Phase 2 Retainer Day Program – CMS Time Limitations:
- CMS recently issued an FAQ document which stipulated that “consistent with prior disasters, states may authorize up to three 30-day episodes of retainer payments for an individual during the period of the disaster using the Appendix K.” This time limitation on the retainer day program means that in New York the program will expire at the end of July. We understand that this new interpretation was also a surprise to New York and other states with retainer day programs. We are in contact with officials at OPWDD to determine how they plan to address this issue moving forward considering the likelihood that day programs will remain closed past that date. A copy of the FAQ document can be viewed here (page 23).
Governor’s Executive Order 202.48:
- On July 6, 2020, Governor Cuomo signed Executive Order 202.48 which extends the provisions of several earlier EOs through August 5, 2020. Of note, the provisions under EO 202.5 include the ability to temporarily deviate from an individual's service plan regarding day and community-based programming or to temporarily relocate individuals to maintain health and safety. The allowances for abbreviated training of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) where a facility is experiencing staffing shortages are all extended. A copy of the Executive Order can be found here.
IRMA Training PowerPoint:
- OPWDD has released the PowerPoint slides from the latest IRMA reporting training that was held on July 1st. Those slides can be found here.
DOH Visitation Guidance:
- On July 3, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) released a health advisory related to revised protocols for personnel in healthcare and other direct care settings to return to work following COVID-19 exposure or infection. This advisory supersedes DOH’s April 1, 2020 guidance entitled “Updated Protocols for Personnel in Healthcare and Other Direct Care Settings to Return to Work Following COVID-19 Exposure or Infection. A copy of that guidance can be found here.
OPWDD Data Update:
Last week, OPWDD shared the following Covid-19 data they have collected:
- 3,115 total infections to date
- 2,524 of those infections can be attributed to individuals residing in OPWDD certified residential settings
- 436 Fatalities
- 90% of deaths are located in the downstate region (NYC, LI, Rockland, Putnam, Westchester, Orange, Nassau, Suffolk)
- 83% of deaths are attributed to individuals that are 50 or older
- 61% of deaths are men
- 80% of those who have passed away also had one or more comorbidities (i.e. hypertension, diabetes, dementia, cancer, etc…)
- 3,634 staff infections to date