News

Phillip Hanold, a health policy administration student at Penn State University, recently completed an internship with Foxdale Village Retirement Community. He is also working there part-time as he completes his schooling. This internship, which Friends Services Alliance coordinated, was incredibly meaningful for Phillip. He shares his experience in this narrative.

LeadingAge PA, the leading voice for aging services in Pennsylvania, is pleased to announce it recently awarded Baptist Senior Family in Pittsburgh, PA a $50,000 grant through the Association’s Administrator-in-Training (AIT) Grant program.

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (Oct. xx, 2023) — A new survey of LeadingAge PA member nursing homes confirms that the professional caregiver worker shortage has shown no sign of improving. This comes at a time when state and federal governments are set to increase staffing mandates — leading most of the nonprofit and mission-driven communities surveyed to turn away residents who desperately need long-term care. Read the survey results in full here.

LeadingAge national has developed an FAQ to help answer questions regarding the proposed staffing mandate published on Sept. 6 in the Federal Register. The FAQ is a fluid document and will be updated as questions are answered from CMS and more details are available. Please access the FAQ here. LeadingAge national has also shared a “Tips for Submitting Comments” guide with talking points and resources to assist you as you draft comments in response to the proposed federal mandate. LeadingAge PA will be sharing a supplement with talking points to guide you in addressing the particular impact this mandate would have here in PA. Watch for our updated talking points and Action Alert soon. Public Comments are due by Nov. 6. As a reminder, additional resources and information on the Proposed Rule are available on LeadingAge national’s update page, including recordings and slides from members-only Town Halls, in-depth analysis, and impact tools. We’ll also continue to provide you with updates on LeadingAge PA’s efforts in Harrisburg and D.C. over the coming weeks. The LeadingAge PA government affairs team met with our national counterparts this week to strategize a multi-pronged approach to making sure the message coming from Pennsylvania is loud and clear. Contact Regulatory Affairs Director Anna Warheit with questions.

(Newtown Square, Pa.) — This year’s fourth annual White Horse Village Walk to End Alzheimer’s fundraiser has raised $37,320, well surpassing its goal of $23,000. Since 2020, the nonprofit senior living community has consistently exceeded its fundraising goal, with donations totaling over $110,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter.

Chapel Ridge resident Paul Monjar celebrated his 106th birthday this week. Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, helped Monjar and his friends and family recognize the milestone at a party Thursday.

(New Holland, Pa.) — The Board of Directors for Garden Spot Communities and Frederick Living announce the affiliation of the two organizations. Garden Spot Communities and Frederick Living share a similar mission and values as faith-based, non-profit continuing care retirement communities.

(Newtown Square, Pa.) — Residents at White Horse Village are building momentum for their efforts to support the education of team members, awarding $53,888 in scholarships to 28 recipients for their studies this fall.

In a reminder to affordable housing providers sent on Aug. 14, HUD’s Multifamily Housing team emphasized existing rules around tenant organizing. Specifically, HUD reiterated that affordable housing communities subsidized through project-based Section 8, Section 202, and other HUD rental assistance programs are required to make community spaces available for meetings when requested by tenant organizations. Additional rules for tenant organizing in HUD-assisted Multifamily Housing, as well as information about a recent HUD funding opportunity to support capacity building of tenant organizations, is available here.

The HRSA Provider Relief Fund reporting portal is open right now for providers to submit their reports for Reporting Period 5 (RP5). RP5 reports cover PRF and ARP rural payments received between Jan. 1, 2022 and June 30, 2022. Keep in mind, these funds could be used for COVID-related expenses and lost revenues incurred between Jan. 1, 2020 and June 30, 2023. HRSA made an important change to the use of lost revenues for future reports after RP5. For reporting period 6 and beyond, providers will only be able to apply PRF and ARP rural funds to COVID-related lost revenues incurred up to June 30, 2023. Members are reminded that expenses and lost revenues are only allowable if they were connected to preventing, preparing for and/or responding to COVID-19. Some providers have recently had audit findings that identified unallowable costs. As there is no clear process currently for providers to correct previously filed PRF reports, these providers are being required to return some of their PRF funds. Watch tomorrow for an article with a few more details and resources on this topic.

CMS has provided extensive training on the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting System. The agency offers all the training recordings, presentations, questions/answers, and other resources in this SNF QRP Training page. The August 23 SNF MDS 3.0 RAI v1.18.11 Guidance Training Program is now available within that page, including prerecorded webinars, virtual coding workshops and supplemental materials. The most recent additions are on Section GG: Functional Abilities and Goals Coding Workshop and Section D: Resident Mood Interview and Total Severity Score Coding Workshop.

LeadingAge PA continues to advocate for flexibility in meeting the new nursing facility staffing ratios and has been in conversation with the Department of Health (DOH) regarding the possibility for any exceptions that could be applied related to the new staffing ratios. DOH has asked if there are any providers currently self-limiting their census to stay within ratios (e.g., keeping census below a certain ratio threshold, despite having more beds available, to avoid needing an additional LPN or CNA on certain shifts). We need to hear from you if you are already doing this or considering taking this step. *** Please email Director of Regulatory Affairs Anna Warheit to share details about your situation (we will not disclose provider names to DOH, only anonymous examples of the challenges our members are facing) ***

LeadingAge PA was happy to help coordinate an opportunity to ensure our LIFE members’ voices were heard at a listening session on Aug. 23 focused on Pennsylvania’s development of a Master Plan for Older Adults. Representatives from the Department of Aging led the session, including Special Advisor to the Secretary, Kevin Hancock, who facilitated an informative and thoughtful conversation. Thank you to InnovAge for hosting and to the participants willing to share their personal experiences and concerns. We look forward to continuing this momentum to ensure Pennsylvania is best positioned to meet the needs of our growing older adult population, regardless of their age or stage of life.

HUD has increased its resources for communities to break down barriers to affordable housing. Tax policies, land use controls, zoning ordinances, building codes, fees and charges, and growth limits can each negatively impact a community’s ability to increase the supply of affordable housing. HUD has a bank of four webinars for affordable housing stakeholders to help identify and reduce or remove barriers. HUD has also issued a preview of an $85 million notice of funding opportunity for municipalities and other levels of government to proactively work to break down barriers to affordable housing. The grants, through a new Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) program funded in the fiscal year 2023 HUD appropriations bill, can also be used to address barriers such as a lack of community amenities and deteriorating infrastructure.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released 2021 data showing, “the number of elderly people with chronic patterns of homelessness increased by an alarming 73 percent” between 2019 and 2021. HUD also says that people are aging into chronic homelessness as well as experiencing homelessness for the first time when they are 65 or older. Nearly 10,000 more people aged 65 and older experienced sheltered homelessness in 2021 than in 2019. “While elderly people remain underrepresented among the sheltered population compared to the overall U.S. population, the increase in both the number and the share of the sheltered population that is elderly is concerning. A number of federal programs support elderly people, including housing programs targeted explicitly to that population, However, the increasing number of aging adults with chronic patterns of homelessness suggests that an expansion of resources is needed, including outreach and prevention efforts for aging adults at risk of housing insecurity,” the report says. Read the HUD report, the 2021 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress Part 2, here.