• Today on our call with senior staff from OPWDD they announced that they will be releasing draft rate impacts for the enhanced IRA rates through the office of the pool administrator (OPA) website by the end of the day on Friday.  

• Last night the Senate passed another Covid-19 stimulus bill called the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (PPPHCEA). The bill is expected to pass in the House of Representatives shortly. Key provisions of the bill include:

• Funding for Small Businesses: An additional $321 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), of which $60 billion is reserved for smaller lending institutions; it also provides an additional $50 billion for the Disaster Loans Program Account, and an additional $10 billion for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. 

• Provider Relief Fund: An additional $75 billion to the CARES Act-established fund to support providers with expenses and lost revenue as a result of Covid-19. 

• Covid-19 Testing: A new $25 billion fund for testing. Additionally, the bill establishes new funding streams, which establish minimum funding levels for states and local governments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes for Health, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, the Food and Drug Administration, and community health centers and rural health clinics. It also specifies that up to $1 billion is to be used for “testing costs” for the uninsured. 

• We mentioned this in our update last night but since we feel it is extremely important we wanted to mention it again. Please tweet out your support for the Direct Support Professionals who are on the front lines of the Covid-19 crisis by using the hashtag #ApplaudDirectSupport.