Good Morning,
Yesterday, marked the two-year anniversary of the first reported Illinois (confirmed) case of COVID-19. I continue to be amazed and grateful for all of our families, caregivers and providers that are supporting individuals with I/DD each and every day and navigating difficult, and sometimes contradictory, choices. Thank you for all you do.
QUICK NOTES
- Per IDPH, the preliminary seven-day statewide COVID-19 positivity for cases as a percent of total test from January 14 - 20, 2022 is 11.9%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from January 14 - 20, 2022 is 15.3%
- Reminder: FREE testing resource with Midwest Coordination Center.
- Additional IDPH Testing Resources.
REMINDERS
Since it has been several weeks since we sent an update, we would like to remind stakeholders of the following:
- The public Comment period for the Adult Waiver renewal ends February 3, 2022. Don't wait until the last minute to comment!
- The Competitive Integrated Employment Capacity grant deadlines have been extended 2 weeks. Application deadline is February 15, 2022, Application Review is February 16 through March 16 and Anticipated Start Date is April 15, 2022. The three Respites due dates have been extended by two weeks, until March 4, 2022. You can find all our NOFOs on our DDD Grant page. Questions can be directed to DHS.DDDBCR@illinois.gov.
- DDD is asking people who are receiving home and community-based waiver services to fill out a survey to better understand your experiences in the community. If you have not already completed the survey, here is the HCBS Settings Survey in English. We also have translated documents! Please reach out to Meg Cooch for copies in Spanish, Chinese, Polish, Tagalog, Arabic and Hindi.
- The DDD Provider Training page has been updated and now includes direct links to available trainings, recorded webinars, training resources, new provider orientation and more.
HCBS SETTINGS PRE-SCREENING SURVEY DUE BY FEBRUARY 15, 2022
To fulfill the requirements of the HCBS Settings Rule, ALL provider controlled or owned sites including CILA, CDS, CGH, and CLF that receive HCBS waiver funding must be validated as compliant with the settings rule by March 2023. The first step is for all provider controlled or owned sites to fill out this pre-screening survey by February 15: Illinois HCBS Site Validation Survey.
For more information, background and resources on the HCBS Settings Rule, you can check out the Division of Developmental Disabilities HCBS Settings Rule Updates webpage. Check out the newly added HCBS Settings Toolkit with answers to frequently asked questions and promising practices. If you have questions, please email DHS.HCBS@illinois.gov.
IDPH CLARIFICATION FOR ICF/DDS
IDPH will not include offsite Community Day Service (CDS) program staff for purposes of determining an ICF/DD facility's compliance with the CMS federal vaccine mandate.
RESIDENTIAL USE OF ENHANCED RESIDENTIAL (FORMERLY AT-HOME*) DAY PROGRAM
The Division is extending the Blanket 37U until February 28, 2022 due to continued pandemic conditions. Current blanket extensions will automatically extend. If you have submitted the Enhanced Residential Day Program (37U) Blanket Request Submission Form, you do not need to resubmit a new form for each instance the CDS program is closed and/or individuals are in quarantine. Note: providers cannot require individuals to stay in the residential program and not attend their chosen CDS.
*With the Waiver amendment effective January 1, 2022, At- Home Day Program name was updated and changed to Enhanced Residential Day Program.
NATIONAL CORE INDICATORS STAFF STABILITY SURVEY
The Division is proud to announce that Illinois providers will once again be invited to participate in the National Core Indicators®-IDD (NCI®-IDD) Staff Stability Survey. The NCI®-IDD Staff Stability Survey gathers data on the workforce of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities age 18 and older. The information you provide is important to state policymakers and advocates who will use the data to guide decisions. This survey will ask about the status of your agency's DSP workforce employed between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021.
The survey will ask about:
- Types of services your organization provides,
- Length of DSP employment,
- Number of DSPs employed,
- Vacant positions,
- Wages,
- Benefits and
- Recruitment and retention strategies.
We hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to report your 2021 DSP workforce situation so that policymakers and advocates can base decisions on current Illinois data. This is your opportunity to be heard on a very crucial issue for DD/IDD providers. The link to the survey will be sent directly to the provider in early February 2022. If you have not received an introductory email, please contact DHS.BQM@illinois.gov to get on the survey invite list.
Take care,
- Allison V. Stark
- Director, Division of Developmental Disabilities
- Illinois Department of Human Services
- 600 East Ash-Building 400, Springfield, IL 62703
- Tel: (217) 782 -6803
The information contained herein should not be considered a substitute for the appropriate official statutes, rules, regulations, or the advice of legal counsel.
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