To: Gene DiGirolamo, Chair, House Health and Human Services Committee and Patricia H. Vance, Senate Chair, Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee
Experience Matters: Why Being a Qualified Service Coordinator is About More Than Just Educational...
Before rolling out Managed Care in Pennsylvania, it is essential that the proposed credentialing requirements for Service Coordinators be modified to include past experience as a qualifying credential for this position.
Under the current proposed credentialing requirements, 51% of Service Coordinators and 86% of Service Coordinator Supervisors in PA would be impacted by these changes, thus only further interrupting the lives of thousands of people with disabilities across the Common Wealth.
Under the current proposed credentialing requirements, 51% of Service Coordinators and 86% of Service Coordinator Supervisors in PA would be impacted by these changes, thus only further interrupting the lives of thousands of people with disabilities across the Common Wealth.
Why is this important?
As Consumers of Supports Coordinators and Advocates and Allies of People with Disabilities, we are extremely concerned about the proposed credentialing requirements for Supports Coordinators and their Supervisors that was recently released in the MLTSS RFP. These new requirements will directly impact the independent living of thousands of consumers across the Common Wealth of PA. These requirements will destroy the current workforce, resulting in lost payroll tax revenue and increase unemployment rates.
These Service Coordinators are in constant communication with people with disabilities to coordinate services, prevent nursing home admissions, provide information and referral for community assistance, and to coordinate home modifications and personal attendant services. It is imperative that the person in this role understand the lives of people with disabilities, which cannot always be taught in a text book. By requiring such credentialing, you are treating people with disabilities as a medical diagnosis, rather than individuals trying to navigate a system that was not created for them. In this case, a higher level of education does not equal better service coordination and delivery.
These Service Coordinators are in constant communication with people with disabilities to coordinate services, prevent nursing home admissions, provide information and referral for community assistance, and to coordinate home modifications and personal attendant services. It is imperative that the person in this role understand the lives of people with disabilities, which cannot always be taught in a text book. By requiring such credentialing, you are treating people with disabilities as a medical diagnosis, rather than individuals trying to navigate a system that was not created for them. In this case, a higher level of education does not equal better service coordination and delivery.