A Communication from the Policy Information Exchange
Volume 8, Number 2 Spring 2007 

It is the mission of the Policy Information Exchange to educate and inform Pennsylvanians with disabilities, their families and advocates, and the general public, regarding public policy issues and to further the exchange of policy information between the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council and federal, state and local policy makers.  The Policy Information Exchange is funded in part by the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council.

State News
Federal News
State and Federal
Resources
Conferences

 Slice of Pie, Vol. 8, No. 2 , PDF Format




STATE NEWS

Bills of Interest
Below we summarize some bills of interest to the disability community.  For more information about these or any other state bills, go to:  http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/session.cfm.
At the top of the page is a box labeled, "Find Legislation By", choose "Bill #", then enter the bill number and click on "Go".  This page also has a service that displays your Senator and Representative when you type in your full zip code in the box in the upper right corner.  There are new features and additional information available on the site.

H.B. 282. Introduced by Representative Petrone (D-Allegheny). The bill would establish a Mental Health and Mental Retardation Staff Member Loan Forgiveness Program and an Alcohol and Drug Addiction Counselor Loan Forgiveness Program. 

H.B. 360. Introduced by Representative Baker (R-Bradford). The bill would raise the amounts available to families under the Family Caregiver Support Act.  It was sent to the House Health and Human Services Committee on February 13, 2007.

H.B. 310. Introduced by Representative Boyd (R-Lancaster).  The bill provides for a tax credit program to support community-based mental retardation services.   It would give tax credits to businesses that donate goods and services to non-profit community mental retardation providers.  In the introductory "findings" section, the bill discusses the Olmstead decision.  It was sent to the House Finance Committee on February 7, 2007.

H.B. 361. Introduced by Representative Baker (R-Bradford). The bill would establish a system of protective services for adults between the ages of 18 and 59 who are abused or neglected. It was developed in consultation with a cross-disability coalition of consumers, advocates and family members. For more information, contact Judy Banks of the Disability Rights Network at jbanks@drnpa.org.  HB 361 was sent to the House Health and Human Services Committee on February 13, 2007.

H.B. 375.  Introduced by Representative Watson (R-Bucks).  Providing for the licensure and regulation of assisted living residences and for increases to the state supplement for people in personal care homes.   Also see HB 376 introduced by Rep. Watson which provides for admission and retention of consumers in personal care homes. Both bills were referred to the House Health and Human Services Committee on February 13, 2007.  See also SB 704 and articles in the State News and Resource sections below on personal care homes. 

H.B. 434. and H.B. 435.  Introduced by Representative Readshaw (D-Allegheny).  Both bills prohibit discrimination based on genetic information.  Both were sent to the House State Government Committee on February 26, 2007.  See also H.B. 486. Introduced by Representative Cohen (D-Philadelphia) which was referred to the House State Government Committee on February 26, 2007.

S.B. 583. Introduced by Senator Orie (R-Allegheny).  The bill would establish a minimum wage for full-time direct care employees of mental health and mental retardation programs.  It would require that as a condition for receipt of public funds, agencies certify that all direct care workers are paid based on a minimum entry-level annual wage of $18,000 or $8.65 per hour.  The bill was sent to the House Labor and Industry Committee on March 20, 2007.  

S.B. 704.   Introduced by Senator Pat Vance (R-Cumberland).  The bill provides for regulation of personal care homes and assisted living residences.  The bill has been sent to the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee on March 29, 2007.  See also HB 375 and articles in the State News and Resource sections below on personal care homes.

S.B. 751.  Introduced by Senator Mary Jo White (R-Venango). This bill would provide for Pennsylvania's implementation of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Atkins case outlawing the use of the death penalty for people with mental retardation.  It provides for pre-trial determination of mental retardation which is supported by many advocacy groups.  It was sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 9, 2007.

H.R. 159. Introduced by Representative Kenney (R-Montgomery).  This resolution would direct the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a comprehensive study on the waiting list for community-based mental retardation services.  It was sent to the House Health and Human Services Committee on March 22, 2007.

S.R. 60. Introduced by Senator Earll (R-Erie).  The resolution urges the Rendell Administration and the Secretary of Public Welfare to stop the planned move from a voluntary managed care system (HealthChoices) to a mandated fee-for-service system (Access Plus) for medical assistance recipients.  The resolution was adopted by a unanimous vote on March 26, 2007 and transmitted to the Governor.

Office of Developmental Programs
On February 7, 2007 the Secretary of Public Welfare, Estelle B. Richman, announced the creation of the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) through the reorganization of the Office of Mental Retardation and the establishment of a bureau for services to people with autism. Initially the ODP will house a Bureau of Mental Retardation and a Bureau of Autism Services, as well as support bureaus. Kevin Casey will continue as the deputy secretary of the Office of Developmental Programs and Nina Wall-Cote will serve as the director for the Bureau of Autism Services.

Personal Care Homes
The Department of Pubic Welfare (DPW) announced in March that 73% of the 1,589 personal care homes in Pennsylvania are operating with expired licenses and that additional staff are needed to correct the situation. The data were released in response to questions that DPW Secretary Richman received during a Senate confirmation hearing and follows a February series of articles by the Philadelphia Inquirer documenting deaths, abuse and lack of quality care in personal care homes.  At an April hearing by two House Committees, DPW Secretary Estelle Richman unveiled a plan to hire 30 retirees on a temporary basis to address the inspection backlog.  This will allow the Department's permanent inspectors, including a proposed 15 new hires this year, to address the more serious violations.  At the April hearing, personal care home operators testified about the difficulty in complying with new regulations, while advocates argued about the importance of the stricter regulations in addressing health and safety issues.  (See HB 375 and SB 704 in Bills of Interest above and, in the Resource section below, see information on a Developmental Disabilities Council Position Paper on Personal Care Homes.)

ODP Bulletins
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) circulated two draft bulletins and will consider comments received in developing the final bulletins.  One bulletin describes how Microboards can be used to meet the needs of individuals in the mental retardation services system. The other clarifies the rules for identifying surrogates and specifies circumstances under which health care decisions are made, and incorporates language from Act 169 of 2006. For information contact the Deputy Secretary's office at 717.787.3700.

BHCBS Policies
The Bureau of Home and Community Based Services (BHCBS) in the Office of Long Term Living in DPW has issued a policy clarification (BHCBS PC 007-01) on the use of non-medical transportation services in the CSPPPD waivers (OBRA, Independence and COMMCARE) effective on April 6, 2007. The clarification describes when non-medical transportation services are covered by the waivers and what information is needed in a person's Individual Service Plan (ISP) to support the provision of the service. It also describes situations in which waiver funds may not be used, e.g. vehicle purchase, rental or repair. For more information or a copy of the document, contact Brian Lester at 717.787.8091.

In March, the BHCBS issued two policy bulletins.  Bulletin 2007-HCBS-01 describes the enrollment process for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the BHCBS waiver programs.  The bulletin is effective March 16, 2007.  Bulletin 2007-HCBS-02 provides requirements for back-up documentation for fiscal records.  It is effective March 16, 2007 for CSPPPD providers and on July 1, 2007 for Attendant Care Waiver and Act 150 providers.  For more information, contact the BHCBS Policy and Quality Management Section at 717. 787.8091. 

Behavioral Health
On January 31, the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) and the Office of Medical Assistance Programs (OMAP) published a bulletin (OMHSAS-06-07) on the transfer of Behavioral Health Fee for Service (BH-FFS) from OMAP to OMHSAS. The effective date was August 15, 2006. To view the bulletin, go to  www.dpw.state.pa.us/General/Bulletins/
003673169.aspx?BulletinId=4050.

Financial Management Services
The Bureau of Home and Community Based Services (BHCBS) in the Office of Long Term Living in DPW has developed a definition, provider standards, and a rate for Financial Management Services (FMS) in the BHCBS waivers that assist individuals who use the self-directed consumer employer model. The renewal of the OBRA and Independence waivers last year included a commitment to develop a rate and service definition separate from the direct services rate. The Rate Structure workgroup of the Community Living Advisory committee (CLAC) worked with BHCBS staff to define the service. The rate will take effect in July, 2007. For more information, contact Carol Ranck at cranck@state.pa.us or 717.787.8091.

The Office of Developmental Programs has solicited technical proposals for a Multi-Step Invitation for Bid for the services of a Vendor Fiscal/Employer Agent (VF/EA) Financial Management Services (FMS) organization. It seeks to establish FMS across the state for people with mental retardation and their families who hire and control their direct care workers. More information is available on the DGS website at www.dgs.state.pa.us. To access the invitation directly, go to http://www.dgsweb.state.pa.us/comod/
ASP/details.asp?BidNo=CN00025516

Governor's Cabinet
The Administration has begun reviewing resumes for the position of Executive Director of the new Governor's Cabinet for People with Disabilities.  Guidance on the process for appointing members of the Advisory Committee to the new Cabinet is expected soon.  For more information on the Advisory Committee, contact Ginny Rogers at virrogers@state.pa.us.  For a copy of the Executive Order which created the Cabinet, go to http://www.oa.state.pa.us/oac/cwp/
view.asp?A=351&Q=211655.

MH Services Approved
On March 12, the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) announced that Mobile Mental Health Treatment (MMHT) and Peer Support Services have been approved by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) as Medicaid reimbursable services in Pennsylvania with an effective date of November 1, 2006. The MMHT bulletin Number 08-06-18 is on the Pennsylvania DPW website at http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/General/Bulletins/
003673169.aspx?BulletinDetailId=1537.  A final bulletin on Peer Support Services will be issued.

Aging Assessment
In February, representatives of the Department of Aging discussed proposed changes to the administrative structure for the process that is used to determine an applicant's eligibility for long term living services. Stakeholders expressed concern with the proposal to centralize assessments, including a fear that local access could be affected. The Department has subsequently announced it will not use this approach and committed to have further dialogue with the Area Agencies on Aging about how to make the assessment process better. The Administration is aiming to achieve consistency in eligibility determinations and to maximize funds available for direct services. For additional information, contact the Department of Aging at 717.783.1550.

Proposed State Budget
An analysis of the items of interest to the disability community in the Governor's proposed budget for 2007-08 by the Policy Information Exchange is available by contacting the PIE office.

FEDERAL NEWS

2007 Budget
With just one day to spare before the Continuing Resolution ended, Congress completed work on a spending package to fund most of the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year that began on October 1, 2006. President Bush signed the bill into law Feb. 15 (P.L. 110-5).  The bill includes funding for the nine appropriations bills that were not completed last year including those that fund human services. The amount is $1 billion higher than the 2006 spending level.

2007 Supplemental Appropriation
The House and Senate have passed different versions of an Emergency Supplemental Appropriation for the current fiscal year to fund the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.  This bill is in addition to the budget mentioned above that funds the rest of the government's programs. A conference committee must now be selected to work out the differences before it can go to the president who has indicated he will not sign it if it has a timeline for troop withdrawal in it.
 
Lifespan Respite Funding
Many Senators have requested full funding ($40 million) of the Lifespan Respite Care Act in the Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Resolution.  The Lifespan Respite Care Act, enacted last year but not funded in President Bush's FY 2008 budget request, will expand, through competitive grants, access to respite care, improve local coordination of services and help families obtain respite provider options and information. For information go to http://www.archrespite.org/index.htm.

2008 Budget
Both the Senate and the House passed Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Resolutions that contain provisions for "Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO)" rules for both new entitlement increases and tax cuts. The House and Senate Resolutions are similar on entitlement and domestic spending. Both Resolutions reject Bush Administration proposals to make substantial cuts to Medicaid and Medicare and both leave some room for significant increases to education and veterans health programs. Because there are some differences, the measures will go to a conference committee. For information about the President's proposed budget go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/budget/
BudgetFY2008.pdf. For information about "Pay-As-You-Go" visit the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities at http://www.cbpp.org/.

ADA Restoration
New legislation is expected that would clarify the definition of "disability" in the law and strengthen enforcement of the ADA. The ADA Restoration Act did not pass in the 109th Congress. Advocates have a petition encouraging the passage of such a measure, available at http://www.roadtofreedom.org/cs/what_you
_can_do/sign_ada_petition . For additional information, go to http://www.adawatch.org/.

Autism Services
The "Expanding the Promise for Individuals with Autism Act of 2007" (S. 937) has been introduced. The bill authorizes funding to expand and enhance effective interventions, supports and services to individuals with autism spectrum disorders and related developmental disabilities and their families.

Community Choice Act
Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced the Community Choice Act of 2007 (S. 799). The legislation would give people who are eligible for Medicaid-financed nursing home services or other institutional care equal access to community-based services and supports. The legislation also would help states develop their long-term care infrastructure and increase their ability to provide home and community-based services. The bill would create a demonstration project to evaluate service coordination and cost sharing for those eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare.

Mental Health Parity
The proposed Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007 (H.R. 1424.) amends the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 to eliminate provisions that create obstacles to health care for Americans with mental health and addiction disorders. The 1996 Act required equality only for annual and lifetime limits. H.R. 1424 requires equality across all terms of the health plan. The bill does not mandate that group health plans provide mental health coverage, and it does not apply to group health plans with fewer than 50 employees. A Senate bill, the proposed Mental Health Parity Act of 2007 (S. 558), was approved in February by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. This bill would mandate coverage of fewer conditions than those covered in the House bill.

In the Home Rule
The Medicare Independent Living Act (H.R. 1809) has been introduced by the Co-Chairs of the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus, Congressmen Langevin (D-RI) and Ramstad (R-MN). The bill would lift the "in the home" restriction on mobility devices for people with disabilities under Medicare Part B.  Currently, the law is interpreted by Medicare to restrict coverage of mobility devices to only equipment considered reasonable and necessary inside a person's home.  Under current policy, those who can manage inside their homes, but need a power wheelchair or scooter for use outside, are denied reimbursement. 

Hate Crimes Prevention
The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes PreventionAct has been reintroduced as H.R. 1592. It would grant agencies the authority to investigate and prosecute federal crimes based on the victim's disability, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, whether real or perceived, and would authorize funding to states to help with prosecution of hate crimes. A Senate version is expected to be introduced in April.

Genetic Nondiscrimination
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act known as GINA has been reintroduced as HR 493.The bill prohibits employers and health insurance companies from collecting genetic information and from requesting, requiring or buying such information. The White House has indicated support and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee has passed similar legislation (S 358).

Medicaid in School Settings
Legislation that clarifies how schools may use Medicaid funding for some transportation and certain administrative costs has been introduced. The bill is the Protecting Children's Health in Schools Act of 2007 (S. 578/H.R. 1017). It would also tighten reporting and documentation requirements to avoid abuse. This legislation was introduced in response to the Administration's FY 2007 and 2008 budgets which proposed to make major cuts through revised regulations for Medicaid services provided to eligible children in special education classes.

Stem Cell Research
Congress has been debating legislation which would lift or alter the restriction on stem-cell research enacted in 2001. The White House supported a bill (S.30) that allows the use of embryos with no chance of survival. It passed the Senate by a vote of 70-28. On April 11, the Senate passed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (S. 5) by a vote of 63-34.  S. 5 is modified from the version passed by the House in January (H.R. 3).  It not only seeks to overturn the Administration's ban on federal funding for research on new embryonic stem cell lines, but also includes language that encourages the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to pursue other forms of stem cell research. The legislation is expected to move to the House soon, where it is expected to pass.  A similar bill was passed but vetoed last year.

Direct Support Workers
The Direct Support Fairness & Security Act of 2007 (HR1279) has been introduced again. It would amend the Medicaid rules to increase wages to certain workers serving individuals with disabilities. For information go to http://www.whowillcare.net/
 

STATE AND FEDERAL

New Jobs

Nancy Thaler, former Deputy Secretary of PA's Office of Mental Retardation, has replaced Bob Gettings as the Executive Director of the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS).

In February, Governor Rendell accepted the resignation of Insurance Commissioner Diane Koken, and appointed Randolph Rohrbaugh of Lancaster County to serve as acting Insurance Commissioner.

Also in February, the Governor nominated Robin Wiessmann, to replace now U.S. Senator Bob Casey as Pennsylvania Treasurer.

Richard J. Gold, Esq. has been named Deputy Secretary of DPW's Office of Children Youth and Families.

Senator Vince Fumo (D-Philadelphia) has stepped down temporarily as Democratic Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee due to a federal indictment. Senator Gerry LaValle (D-Beaver) will serve as Acting Minority Chair of the Appropriations Committee. This shift also means that Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia) will take LaValle's place as the Senate Democratic Caucus Secretary.

RESOURCES

Advocacy Support

Under a grant from the Developmental Disabilities Council, the Disability Rights Network (DRN) of Pennsylvania has begun a new project, the Disability Advocacy Support Hub (DASH). DASH is aimed at supporting advocacy groups by providing training programs, a toll-free phone line for technical assistance and help with networking and coalition building. Staff and consultants will provide technical assistance on a broad range of subjects. DASH is surveying groups to determine training topics. Each year, DASH will select one group to receive intensive support. For more information, a copy of the training topics survey or to receive support for your group, contact DASH at dash@drnpa.org or 1.866.915.3274 (phone) or 1.877.375.7139 (TTY). DASH updates will be also circulated to the PIE e-mail lists.

Personal Care Homes Position Paper

The PA Developmental Disabilities Council (PADDC) recently released a position paper on Personal Care Homes in Pennsylvania. The paper describes the Council's values about housing options for people with disabilities and urges the development of new models. It outlines a number of problems with personal care homes and makes recommendations. A separate briefing paper describes personal care homes in more detail. The position paper and briefing paper are available at www.paddc.org and by calling the PIE office.

PA Primary Guide

The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Education Fund has prepared a Voters Guide for the May 15 municipal primary election. It can be viewed on their website at http://www.palwv.org/ click on "04/13/2007 - Voters Guide Statewide Candidate."

Legislative Info

The Pennsylvania Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) has begun a Legislative Watch.  The free email distributed each Friday provides a report on disability-related bills in the PA General Assembly that SILC is following.  In addition, a brief daily email describes any legislative action that occurred the previous day for bills being tracked. To receive the PA SILC Legislative Watch, send an email to Matt Seeley at mrseeley@pasilc.org .

Congressional Info

Open Congress is a new web resource to help people find bills and issues of interest and also to identify and connect with members of Congress. Open Congress is a non-profit, and non-partisan resource with a mission to help make Congress more transparent and to encourage civic engagement. Among the special features, you may subscribe to be notified when bills you are interested in are being debated. It's at http://www.opencongress.org/ .

Emergency Evacuation

A new Emergency Evacuation Planning Guide for People with Disabilities has been developed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The Guide is available at www.nfpa.org/evacuationguide .

PA Medicaid Reports

On February 13 the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee released a report on "Medicaid Reform Efforts in Other States and Their Applicability to PA." LBFC looked at changes in Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina and Vermont and reviewed current MA funding in Pennsylvania, recent cost containment measures, and the expansion of MA waivers. The report includes a response from the PA Department of Public Welfare. For a copy of the LBFC report go to http://lbfc.legis.state.pa.us/ and click on "What's New" or click on "Reports Released" and look under "Health and Welfare" listings.

The Pennsylvania Medicaid Policy Center (PMPC) has released a report called "Faces of the Pennsylvania Medicaid Program." The report looks at the structure and size of the Medicaid program in the state. It includes information by county. To read the report go to http://www.PAMedicaid.pitt.edu. The Web site is intended to serve as a clearinghouse for Pennsylvania Medicaid information, including publications and research, statewide and county data and relevant links.

UN Treaty Update

As of March 30, 81 countries have signed the U.N. convention that establishes the rights of the world's estimated 650 million people with disabilities. Only 19 more ratifications are needed before the convention comes into force. The convention requires countries to guarantee freedom from exploitation and abuse for people with disabilities, while protecting all current human and civil rights. According to the latest U.N. figures, about 10 percent of the world's population lives with a disability, making up the world's largest minority. The United States has said that it will not ratify the convention. To read the document, go to http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/
rights/convtexte.htm . To view or sign a petition urging the US to sign go to http://www.aapd-dc.org/UN/petition.html .

Individual Budgets

In its new report, "Beyond Cash and Counseling: The Second Generation of Individual Budget-Based Community Long Term Care Programs for the Elderly," the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured examines the growing number of states offering the individual budget model as a way to better meet people's needs and choice and to increase their ability to stay out of or to leave nursing homes. This follows the Cash and Counseling Demonstration of the late 1990s and the new option begun in January 2007 under the Deficit Reduction Act which allows states to offer an individual budget option for an expanded range of home- and community-based services in their Medicaid state plans without having to obtain a waiver from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The model replaces traditional Medicaid supports and agency-provided services and instead offers beneficiaries a budget that they manage to obtain home and community based services.  For a copy of the report, go to http://www.kff.org/medicaid/7579.cfm .

Accessible Technology

The Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology Advisory Committee (TEITAC) is charged with providing recommendations to the U.S. Access Board for standards for electronic and information technology under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and guidelines for telecommunications products under Section 255 of the Communications Act. Members of the public are permitted to make recommendations about accessibility to the subcommittees and to attend the full committee meetings. For more information, contact Jenifer Simpson at aapdjenifer@aol.com or go to http://www.teitac.org .

Voc Rehab

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report that looks at long term outcomes for people who get Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits and who were served by Vocational Rehabilitation (VR). This report looks at how many people got a job or made more money after getting VR services. It also reports how much they made and whether they eventually stopped getting benefits. The report can be found at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07332.pdf .

Advance Directives/End of Life

Two documents about End-of-Life issues have been released. The Department of Aging's report on Quality at the End of Life is available at http://www.aging.state.pa.us/ . And the Pennsylvania Medical Society's document, "Advance Health Care Directives and Health Care Decision-Making for Incompetent Patients: A guide to Act 169 of 2006 for physicians and other health care providers" is  available at http://www.pamedsoc.org/ in "Site Highlights."

Refer the Uninsured Project

The PA Health Law Project (PHLP) has started a new project for people who are uninsured that will screen all callers to find any insurance or free healthcare they may be able to get now, and notify them if new programs or assistance become available in the future. PHLP asks organizations to refer uninsured people to them at 800.274.3258 (voice) or 866.236.6310 (TTY).

Medicare & Medicaid

To help explain Medicare and Medicaid, the Kaiser Family Foundation has issued a new primer on the Medicare program and an updated version of its primer on the Medicaid program. Prepared by Kaiser staff, the primers provide an overview of the programs, who they serve, how the programs work and how they are financed. They can be accessed at http://www.kff.org/medicare/med031907pkg.cfm .

Medicaid and the Uninsured

The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured has issued a new report that looks at the role Medicaid plays in providing services for people with serious healthcare needs. It looks at the costs for six groups: children in foster care, premature babies, people with spinal cord or traumatic brain injuries, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and people with Alzheimer's disease. To read the report, go to http://www.kff.org/medicaid/7565.cfm .

CONFERENCES

Building Bridges
The Joint Committee on Older Persons with Mental Retardation will hold a cross-systems conference called Building Bridges on September 25 and 26, 2007 at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg/Hershey in Grantville, PA. For details, including CEU information, call the PA Association of Area Agencies on Aging at 717.541.4214 or email janet@p4a.org. The conference is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Departments of Aging and Public Welfare.

Transition Forum

The 2007 PA Community on Transition Forum will be held on July 18-20 at the Penn Stater Conference Center in State College, PA, for those who support post-school outcomes of youth with disabilities. For information, go to www.pattan.net .

AAIDD Conference
The Region IX Conference of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) will be held on September 6 and 7, 2007 at the Willow Valley Conference Center in Lancaster, PA. AAIDD was formerly known as AAMR. For information contact Michael Powanda at Mpowanda@keystonehumanservices.org. For information about the national organization go to http://www.aaidd.org/.

PAR Solutions Conference
The PA Association of Resources for People with Mental Retardation (PAR) will hold their annual conference on Oct. 29-31, 2007 at the Willow Valley Conference Center, Lancaster, PA for providers, policy-makers, families, self-advocates and others. To download a flyer, go to www.par.net  or call PAR at 717.236.2374.

Brain Injury Conference
The Brain Injury Association of PA will hold its 7th Annual Conference on June 25 and 26 in Harrisburg.  For more information about the Conference,  Building a Network of Supports, contact Amy Lucas at  717.657.7608 or alucas@parf.org or the resource line at 866.635.7097.

National Autism Conference
The 10th Annual National Autism Conference will be held at the Penn Stater Conference Center in State College, PA  on July 30 to August 3, 2007 for educators, providers and families to develop effective programs for students with autism spectrum disorders. For more information, go to http://www.outreach.psu.edu/Conference/autism/ .

The PIE Team:

Theotis Braddy, Consultant and Executive Director of CIL of Central Pennsylvania
Joan W. Martin, Executive Director, United Cerebral Palsy of Pennsylvania
Vini Portzline, Policy Specialist
Terry Roth, Consultant

• Contact the PIE Team with any questions, comments, suggestions, or with information to share at PIE, c/o UCP of PA, 908 North Second Street, Harrisburg, PA 17102, or toll free at 866-761-6129. Reach us by email at pie@ucpofpa.org.
  
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