Table of Contents:  

• 2020 IARF Vampire Conference – Still Time to Register and Join our Coven!
• Beware the Witching Hour! HFS CARES Portal Open Until Tomorrow, October 31 - PRF Phase 3 Until November 6^th
• COVID-19 Update: More Illinois Regions Moving into Mitigation
• Sydney Bulletin: Mystery Derelict Found at Sea
• HCBS State Plan Amendment Published for Staking (We Mean Stakeholder) Input: Children’s BH Services – Housing and SEP
• YouthCare Townhall November 4
• Cook County Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher Waitlist is Open
• Local Tracker DeFago Disappears on Hunting Trip
• Federal CMS to Ensure Free Access to COVID-19 Vaccines and Therapies
• HRS Upcoming Haunting Webinars Fall 2020
• Correction to DMH National Lifeline NOFO, Deadline Extended to November 30
• The Arc of The Quad Cities Area Executive Director Receives NCE Rising Star Award
• Tarrytown Expocare Pharmacy Sponsors 2020 IARF Virtual Conference
• IARF COVID-19 Recommendation Letter
• DRAFT IB Released - Critical Incident Reporting Analysis System (CIRAS)
• SCAM: Calls from Cthulu

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2020 IARF VAMPIRE CONFERENCE – STILL TIME TO REGISTER AND JOIN OUR COVEN!
BOOO! The 2020 IARF Virtual Conference is just a couple weeks away and there is still time to register! The Conference will be held online November 10^th, 11^th, 17^th, and 18^th. We have a ghoulish line-up of keynote speakers and breakout sessions for the event! In total we will host seven keynote sessions and 15+ concurrent sessions during the live event and attendees can earn up to 12.0 continuing education hours for attending; recorded sessions will also be available to attendees after the event. The Conference will also include a virtual exhibit hall for vendors, vampires, and attendees which will offer the opportunity to connect with companies that offer solutions, souls, products, and services for providers. To learn more about the conference and to register today, click here. *Register a team of 5 or more and receive a team discount! Use code: TEAM5 at the checkout!
 
Don’t worry, we don’t bite (much)!
(Contact: Maggie Henley)

BEWARE THE WITCHING HOUR - HFS CARES PORTAL OPEN UNTIL OCTOBER 31 - PRF PHASE 3 UNTIL NOVEMBER 6TH
Yesterday we sent a brief query to members of our CFO Committee asking whether providers had applied for the Business Interruption Grants, CARES Funding in HFS’ budget, and Phase 3 distributions from the federal Provider Relief Fund.  We know from our CFOs members are in different places as we approach these deadlines, but we wanted to make sure the funding opportunities stayed on your radar!
 
Please see this alert from HFS that details the CARES Act portal is now open and can be accessed here. All Medicaid providers can apply but not all will be eligible for funding. Submitting your TIN is the first step to check eligibility, and then you must meet the criteria. You must provide a full accounting of other funds received for COVID relief as well.
 
The HFS CARES Portal will be open until 12:00 noon on Saturday, October 31, 2020. While the portal is available 24/7 during this timeframe, online and call-in assistance is available to assist applicants with questions regarding the HFS CARES Program from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday at 866-385-0600. Call center support is available in English and Spanish. Providers may also send questions regarding the CARES payments via email to HFS.CARES@illinois.gov. (Contact: Dan Frey)

COVID-19 UPDATE: MORE ILLINOIS REGIONS MOVING INTO MITIGATION
IDPH announced that Illinois regions 9 and 3 are entering into mitigations starting this weekend. More information can be found on the state’s DCEO Website HERE.
 
CDS providers in other regions are not required to make changes to their operations in response to the upcoming mitigations; however, community-based guidance is different than guidance for our LTC facilities, which only impacts ICF/DDs. ICF/DD residents in these regions will not be allowed to attend CDS programs during mitigation. CDS providers can send staff to an ICF/DD to provide CDS. (Contact: Luis Andrade)

SYDNEY BULLETIN: MYSTERY DERELICT FOUND AT SEA
Earlier this week, the Sydney Bulletin reported that the steam yacht Alert was towed into port by the freighter Vigilant.  Of the original crew of the Alert, only one living and one dead man were found on the vessel when it arrived in port. The living man, later found to be named Gustaf Johansen, was clutching a horrible stone idol of unknown origin, about a foot in height, regarding whose nature authorities at Sydney University, the Royal Society, and the Museum in College Street all profess complete bafflement, and which the survivor says he found in the cabin of the yacht, in a small carved shrine of common pattern.

HCBS STATE PLAN AMENDMENT PUBLISHED FOR STAKING (WE MEAN STAKEHOLDER) INPUT: CHILDREN’S BH SERVICES – HOUSING AND SEP
This week, HFS published its State Plan Amendment (SPA) for Home and Community Based Services. You can find the overview here and the text here. IARF is working with membership to develop comments for submission prior to the November 20 deadline. If you have any comments you would like included, please send them to Dan Frey at dfrey@iarf.org by close of business on October 30....And remember my friend, that knowledge is stronger than memory, and we should not trust the weaker...(Contact: Dan Frey)

YOUTHCARE TOWNHALL NOVEMBER 4
YouthCare is hosting town hall webinars for provider partners. They want to connect with you and so invite you to attend this important meeting. The meeting will last approximately 2 hours and will give you an opportunity to learn recent developments and ask questions. Click here for the flyer and to learn more. Subjects that will be covered include: YouthCare Updates; Care Coordination Utilization Management; Quality; Pharmacy; and Claims. (Contact: Dan Frey)

COOK COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER WAITLIST IS OPEN
The Housing Authority of Cook County's housing choice voucher waitlist is open for the first time in YEARS.  Self-advocates can submit applications through the housing authority portal on their website through November 2, 2020.  The housing authority will then use a lottery system to pick 10,000 people to put on their waitlist.  If someone needs help in applying, its fine to have a friend, family member or staff help.  Their website here, as well as their Facebook link for social media sharing. (Contact: Dan Frey)

LOCAL TRACKER DEFAGO DISAPPEARS ON HUNTING TRIP
Two week ago, locally known tracker DeFago disappeared during a hunting trip near a lake in Northern Canada.  An out of town hunter reported hiring the tracker to take him to unexplored woods, and explained the tracker mysteriously ran away from their tent.  Allegedly, the hunter believed he would hear the name “Da-faaaaay-go" in the wind, which seemed to make the tracker anxious. 

Search parties were organized but nothing has turned up.  Locals keep mentioning the term “wendigo” with investigators.

FEDERAL CMS TO ENSURE FREE ACCESS TO COVID-19 VACCINES AND THERAPIES
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is taking steps to ensure all Americans, including the nation’s seniors, have access to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine at no cost when it becomes available. This past week, the agency released a comprehensive plan with proactive measures to remove regulatory barriers and ensure consistent coverage and payment for the administration of an eventual vaccine for millions of Americans. CMS released a set of toolkits for providers, states and insurers to help the health care system prepare to swiftly administer the vaccine once it is available. More information can be found on the Federal CMS Website. (Contact: Luis Andrade)

HRS UPCOMING HAUNTING WEBINARS FALL 2020
Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble! HRS, Inc. will be hosting two trainings coming up in November and December 2020. In this free webinar, Latest HRST Mortality Research: Findings and Its Use in Preventing Early Death, will cover current findings of this research and also provide steps on how to use the outcomes of the research in the prevention of unnecessary deaths.  This webinar will be held on Friday, November 13^th at 10:30 am. Click here to learn more and register.
 
In the next webinar,  Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Behavioral Manifestations of Common Medical Conditions in People with I/DD, attendees will learn how to identify specific underlying medical causes of various behaviors to improve health, wellness and quality of life in people you support. This webinar will be held on Thursday, December 3^rd at 11:00 am. Click here to learn more and register.

CORRECTION TO DMH NATIONAL LIFELINE NOFO, DEADLINE EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 30
On October 9, 2020, the Division of Mental Health announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity for expansion of coverage of calls originating in Illinois to the National Suicide Lifeline.  Since that announcement, we have become aware of an error that occurred during posting.  The error in the information posted was within the Application Criteria Section.  The corrected information is now posted.  Please review the information available in the link below and ensure your application contains the information necessary to be fundable.  The updated NOFO can be found at:  https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=120031.  
 
Please note that with this update, the number assigned to the NOFO was changed.  This means the application also had to be revised.  The new application has been posted at https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=126540.
 
No changes were made to the PRA, but for ease of reference, the link to that is: https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?module=17&item=120028&surveyid=1502&csfanum=444-22-2487. 
 
Due to this technical issue the Division of Mental Health is extending the submission due date to November 30, 2020. (Contact: Dan Frey)

THE ARC OF THE QUAD CITIES ARE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RECEIVES NCE RISING STAR AWARD
Behind each chapter of The Arc, there is a passionate and dedicated leader. The NCE Awards honor the professional excellence and achievement of NCE members who make significant contributions to strengthen the I/DD community. These awards celebrate those who strive for excellence, put our clients first, and deliver great results. Since 1980, the awards have honored the professional excellence and achievement of NCE members as well as those persons outside the membership who make significant contributions on behalf of our constituency every day. Congratulations to Michael ‘Myers’ Glanz, Executive Director of The Arc of the Quad Cities area on being named as one of the 2020 NCE Award recipients! Click here to view a list of all 2020 Award recipients.

TARRYTOWN EXPOCARE PHARMACY SPONSORS 2020 IARF VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
Thank you to Tarrytown Expocare Pharmacy for sponsoring the 2020 IARF Virtual Conference as a Premium Session Sponsor! Tarrytown Expocare Pharmacy exclusively serves individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Their goal is to lessen the burden of medication management from providers by proactively managing medication refills and prior authorizations. Tarrytown Expocare Pharmacy works to minimize cost as well as reduce workload through the use of their proprietary online portal and mobile app. Be sure to check out Tarrytown Expocare Pharmacy at the 2020 IARF Virtual Conference! You will find them in the virtual exhibit hall and as a sponsor at the 2020 IARF Virtual Conference! (Contact: Maggie Henley)