PUBLIC NOTICE: OCDD HCBS Focus Groups and General Stakeholder Meeting on Post-COVID-19 Waiver Exceptions

The Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities (OCDD) will be hosting Focus Group meetings regarding important Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waiver Flexibility. The Focus Group meetings are for stakeholders including individuals with developmental disabilities and their families who participate in one of the four OCDD Waivers, i.e., NOW, Children’s Choice, ROW, and Supports Waiver. During the Focus Group meetings OCDD will share their research and engage in a collaborative discussion with stakeholders on how they can best move forward with making three of the Appendix K COVID19 Exceptions permanent in the four OCDD waiver programs and in a manner that is in compliance with regulations. Each Focus Group meeting is limited to 25 participants, except for the General Stakeholder meeting scheduled for November 10th.

There are 3 Focus Group meetings scheduled, each with a different topics from which to choose, but you can only choose one:

• The use of legally responsible relatives and family members living in the same home as the participant to be paid caregivers,
• The suspension of the 16-hour rule (prohibiting caregivers from working more than 16 hours in a 24 hour time period), or
• The use of virtual visits for some services.

Following the focus group working meetings, OCDD will hold a general stakeholder meeting to provide the entire community with the plan for moving forward for all flexibilities that have been granted during the PHE. The general stakeholder meeting will take place on November 10, 2021 at 10:00 AM. You must register in advance of the webinar. Once you have registered you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Stakeholders will have an opportunity to submit questions and comments on the proposed changes following this meeting.

See the table below for more information and for links to register. As with the general meeting, you will receive a confirmation e-mail containing information about joining the meeting. Also, additional information will be in the attached document.

Group Topic	Meeting One	Meeting Two
Legally Responsible Relative as Paid Caregiver	October 25, 20214:00 PM to 6:00 PM	November 1, 20214:00 PM to 6:00 PM
16-hour Rule	October 26, 20214:00 PM to 6:00 PM	November 2, 20214:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Virtual Services	October 27, 20214:00 PM to 6:00 PM	October 29, 20214:00 PM to 6:00 PM
General Stakeholder Meeting	November 10, 2021 at 10:00 AM