 years, COLA has increased by an average of 1.65% annually. The increase for FY22 will mark the largest increase since 1982. The Social Security Administration has released a COLA Fact Sheet with more information. (Contact: Beth Owens)
DHS-DDD INFORMATION BULLETINS
The Division has released additional information bulletins over the past few weeks. The final IB’s that have been recently posted include Testing of Functional Literacy and Non-Medical Transportation. Current IB’s in Draft form include COVID-19 DSP Training Flexibilities Part 2 (comments open until 10/28), Closure of a CILA Home when a Provider will maintain their CILA license (comments open until 10/28) and SEP Revalidation and Future Awards IB (comments open until 11/2). (Contact: Beth Owens)
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PROVIDER RELIEF FUND APPLICATIONS DUE OCTOBER 26
The application is STILL OPEN for Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 and American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural payments—but only until October 26! PRF Phase 4 is open to a broad range of healthcare providers who have been impacted by COVID-19. ARP Rural is open to Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) providers who serve rural patients. You may be eligible if you deliver health care, services, and/or support in a medical setting, at home, or in the community.
Get Started Today!
The application will close on October 26, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Your application must undergo a number of validation checks before you can submit your financial information, so begin your application as soon as possible to avoid missing the deadline to apply.
APPLY HERE through the Provider Relief Fund Application and Attestation Portal!
(Contact: Emily Miller)
WEBINAR: USING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY TO INCREASE INDEPENDENCE OF ADULTS WITH I/DD
DHS-DDD is hosting a webinar on October 27th from 1:00 – 3:00 pm. This webinar will review ways providers can use assistive technology to help people with I/DD be more independent. This will include information about apps and devices that can assist consumers with self-care tasks, reminders, reading, writing, and travel in the community. In addition, low-tech assistive technology that can enable consumers to handle many tasks around the home environment will be presented. Information will be shared about ways AT can be funded. Attendees will also hear from a self-advocate on how they use assistive technology in their life. Registration can be found HERE. (Contact: Beth Owens)
Change is all around us. Over the past particularly unprecedented couple of years, adaptability and change management seem to be ongoing, necessary facets of service delivery and agency survival. But change is also challenging, so how do we implement it successfully? What are the foundational principles of successful change management?
Foothold Technology is bringing together a panel of thought leaders, with experience navigating change in a variety of settings, to provide their expertise on guiding organizations through times of great change. Join Foothold Technology on November 2nd at 12:00 pm to hear their CEO and clients engage in a dynamic conversation surrounding their successes and challenges, and share tools for approaching change management within your organization. Click here to learn more and register today. (Contact: Maggie Henley)
NAQ SEEKING NOMINATIONS FOR SPOTLIGHT AWARD
The National Association of QIDPs (NAQ) is seeking nominations of Developmental Disability Professionals for its Spotlight Award. Developmental Disability Professionals go by many names - QIDPs, Case Managers, and Service Coordinators to name just a few. We worry less about their title and more about their function. Formal titles aside, these disability professionals fulfill a variety of roles - from advocate to educator to leader. They are resilient in the face of challenge. They are uncompromising in the provision of person directed supports.
Do you know a Developmental Disability Professional that consistently goes above and beyond – someone who deserves a little extra recognition for a job well done? If so, please nominate them for our Spotlight Award. Remember - the more specific information we receive, the better we are able to identify and select an award recipient!
Nominate Now!
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SEEKING PARTICIPANTS FOR SIBLING/CARETAKE FUTURE PLANNING STUDY
UIC has distributed flyers to organizations such as IARF to share with organizations regarding a study being conducted by the University of Texas.
Title of the Project: Sibling Caretakers of Adults with IDDs: How Future Planning for Caretaking predicts Relationship Satisfaction between Siblings and their Partners
The purpose of the study is to examine if there is an association between future planning and relationship satisfaction among sibling caretakers of individuals with IDDs and their romantic partner. This study is being conducted because there is dearth literature that examines the impact of caregiving on sibling caregivers’ personal lives.
Interested sibling participants should take this link.
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