Round Up

March 16, 2018

ICF Vacancy Registry Campaign Update DODD Rules Update Heinzerling Community Featured in "Dispatch" Ashland Link Wins Social Service Award ORPA Creates Training Matrix for Day Array Services Upcoming OPRA Events

Time for Renewals! OPRA Members - Has your agency submitted your online renewal application? Your agency has until the end of March to submit their application before OPRA begins removing staff from list-serves and committees.

ICF Vacancy Registry Campaign in Full Swing

OPRA kicked-off an ICF Vacancy Registry campaign starting on February 22. OPRA is working with Fahlgren Mortine to implement a paid search campaign and a Facebook advertisement campaign. The campaigns features changing images each month and link to the OPRA ICF Vacancy Registry on the OPRA website . The goal of the campaign is to connect individuals and families looking for an ICF level of care with ICFs with open beds. If you are an OPRA member with open ICF beds, please log on to OPRA website to make sure your ICF vacancies are up to date.

For more information on the campaign or OPRA's ICF Vacancy Registry, please email OPRA Vice President Anita Allen.

DODD Rules Under Development

The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) is currently soliciting public comments on proposed amendments to three home and community based service waiver rules. You can read about the rule changes here . If you have questions or comments you would like to include in OPRA's response, please send them to   OPRA Policy Analyst Christine Touvelle  by Monday, March 19th.

Amendments

5123-9-22   Home and community-based services waivers - community respite under the individual options, level one, and self-empowered life funding waivers Revisions to the rule rate include increases for all billing units, addition of standard language around the application of the behavioral and medical rate modification, and other minor verbiage revisions. 5123-9-34   Home and community-based services waivers - residential respite under the individual options, level one, and self-empowered life funding waivers Revisions to the rule includes rate increases for residential settings that offer residential respite and other minor verbiage revisions. 5123-9-30 Home and community-based services waivers - homemaker/personal care under the individual options and level one waivers Revisions to the rule includes the addition of language around the competency-based rate modification and the associated modification amounts.

The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) scheduled a public hearing for two rules on Thursday, April 19th, 2018. The current rules are being rescinded and new, similar rules are replacing the older versions. You can read about the rule changes here . If you have questions or comments you would like to include in OPRA's response, please send them to  OPRA Policy Analyst Christine Touvelle by Friday, April 13th.

5123:2-9-25 Home and community-based services waivers - specialized medical equipment and supplies under the individual options and level one waivers is being rescinded and replaced with 5123-9-25 Home and community-based services waivers - specialized medical equipment and supplies under the individual options and level one waivers. 5123:2-9-26 Home and community-based services waivers - personal emergency response systems under the level one waiver is being rescinded and replaced with 5123-9-26 Home and community-based services waivers - personal emergency response systems under the level one waiver.

Heinzerling Community Featured in Columbus Dispatch

In their February 23, 2018 online edition, The Columbus Dispatch spotlighted Robert "Robbie" Lyles IV, a resident at OPRA member Heinzerling Community. The article over-viewed Robbie's life, who was photographed for the article celebrating his 23rd birthday with family and staff. Lyles, who suffered severe burns when he was just three, has been living at Heinzerling Community for several years. Read the article here.

Ashland Link Named Social Services Organization of the Year

Congratulations to The Ashland Link, a program developed by OPRA member SHC, The ARC of Medina County, who was recently awarded the Social Service Organization of the Year by the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce. The Ashland Link was selected as the winner out of almost 65 nominations! Will McMahan (left), Strategic Operations Manager of the program, accepted the award during the chamber’s annual member awards ceremony held on March 8, 2018.  Click here to read more.

Has your agency recently been featured for their hard work? We want to hear about it and include it in the next Round Up!

Tell us your story!

OPRA Creates Training Matrix for the Day Array

Earlier this week, OPRA disseminated a matrix outlining DODD training requirements for the Day Array to all OPRA members. The training matrix is built in excel so that members can compare training requirements across services. For members who prefer hard copies, printer-friendly pages are included for each service. For easy reference, the excel spreadsheet also includes color-coded tabs for various rules that are included in the DODD training requirements.

For more information please email OPRA Director of Employment and Health Services Dr. Lisa Mathis.

Upcoming OPRA Events

3/20: Policy Committee Meeting/Program Directors Committee Meeting 3/26: Employment First Meeting 3/26: Day Services Workgroup Meeting 3/29: ADVANCE: Provider Leadership Training 4/3: OPRA Finance Committee Meeting 4/5-4/6: OPRA Spring Conference 

For a full calendar of events, please visit the OPRA website.

‌ ‌