U.S. HOUSE MEETS COMMITMENT TO PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AND CAREGIVERS
The Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, representing community providers of services and programs for thousands of Illinoisans with intellectual and developmental disabilities and serious mental illnesses, today issued the following statement upon action by the United States House of Representatives passing the Build Back Better Act:
“For countless days and weeks, IARF members have joined the national chorus of disability advocates and caregivers calling on Congress to pass President Biden’s Build Back Better Agenda: to invest in home and community-based services and our caregivers. Today, the U.S. House answered the call.”
The Build Back Better Act makes a series of crucial investments in intellectual/developmental disability (I/DD) services and supports, particularly in ways to help states invest in workforce/caregivers, potentially reduce long waiting lists for services, and advance job opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities:
- Provides an historic $150 billion for states to spend on home and community-based services through an enhanced Medicaid matching rate;
- Outlines $1 billion in grants for organizations to invest in the direct support workforce & to develop innovations in recruitment and retention;
- Secures $270 million to assist states in phasing out use of 14(c) certificates and to assist in building community employment opportunities for adults with disabilities at or above minimum wage;
“Today’s vote in the House to pass the Build Back Better Act is as significant as the passing of the ADA 31-years ago – it’s a commitment to all Americans with disabilities that the promise of the ADA lives on. I applaud all members of Illinois’ U.S. House delegation that proudly cast a ‘yes’ vote.” (Contact: Josh Evans)
OSHA SUSPENDS ENFORCEMET OF COVID-19 VACCINATION AND TESTING ETS
On Tuesday, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that the COVID-19 vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard (ETS) is being put on hold due to pending litigation. The OSHA ETS went into effect on November 5, 2021, and was set to have two compliance dates: one date for weekly testing to begin, and another date for employers to finalize their policies on vaccine mandates or weekly testing requirements. Employers can wait to implement any new standards and should continue to monitor OSHA ETS updates to determine if there are any changes in its status. At this point, employers should understand the requirements of the ETS in case it survives the upcoming litigations. Download the full article from The Horton Group for additional details here. (Contact: Josh Evans)
SUSTAINABILITY GRANT PAYMENTS FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROVIDERS EXPECTED SOON
During DMH’s call with the behavioral health trade associations earlier this week, Deputy Director Brock Dunlap indicated that the Division is “closer” to getting the previously- announced sustainability payments out to providers. This round of funding, which will be distributed to providers in the form of a grant, is part of the recent announcement of short- and long-term plans to help address the overall workforce crisis within the behavioral health system. Providers will receive communication from DMH indicating the expected amount of funding they will receive and detailing the steps needed to receive it. (Contact: Emily Miller)
COMMUNITY DAY SERVICES TRAINING REIMBURSEMENT CHANGES
The Division recently announced that movement to many of the Guidehouse recommended CDS reimbursement rates will occur January 1st, pending the waiver amendment from CMS. Included in the rates changes is the incorporation of training reimbursement. After feedback from community providers, the Division has now announced they will allow training reimbursement through June 30, 2022 for all CDS providers. Each CDS staff person’s training must be completed (including any required OJT hours) by June 30, 2022 and documented on the Training Request Reimbursement Form. Completion dates after June 30, 2022 will not be reimbursed. All CDS Training Reimbursement Requests must be submitted to and received by the DDD by August 1, 2022 to be processed and paid before the end of the FY21 Lapse Period. (Contact: Beth Owens)
STATE RECEIVES 988 DRAFT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FEEDBACK
The state has received the feedback from Vibrant (the contracted federal lead on 988 implementation) on Illinois’ first draft of the 988 implementation plan. The feedback is currently under review by the Division of Mental Health and will be shared with the members of the 988 Key Stakeholder coalition prior to the meeting next month. The December meeting of the 988 Key Stakeholder coalition will be used to discuss Vibrant’s feedback and to help develop the state’s response to SAMHSA. The final implementation plan is due in January.
Late last week, DMH released the Notice of Funding Opportunity related to the statewide call center for the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. According to the NOFO, the state will award ONE RECIPIENT up to $9.2 million to develop a statewide crisis call center that will be responsible for providing primary coverage for all geographic areas of the state that are not currently covered by the six existing call centers, as well as providing backup coverage to all areas of the state. Applications are due December 10, with the awardee announced December 21. (Contact: Emily Miller)
REMOVAL OF VIRTUAL DAY SERVICES FROM WAIVER AMMENDMENT
The Division has been working with HFS and Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to approve the Adult Waiver Amendment. The waiver amendment includes many changes and concerns have been raised around the provision of Virtual Day Services (VDS). In order not to delay the approval of the entire waiver amendment, the Division has decided to remove VDS from the waiver amendment at this time. VDS will remain an option through Appendix K which will be in place until at least 6/30/22. Plans currently include working on the language and policy surrounding VDS for inclusion in a future waiver renewal. (Contact: Beth Owens)
GOV. PRITZKER SIGNS SB 536, CREATES THE ACCESS TO VOTING FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES TASK FORCE
This past Monday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed SB 536 into law. This law amends the Illinois Elections Code and makes changes and adjustments to various dates relating to the 2022 election cycle to align with the modified timeline of the 2022 general primary, creates the Access to Voting for Persons with Disabilities Advisory Task Force, and makes other changes to make voting more accessible. The full legislative text can be seen HERE. (Contact: Luis Andrade)
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IDPH RECOMMENDS COVID-19 BOOSTER DOSES FOR ALL ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), following the Food and Drug Administration's decision to open COVID-19 booster shots to all, is recommending anyone 18 years and older get a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose six months after receiving their second Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, or two months after receiving the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Individuals can contact their health care provider or visit www.vaccines.gov to find a nearby location to receive a booster dose. People who have questions about vaccines and booster doses can call the COVID-19 Call Center at 1-833-621-1284. The FULL Press Release can be seen HERE. (Contact: Luis Andrade)
PURCHASE THE IARF COMPENSATION SURVEY BY 12/31 AND SAVE!
The 2021 IARF Compensation Survey is available for purchase. Don’t miss out – order your copy before the end of the year and save $50 on your purchase! The 2021 report includes data for 40 positions from 46 participating community service provider organizations in Illinois. The report contains statistics which include the average, median, interquartile percentiles for starting pay and regular pay along with the average bonus payout. Data breakouts include budget category, organization size and years of experience. Click here to learn more and to order your copy today! (Contact: Maggie Henley)
IARF ICFDD COMMITTEE MEETS TO DISCUSS WORKFORVCE, OSHA, AND CDS BILLING CHANGES
Thank you to everyone who attended this week’s ICFDD Committee meeting. We had a great conversation and exchange of ideas on the following topics:
All Day service billing will shift to hourly in 15-minute increments (effective January 1, 2022, for Waiver services and SODC’s. ICFDD’s effective date is pending.) The next ICFDD Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 14th. (Contact: Luis Andrade)
WILDLIFE CONNECTIONS AMBASSADOR PROGRAM RECEIVES 2021 NACPRO REMOVING BARRIERS AWARD
Each year the annual National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials or NACPRO Awards Banquet recognizes and honors excellence in parks and recreation at the county, regional, special district level throughout the nation. Congratulations to the Wildlife Connections Ambassador Program on being named one of NACPRO’s 2021 Removing Barrier Awardees! The Removing Barriers Award recognizes a unique program or facility that enables and encourages greater participation in parks and recreation by persons with disabilities. Wildlife Connections Ambassadors is a new partner-based work experience program with the Forest Preserves of Cook County, Misericordia and Clearbrook. The program creates opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities to deliver nature programming to school groups and visitors, bridging the gap between science and social emotional learning standards. Watch the full 2021 NACPRO Virtual Awards presentation here and view a list of all 2021 awardees here. (Contact: Maggie Henley)
STATE BEGINS IM+CANS WORKGROUP MEETINGS
Earlier this month, HFS officially began conducting meetings of the IM+CANS workgroup and will continue to hold meetings every other week through the end of January. As stated by HFS, the intent of this workgroup is to provide an outlet for providers to discuss ongoing issues with the IM+CANS and to work towards developing possible solutions. While the outcomes remain to be seen as the group is just beginning to meet, IARF will continue to keep the issues with the IM+CANS as a priority of the association as we move forward into the new year. A link to the schedule of meetings can be found here. (Contact: Emily Miller)
ANCOR MEMBER BENEFITS REFRESHER WEBINAR DECEMBER 8TH
We wanted to remind IARF members that as a member of IARF you are a member of ANCOR! ANCOR will be hosting a webinar to ensure you and all of your colleagues know how to make the most of your ANCOR membership. From professional and organizational development to networking and insider intel within ANCOR, we want to be sure you know what's on offer and where to find it! Join ANCOR December 8 at 12:00 pm CST for this free membership refresher. Register Today (Contact: Maggie Henley)
ICDD TO OFFER CUSTOMIZED EMPLOYMENT TRAINING SERIES
The Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities in partnership with nationally known training experts from Marc Gold & Associates is happy to offer a Customized Employment Training Series. You don’t want to miss this. We’re bring Customized Employment training to Illinois in a series that will provide Discovery, Job Development, and Systematic Instruction. The main components of training are divided into 3 sessions: Discovery, Customized Job Development, and Systematic Instruction. Each area is instrumental in providing quality services and best practices as they pertain to your job seekers. Systematic training dates included December 1-8, 2021. To learn more about the series and to register, click here. (Contact: Maggie Henley)
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