Argall calls for action on the vacant White Haven Center

Senator Dave Argall on Monday called for the sale or repurposing of the vacant White Haven Center after hearing serious concerns from residents of surrounding communities about the lack of progress on the site.

The center was closed in 2023 by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services without community or legislative input. Since then, it has sat unused and empty, with taxpayers left to pay for the upkeep of vacant buildings.

“Taxpayers are insisting that the state return this site to productive use immediately,” said Argall, R-Pottsville. “Spending millions of taxpayer dollars each year on maintenance while its future is uncertain is completely irresponsible. If we do not receive a concrete plan from the Shapiro administration soon, we are prepared to take further legislative and legal action to force a solution.”

Argall highlighted the example of the former Allentown State Hospital as a worst-case scenario for a similar site. The building required millions of taxpayer dollars each year for maintenance and security until it was finally demolished in 2020 – 10 years after it closed.

Argall, along with Senators Scott Hutchinson (R-21) and Chris Gebhard (R-48), announced a bill to require the Pennsylvania Department of General Services to provide a detailed plan for the use of these properties.

The bill also addresses the Hamburg Center, which closed in 2018, and the Polk Center, which will close in 2023.

The law requires the administration to provide the legislature with accurate estimates of the annual costs of each property since the facilities were closed, the projected costs of each property if it is not sold, and the costs of demolishing or renovating the buildings at each property.

Major investments planned in the services sector for mental disability/autism

Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh spoke last week about the need for historic investments in Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposed 2024-25 budget that would increase the number of Pennsylvanians with access to ID/A services and support the professional staff who care for Pennsylvanians with ID/A.

“DHS is committed to ensuring our neighbors, friends, and loved ones with ID/A receive the services and support they need to navigate the community of their choice,” said Secretary Arkoosh. “But we know that too often we fall short of helping them achieve that goal. Governor Shapiro’s budget proposal affirms the dignity of all Pennsylvanians with ID/A by eliminating waitlists for services while investing in the value and importance of ID/A service providers and professional support workers.”

Shapiro’s budget proposal, which has bipartisan support, calls for investing $483 million in federal and state funds to provide more resources to home- and community-based service providers so they can raise the average starting wage from about $15 an hour to $17. A wage increase would attract and retain skilled workers to provide these essential services.

Shapiro announced late last year that DHS would review rates sooner than necessary to better support home- and community-based service providers and direct support professionals who dedicate their careers to helping people with disabilities in Pennsylvania. In addition, service providers received a one-time supplemental payment in June to help them recruit and retain workers.

Earlier this year, Shapiro directed DHS to immediately provide additional program capacity to counties so that an additional 1,650 Pennsylvania residents could receive services this year. The 2024-25 budget proposal will build on that, investing $78 million in federal and state funds to serve an additional 1,500 Pennsylvania residents in the next fiscal year.

If passed, Shapiro’s budget would increase the number of people with intellectual disabilities in Pennsylvania who can access home- and community-based services, kicking off a multi-year growth strategy to make Pennsylvania a national leader and end the adult emergency room wait list.

The Pennsylvania State Police is preparing information Card for people with autism

The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) this week encouraged people with autism to use a free safety resource designed to improve their interactions with police officers.

The PSP has officially begun distributing an information card that people with autism should carry with them and show at every encounter with the police.

“Behaviors associated with autism can present barriers to effective communication. This card can be presented to help break down those barriers,” said Colonel Christopher Paris, Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police. “When an officer learns that a person has autism, they can respond accordingly, resulting in a safer interaction for everyone involved.”

The PSP requires individuals with autism to present the information card during interactions with any police officer. The officer does not have to be a Pennsylvania State Police officer.

The information cards alert police officers that the person has autism and may therefore not speak, be disturbed by loud noises, be hypersensitive to touch, and not respond to commands or questions. Officers are instructed to be patient, use a calm and direct voice, and keep their questions and commands simple.

Colonel Paris and Governor Shapiro met with activists to discuss how law enforcement can better serve people with autism. PSP’s Office of Community Engagement developed the information card, which is available on the Safety Resources page of the PSP website.

Individuals can print the card from the website and carry it in their wallet or save it to their phone. Police will distribute the cards at public events.

The PSP recommends that people with autism present the information card during interactions with any police officer. The officer does not have to be a Pennsylvania State Police officer.

Treasurer Garrity announces improvements to the award-winning transparency portal

Treasury Secretary Stacy Garrity announced this week that new features have been added to the Treasury Department’s award-winning transparency portal, improving access to federal budget and spending details.

For the first time, users can now easily compare current fiscal year revenues with those of previous years. New features also include the ability to drill deeper into total and federal appropriations and easier navigation of the portal on both desktop and mobile devices, including quick links to budget details, revenue comparisons and federal appropriations.

“Transparency must always be a key objective of government, particularly when it comes to how taxpayers’ money is spent,” said Finance Minister Garrity. “As financial watchdog, I am always focused on increasing transparency and the Treasury Transparency Portal is a key part of that work. These new updates make it easier than ever for Commonwealth citizens to see where their money is going and hold their government to account.”

The new updates to the Transparency Portal include:

Sales comparison – Users can compare current fiscal year revenue with previous years’ revenue back to fiscal year 2018-19.

Federal funds – Users can see the funds received from the federal government and how they are used by the Commonwealth.

Easy access to fund details — A drop-down menu allows users to easily check the status of a specific fund (e.g. General Fund, Vehicle Registration Fund and Lottery Fund).

More options — When reviewing fund details, users can choose to view data for the last 1, 3 and 5 years (in addition to 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, year to date and all available data).

The Transparency Portal also includes tools for reviewing state budget details, the Fiscal Health Scorecard, which presents financial data comparing Pennsylvania to similar states, and the Treasury Checkbook, which discloses the Treasury Department’s payments to its vendors.

The user-friendly independent external audit process proves successful

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) announced this week that more than 100 Pennsylvania residents have successfully appealed denied claims through the department’s independent third-party review process for Pennsylvania residents who submit an eligible claim.

The independent third-party review process continues to support the Shapiro administration’s efforts to provide resources to protect Pennsylvania citizens and to make state government more accessible to all Pennsylvania citizens through the state’s new website, where the third-party review process can be accessed free of charge.

“Historically, too few people have challenged insurer denials through internal or independent third-party review processes, and we are pleased to see more Pennsylvanians exercising their right to appeal denials to ensure they receive the benefits they are entitled to; benefits they paid for,” said Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Michael Humphreys. “A consumer should not have to appeal a denial to receive clearly covered benefits.