Updates and Announcements

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COVID-19 Information

DDD guidance documents related to COVID-19 are found on the DHS Coronavirus Information webpage, in the Division of Developmental Disabilities section.

Please see the DDD Public and Quarterly Meetings page to register for upcoming DDD Update Webinars and to review past webinars.

2023

DHS OPIA Bulletin - Resume Employee On-Boarding

With an increased availability of fingerprinting appointments, the Office of Program Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) will be returning to normal onboarding requirements of direct support professionals and self-directed employees effective May 15, 2023.  OPIA will continue the temporary clearance process until then.

Effective May 15, 2023, new hires must complete onboarding requirements prior to employment and OPIA’s Employment Controls and Compliance Unit (ECCU) will no longer process emergency requests for hire.  For employees who have already begun employment based on emergency approval prior to May 15, 2023, employers will have until June 15, 2023, to complete criminal background checks via fingerprinting.

Read the full bulletin here:  OPIA Bulletin-Resume On-Boarding 3.17.2023.pdf (state.nj.us)

 

Human Rights Committee (HRC) Referral Form and Launch of the HRC helpdesk

This communication is being sent to alert you that a revision has been made to the Human Rights Committee (HRC) Referral Form. The revision includes the creation of a dedicated email address that HRC Referrals/information are to be directed to.  The form is available for immediate use on the Division’s Provider Information webpage in the Provider Toolkit section.  A direct link to the form can be found here.

Effective immediately, all referrals and HRC related information (as outlined in Division Circular #5), as well as questions should be directed to new email address which is DDD.HRC@dhs.nj.gov.

 

DHS Offers Webinar on Newly Released Regulations

The DHS Office of Licensing, within the Office of Program Integrity and Accountability, is offering a webinar on February 14th to review recent changes published in the New Jersey Register to N.J.A.C. 10:44A Standards for Community Residences for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities and N.J.A.C. 10:44C Standards for Community Residences for Persons with Head Injuries for interested stakeholders.  Please register using the below information:

  • Topic: Overview of Changes to N.J.A.C. 10:44A Standards for Community Residences for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities and N.J.A.C. 10:44C Standards for Community Residences for Persons with Head Injuries
  • Date/Time: February 14, 2023 from 10:30am to 12pm.
  • Registration Link: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6734411292462181722

 

On Behalf of the Division of Disability Services - Funding Opportunity

The Department of Human Services’ Division of Disability Services (DDS) has released Round 3 of its Inclusive Healthy Communities (IHC) Grant Program.  The IHC Grant Program is designed to advance efforts that result in tangible and sustainable transformation of policies, systems, and environmental conditions to ensure that people with disabilities benefit from efforts to build healthy communities. DDS proudly announces that the Request for Proposals (RFP) for a 3rd funding cycle is now available.

Stakeholders interested in submitting a proposal are directed to inclusivehealthycommunities.org/resources for more information.  When reviewing, please note required deadlines for timely submission.

 

Information Sessions on Division of Developmental Disabilities Self-Directed Employee Models

As you may be aware, the Division offers two Self-Directed Employee (SDE) Models that individuals electing to self-direct their services can use.  These are the Vendor Fiscal/Employer Agent Model administered by Public Partnerships, LLC and the Agency with Choice Model administered by Easterseals NJ.   In response to continued interest on the topic informational webinars are once again being offered.  Please register below for these opportunities. 

The Division’s website on Self-Directed Services also contains valuable information on these models.  Please click here for more information. 

 

Community Care Program and Supports Program Manuals

The Division has updated program manuals for its Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Waivers, the Community Care Program and Supports Program.  A summary of all changes can be found on page two of each respective manual, with detail in the respective section indicated.  The February 23rd DDD Update Webinar (Registration link found here) will provide a detailed overview of the changes.  While all updates are important, the Division wishes to highlight the below change that will be of interest to Support Coordinators and individuals utilizing Self-Directed Employees (SDEs). 

Self-Directed Employee (SDE) Wages – To date, the Division’s policy had been that SDE wages were to be Reasonable and Customary - being between the prevailing minimum wage and $25 per hour, with wages above that range being permitted in limited circumstances.  Those limited circumstances were not sufficiently detailed so Section 8.3.2.0.1 and 8.3.2.0.2 have been added program manuals to better detail how SDE wages are arrived at.  In summary, the new policy still allows the Reasonable and Customary wage range of the prevailing minimum wage to $25 per hour.  However, it now details two additional defined Enhanced Reasonable and Customary wage ranges depending on the documented needs of the individual and education of the SDE.  Please see the Community Care Program or Supports Program Manual for more detail.

Each manual can be found at (Please hit Refresh on your browser to be sure you are viewing the most recent version):

 

Webinar - DHS OPIA Introduction to the DDD Licensed Provider Report Card

Effective February 1, 2023, the Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Office of Program Integrity and Accountability is replacing the current Risk Management Report with a newly designed, user-friendly Report Card. This webinar will introduce the Report Card and it’s components. The target audience is the DDD stakeholder community, licensed community providers and individuals/families residing in DHS licensed settings.

Monday, January 23, 2023 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST

Register here

 

DDD is Currently Conducting the 2022-2023 NCI In-Person Survey

We are pleased to share that in 2023 the Division will again administer National Core Indicators (NCI) surveys for individuals and their families and guardians. Beginning in this month, Division staff will begin outreach to individuals and families to request voluntary participation in one of the following surveys:

  • In-Person Survey – for individuals 21 and older who are receiving at least one Division-funded service in addition to Support Coordination.
  • Adult Family Survey – an online survey for family members who have an adult (21 years or older) with an intellectual/developmental disability who lives in the family home and receives at least one DDD service in addition to Support Coordination. 
  • Family/Guardian Survey – an online survey for family members/guardians who have an adult (21 years or older) with an intellectual/developmental disability who lives outside of the family home and receives at least one DDD service in addition to Support Coordination.

Please see the Division’s NCI Survey Overview for more information.

 

Message from the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services

The Division is re-broadcasting the below message from the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS).  The message explains that beginning April 1, 2023 all States, including New Jersey, are required to resume their Medicaid Eligibility Processes.  The Division recommends that stakeholders review this material, especially the Frequently Asked Questions found at the Community Toolkit link below.

Dear NJ FamilyCare community,

 I hope you have enjoyed a happy and healthy holiday season.  As many of you know, we had been anticipating an announcement from the federal government about the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE).  Late in 2022, we began to hear that Congress might separate the Medicaid continuous enrollment requirement from the ongoing PHE – and they in fact did so in late December, in the omnibus spending bill signed into law by President Biden on December 29, 2022.  As a result, while the PHE continues, states are now required to resume Medicaid eligibility processes beginning April 1, 2023. 

 We are anticipating guidance from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in early January, and we will be prepared to share an update with you at our February 1 meeting of the Medical Assistance Advisory Council.  We will also be updating our StayCoveredNJ website, removing references to the end of the PHE and clearly stating the April 1 date for when eligibility processes will resume.  Please visit our Community Toolkit page for posters in English, Spanish, and 19 other languages.

 In the meantime, here are the two most important things for our NJ FamilyCare members to know:

  • Make sure NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid has your correct mailing address
    • Members can confirm or update their contact information by calling NJ FamilyCare at 1-800-701-0710 (TTY: 711). NJ FamilyCare will use this information to communicate with members about their healthcare coverage.
  • Respond to mail from NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid
    • Members need to look for and respond to mail from the State of New Jersey or their local County Board of Social Services. If NJ FamilyCare requests information, they need to respond right away to avoid a gap in their NJ FamilyCare coverage.

 On behalf of the whole DMAHS team, I wish you happiness and health in 2023.  We look forward to working together with you to serve people the best way possible in the months ahead!

Jennifer Langer Jacobs (she/her)
Assistant Commissioner, Division of Medical Assistance & Health Services
NJ Department of Human Services
 

For archived updates by calendar year, please review the below: