Pennsylvania Office of Developmental Programs Home and Community Based Settings Final Rule
“On January 16, 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule for Home and Community-Based Settings (HCBS). The CMS HCBS rule became effective on March 17, 2014, and applies to the settings in which ODP waiver services are provided. Per CMS guidelines, all states must be compliant with the regulations by March 2022.
The purpose of the CMS HCBS rule is to make sure individuals receive services in settings that are integrated into the community and individuals receiving services have access to community resources equal to that of those who do not receive services. Individuals receiving services should be able to:
Have opportunities to seek employment and work in competitive and integrated settings.
“The purpose of this guide is to provide professionals with an overview of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation’s role in the School-to-Work process. It is intended to provide basic knowledge of what students with disabilities and their families can expect when becoming involved with OVR.”
Pennsylvania Accepted into Federal Employment First Program
“The Corbett administration announced that Pennsylvania has been selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy’s Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program. Employment First is a concept to facilitate the full inclusion of people with the most significant disabilities in the workplace and community in typical workplace settings where the majority of workers are not people with disabilities. The mentoring program will help the departments of Human Services (DHS), Education and Labor & Industry (L&I) collaborate to align policies and develop a plan to increase school-to-work opportunities for students with disabilities.”
Pennsylvania SB 271: Office for PWD and Advisory Committee for PWD (2015)
“An Act relating to the delivery of services and programs to persons with disabilities; conferring powers and duties on the Office of the Governor; establishing the Office for People with Disabilities and Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities; and providing for the powers and duties of the office and advisory committee and for funding of the office.”
“Pennsylvania will use its statewide transition plan as a way to determine its compliance with CMS’s rule on HCBS. Pennsylvania will determine the current level of what state actions are needed for compliance. This will include a review of current licensing requirements, policies, regulations, rules, standards and statutes.”
This page has links to the most recent WIOA Combined State Plans for Pennsylvania.
Excerpt from 2016-2020 report: “An effective workforce development system will be built on a foundation of alignment, innovation, employer engagement, accountability structures and improved data. Pennsylvania will look beyond WIOA to set broad goals for a comprehensive workforce development system that increases the number of “jobs that pay,” expands the number of “schools that teach” the skills necessary to succeed in college and careers, and is a model of “government that works.” We will do this by designing and implementing a workforce development system that addresses three core challenges facing the workforce system..”
Pennsylvania’s Labor & Industry Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Transition Services Contracts
"The Department of Labor & Industry's Office of Vocational Rehabilitation today announced eight recipients of Transition Services contracts totaling $1.2 million.
Contracts are awarded to develop new and expanded innovative strategies and programs to provide transition services, including pre-employment transition services, for high school students with disabilities."
"Labor & Industry is proud to facilitate the transition from education to job-readiness with this additional funding that will go a long way in ensuring that students with disabilities receive services at the appropriate time in their lives," L&I Secretary Kathy Manderino said. "This money will help young people with disabilities transition from high school to secondary education or meaningful employment smoothly and with greater success."
"The recipients will receive funding in one of two service types: The first, Transition Planning and Services for Students with Disabilities, will serve 15 high school students with disabilities per each awarded contract during the 2016 school year and additional months of post-graduation services. The ultimate goal of the project is to place a minimum of seven OVR customers who have the most significant disabilities in competitive integrated employment.”
Pennsylvania Executive Order 2016-03: Employment First
Establishing “Employment First” Policy and Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Pennsylvanians with a Disability
“….I, Tom Wolf, Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and other laws, do hereby order and direct as follows:
1. “Employment First” is the policy of all Commonwealth executive branch agencies under the jurisdiction of the Governor. This policy reflects the Commonwealth’s goal of making the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania a model state when it comes to creating a climate hospitable to workers with a disability.
a. The definition of Employment First is that competitive integrated employment is the first consideration and preferred outcome of publicly-funded education, training, employment and related services, and long-term supports and services for working-age Pennsylvanians with a disability, as “disability” is defined in each agency’s governing statutes and rules.
b. The definition of competitive integrated employment for purposes of this Executive Order is the definition contained in the WIOA, which is work performed on a full or part-time basis (including self-employment) for which a person is:
(1) Compensated at not less than federal minimum wage requirements or State or local minimum wage law (whichever is higher) and not less than the customary rate paid by the employer for the same or similar work performed by people without a disability”
Pennsylvania Executive Order 2016-04: Equal Employment Opportunity
“WHEREAS, this Administration is committed to strengthening and developing equal employment opportunity programs in the Commonwealth. NOW, THEREFORE, I, Tom Wolf, Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania do hereby order and direct as follows:
1. Prohibition of Discrimination and Affirmation of Equal Employment Opportunity.
a. No agency under the Governor’s jurisdiction shall discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, union membership, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, AIDS or HIV status, or disability.
b. Each agency under the Governor’s jurisdiction shall ensure fair and equal employment opportunities exist at every level of government”
