• Since our last update, OPWDD have issued additional guidance documents related to the requirement of background checks as outlined in Executive Order 202.13. That guidance can be found here.

• The associated Justice Center Request Form can be found here.

• OPWDD has issued hospital discharge guidance for individuals with I/DD which can be found here: Hospital Discharges and Admissions to Certified Residential Facilities

• Please note that the NY Alliance is working with OPWDD on additional clarification and revisions as a result of the concerns our members have raised. 

• Executive Order 202.16 was issued today and includes a provision that requires essential businesses to provide PPE to its employees. Specifically, the Order states “any employees who are present in the workplace shall be provided and shall wear face coverings when in direct contact with customers or members of the public. Businesses must provide, at their expense, such face coverings for their employees. This provision may be enforced by local governments or local law enforcement as if it were an order pursuant to section 12 or 12-b of the Public Health Law. This requirement shall be effective Wednesday, April 15 at 8 p.m.”

• A copy of the Executive Order in full can be found here.

• The Department of Health today issued COVID-19 Drug Topics, which provides prescribers with an evidence-based, non-commercial source of the latest objective information about pharmaceuticals. Information regarding Colchicine, Hydroxychloroquine and Ibuprofen is now available on the COVID-19 Guidance for Medicaid Providers webpage which can be found here: COVID-19 Guidance for Medicaid Providers webpage.

• People who receive Social Security retirement, survivors, or disability insurance benefits and who did not file a tax return for 2018 or 2019 and who have qualifying children under age 17 should now go to the IRS’s webpage to enter their information instead of waiting for their automatic $1,200 Economic Impact Payment. By taking proactive steps to enter information on the IRS website about them and their qualifying children, they will also receive the $500 per dependent child payment in addition to their $1,200 individual payment.

• The same new guidance also applies to SSI recipients, especially those who have qualifying children under age 17. To receive the full amount of the Economic Impact Payments you and your family are eligible for, go to the IRS’s Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info page and provide information about yourself and your qualifying children. 

• New York City community-based behavioral health providers are having increasing challenges maintaining essential congregate care services to New Yorkers with behavioral health needs and developmental/intellectual disabilities during the pandemic. To keep services operational and clients safe, programs are increasingly reliant on relief staffing provided by healthcare staffing companies. To support New Yorkers receiving care at these sites, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will launch the NYC COVID Congregate Care Staffing Portal operated by the Coalition for Behavioral Health.

• Starting Tuesday, April 14th, the portal will be operational. The initial wave will be open to NYC non-profit, congregate residential settings licensed or funded by the New York State Office of Mental Health, New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports, New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities or the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. 

• Eligible programs should email staffingsolutions@coalitionny.org to enroll in the portal.