On September 4th, BSE Director Carole L. Clancy,  disseminated a PennLink memo titled 2020-21 School-Based ACCESS Program Statewide Training Sessions that, on behalf of  the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), announced the schedule for annual statewide training sessions offered to all participating School-Based Access Program (SBAP) teams.

This year, all training sessions will be held virtually on September 29, 2020 via Schoology. Local educational agencies (LEAs) will be able to view a pre-recorded session for each of the four training areas and then participate in a live Q&A with the speakers via Zoom. Registration is required; see instructions below. Participation is strongly encouraged. LEAs are encouraged to assign at least one representative to attend the training in order to receive important SBAP information. No downlink sites will be available.

Trainings will include:

• SBAP General Session led and presented by DHS. DHS team members will review policy highlights of SBAP, updates to the Provider Handbook, SBAP annual performance and claiming levels, and other important information and reminders. The DHS team will address flexibilities within SBAP to help navigate through the ongoing public health emergency.
• Compliance Session led and presented by DHS. DHS team members will review common errors found during SBAP record reviews, allowable telehealth services, and how to determine if your provider is currently licensed. 
• Optimizing Your SBAP Potential While Functioning in a Virtual Setting –  During this session, Public Consulting Group will focus on assisting participating LEAs in achieving compliance within the SBAP and managing operational changes associated to virtual participation.  LEA responsibilities impacting compliance include: Related Service Documentation: Ensure monitoring of service log entry, compliance information, and reimbursement levels; Random Moment Time Study: Ensure quality of staff pool positions, moment responses, and shifts; and Medicaid Administrative Claiming: Impact of annual Unrestricted Indirect Cost Rate.
• Understanding the SBAP Cost Reconciliation/Cost Settlement Process – During this session, Sivic Solutions Group will provide an overview of the cost reconciliation/cost settlement process. Cost-based reimbursement ensures that LEAs are appropriately reimbursed for the actual costs for the delivery of direct medical services to Medicaid eligible children. This training will emphasize 1) Accurate reporting of costs; 2) Guidelines for entering depreciation costs; 3) Understanding tuition reimbursement methodology; 4) Emergency preparedness recommendations; and 5) Potential impacts on Fiscal Year 19-20 cost settlement from the COVID-19 public health emergency.

These sessions are intended for ACCESS coordinators, special education directors and supervisors, business managers, and anyone else involved in SBAP.

Virtual training will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020 from 9AM to 3PM. Registration is required. Register online via the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) Training Calendar at http://www.pattan.net.  Contact Sharon Kennedy at [email protected] with any registration questions.

For content questions, contact DHS’ vendors at [email protected] or [email protected].