“Campaign launched to reduce mental health stigma”

Article Link

This May 10, 2013 article on the whptv website talks about a campaign started by the Department of Public welfare to attempt to combat stigma surrounding mental illness.

Related articles

• Campaign launched to reduce mental health stigma (whptv.com)

 

“Dept. of Public Welfare name change bill wins House panel approval”

Article Link

This March 20, 2013 article on the Pennlive website talks about a bill that is gaining a foothold to change the name of the Department of Public Welfare to The Department of Human Services

“CMS Probes Sharp Drop in Pennsylvania Medicaid Rolls”

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (Medicaid administrator) logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Article Link

This article found on the Governing the states and localities website dated July 12, 2012, indicates that Pennsylvania is being investigated by the federal government in light of the dropping of over 100,000 Pennsylvanians from the Medicaid program during a time when the DPW was reporting they weren’t able to process the information they were receiving from clients efficiently.

Related articles

• Pa. questioned by feds over drop in Medicaid rolls (goerie.com)
• Feds question Pennsylvania over drop in Medicaid recipients (pennlive.com)
• Feds ask Pa. about Medicaid roll drop (timesleader.com)
• Federal agency asking about the sharp drop in Pa.’s Medicaid rolls (philly.com)
• U.S. agency asks about sharp drop in Pa.’s Medicaid rolls (philly.com)
• Federal Government Concerned over Pennsylvania’s Dropping Medicaid Rolls (essentialpublicradio.org)
• Pa. questioned by feds over drop in Medicaid rolls (timesleader.com)

“No Notice: DPW Memo Says General Assistance Benefits to be Eliminated Without Notice”

Link

This article found on the Housing Alliance website dated June 26, 2012 includes a copy of a memo from the PA DPW about General Cash Assistance

Below is a copy of a memo about the elimination of General Cash Assistance as of June 30, 2012

ops memo eliminating GA (1)

Related articles

• “Gov. Corbett’s easy attack on Pennsylvania’s weakest” (pamhi.wordpress.com)
• Penna.’s aid to the disabled, others in jeopardy (philly.com)
• Pa. to end program that ‘saved my life,’ man says (timesleader.com)

MHA in PA email release on PNA Raise

In a Wednesday, February 18, 2009 email sent out by the Mental Health Association in Pennsylvania (MHA PA) they are asking folks to send their appreciation for making the PNA  raise a reality.  The information below indicates that it did NOT cost the state anything extra to impliment this raise, so it is a win win kind of thing.

Pennsylvania residents of personal care homes living on SSI receive a personal needs allowance (PNA).  Despite an increase in living expenses, this amount has not changed since 1993. Until now.

When the federal government recently raised the SSI benefit for each individual by $37, Pennsylvania’s Department of Public Welfare issued a policy statement allowing individuals living in personal care homes to keep $25 of that money bringing the total amount of the personal needs allowance to $85. 

DPW’s decision does not cost the state more than it currently spends; and personal care homes do not lose any money.

This decision by Estelle Richman, DPW Secretary, was influenced by several lawmakers, notably Representatives Jim Marshall and Phyllis Mundy.

Please send the following email to Governor Rendell and Representatives Marshall and Mundy to let them know you are happy with this decision.

PNA increased from $60 to $85 per month

I have an exciting update for folks.  I have just found out that there is an increase in the personal needs allowance (PNA) for folks on SSI in personal care homes.  The increase isn’t what those of use who were advocating for the increase were hoping for but it is definitely and improvement for those who will be effected by it.  The increase is effective January 1, 2009 bringing the PNA up from $60 to  a new amount of $85

Hats off to all those who worked diligently to make this increase a reality!!

(Edited to remove non-functional links to documents belonging to outside sources and corrected a couple of spelling errors on 4/12/2014  Thank you to the reader who let me know about the issue with the links)