Gov. Tom Wolf this week was joined by legislators to call on Pennsylvania’s General Assembly to take immediate action in allocating the $1.7 billion in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to Pennsylvanians.
“Our commonwealth is sitting on billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief money that is meant to help our citizens,” said Gov. Wolf. “It is past time to use that money for its intended purpose – to improve the lives of Pennsylvanians. Like helping Pennsylvanians afford child care and after school care. We know the positive impact quality child care has on future generations, as well as the economic impact child care has on a guardian’s ability to remain employed. A lot of households across the commonwealth are still recovering financially from the pandemic, and this money would go a long way to helping the people who are still hurting.”
Earlier this month, Gov. Wolf proposed a $1.7 billion action plan including a diverse variety of programs that aimed to promote immediate and future success for Pennsylvanians.
• PA Opportunity Program, $500 million
Would provide much needed relief to workers and families from the high cost of childcare and household expenses and opportunities to complete a degree, credential, or license that will strengthen their skills and increase income — all leading to a better quality of life.
• Small Business Support, $225 million
The COVID Relief Statewide Small Business Assistance Program would provide grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to small businesses that have been economically impacted by the pandemic. Among other things, businesses can use these grants to cover operating expenses and access technical assistance, including training and guidance to stabilize and relaunch their businesses. The program would prioritize women- and minority-owned businesses and rural communities. Gov. Wolf proposes to recapitalize this program at $225 million to help approximately 11,000 additional businesses.
• Increased Property Relief for Low-Income
Renters & Homeowners, $204 million
To provide direct property tax relief to Pennsylvanians, Gov. Wolf wants to invest an additional $204 million into the existing Property Tax Rent Rebate program for a one-time bonus rebate to current program users. This investment would double existing rebates. An estimated 466,000 Pennsylvanians would receive an additional average rebate of $475.
• Support for Pennsylvania’s
health care system, $325 million
This investment would recognize healthcare workers for their heroic dedication and hard work throughout the pandemic and give healthcare providers resources to recruit and retain a skilled workforce:
$250 million for long-term care recruitment and retention incentives and workforce development initiatives to grow the critical healthcare workforce;
$40 million for the behavioral health workforce to expand county mental health programs; and
$35 million to expand the student loan forgiveness program at PHEAA to include additional critical healthcare workers.
• Investing in conservation, recreation
& preservation, $450 million
Pennsylvania must continue to invest in vital conservation, recreation, preservation, and community revitalization projects and address the threat of climate change. Gov. Wolf’s plan proposes new funding for the Growing Greener conservation and recreation program as well as for agriculture conservation programs, such as the Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program and the existing Agriculture Conservation Excellence Grant Program.
After experiencing record-breaking rainfall and flooding events this past year, this program would make Pennsylvania more resilient in the face of more extreme and frequent weather events caused by climate change. It would support our economy, enhance our communities, and improve quality of life for all Pennsylvanians.
100,000 older adults now eligible
to apply for prescription assistance
The Pennsylvania Department of Aging this week announced a new law that expands income eligibility limits for the Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly Needs Enhancement Tier (PACENET) program is now in effect.
Gov. Tom Wolf signed legislation into law in December 2021 that allows an additional 100,000 older adults to now become eligible to sign up for the program with enrollment beginning this month.
The law expands the PACENET income limits by $6,000:
• Singles: from $27,500 to $33,500
• Married: from $35,500 to $41,500
The PACE program offers comprehensive prescription coverage and currently has more than 250,000 older Pennsylvanians enrolled. Director Snedden noted that more than 11,000 older adults who had previously applied and were waiting for the new law to take effect have already received their benefits cards. Another 10,000 older adults are expected to enroll in 2022.
“With the continued growth of Pennsylvania’s senior population in the years to come, safety net programs, like PACE, become critically important to support and maintain,” said Secretary of Aging Robert Torres.
House Republicans demand vote on to
eliminate COVID-19 vaccine mandate
U,S, Rep. Fred Keller, R-Middleburg, and 56 House Republicans this week sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, urging her to schedule a vote on H.J. Res. 67, a measure that invokes the Congressional Review Act to eliminate the Biden administration’s and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) final rule mandating COVID vaccines for healthcare providers.
“We write to you regarding our concerns with the Biden Administration’s and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) final rule mandating COVID-19 vaccines for healthcare providers and respectfully request immediate consideration of H.J.Res 67, introduced by Representative Jeff Duncan on December 9, 2021,” said the lawmakers.
“This irresponsible mandate runs counter to the goal of ensuring access to quality care by forcing healthcare providers to choose between firing large chunks of their workforce or enduring crippling penalties that put essential Medicare and Medicaid funding at risk. Either way, these providers are losing and so are the millions of Americans who rely on the care they provide, especially rural communities where access to health care services is sometimes limited to begin with,” the lawmakers continued.
On the letter, Rep. Keller made the following statement:
“President Biden’s sweeping vaccine mandate on America’s healthcare providers is both overreaching and counterproductive to the goal of ensuring the availability of quality care in America, especially in rural communities. Many rural hospitals faced major challenges before the pandemic, and this mandate from the federal government would force them to close their doors permanently, leaving millions of Americans without accessible care. Vaccination is a personal decision and healthcare providers are uniquely qualified to make these determinations for themselves, rather than the president doing it for them.”
DMVA receives Pillar of Excellence
Award for PA VETConnect program
The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) this week received an Abraham Lincoln Pillars of Excellence Award from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for its PA VETConnect initiative.
Brig. Gen. (PA) Maureen Weigl, deputy adjutant general for Veterans Affairs, received the award on behalf of DMVA during the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs Mid-Winter Conference. The award was presented by Hon. Denis Richard McDonough, secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“Receiving this award validates the hard work that went into launching PA VETConnect,” said Weigl. “As the fourth largest veteran population in the nation, Pennsylvania is faced with the herculean challenge of identifying and connecting with nearly 800,000 veterans. PA VETConnect is making that happen. We are grateful to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for recognizing this initiative and by doing so, raising awareness for Pennsylvania veteran advocates looking for every resource available to help veterans and their families.”
PA VETConnect is an outreach program that enables the DMVA to concentrate services from within communities where Pennsylvania veterans live and allows the DMVA to utilize community-based providers to fill gaps in services. Since PA VETConnect launched in 2020, DMVA has successfully accomplished more than 16,000 connections with federal, state and local government officials, non-profit organizations, and community leaders.
“This initiative is known as a trusted channel among veteran advocates for gaining increased awareness of and connection to veteran-centric and mainstream resources that can assist veterans who are in crisis,” added Weigl.
The Abraham Lincoln Pillars of Excellence Award was established in 2012 by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to evaluate state programs, establish best practices for other state agencies to follow for greater success and efficiency, and highlight the great work being done at the state level.