PENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
PA Office of Developmental Programs (ODP)
PROGRAMS FOR
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (Adult)
IMPORTANT PROGRAM NOTICES
Please note that all PPL email addresses have changed. Our emails have changed from ending in @pcgus.com to ending in @pplfirst.com. Please change the end of any email you have on file for us to @pplfirst.com or check our Contact Us page to ensure your email will reach us.
Sign into MyAccount here! MyAccount has replaced BetterOnline in PA ODP.
PPL is excited to begin accepting new enrollments March 1, 2024. We look forward to scheduling enrollments then.
Running into rate or service issues? Not to worry. Remember you can create those missed shifts manually once the issue is resolved, click here for instructions.
Overview
The Pennsylvania Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) program assists individuals with an Intellectual Disability, Autism, and/or Developmental Disability who want to self-direct their services through the following Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Medicaid waivers:
• Consolidated Waiver
• Person/Family Directed Support Waiver
• Community Living Waiver
With Participant or Self-Direction, the participant has more control over the services they receive and the people who provide those services. The individual also has increased responsibility for managing their budget.
Participants/Common Law Employer can
Work with a Supports Coordinator to develop an Individual Support Plan (ISP) for their needs and individual goals.
Find, hire, manage, and dismiss your Support Service Professionals (SSP).
Use MyAccount to monitor your SSP’s hours and spending.
Use MyAccount or Time4Care to review, approve, and submit your SSP’s timesheets.
Choose a Support Service Professional (SSP), if additional support is needed
Purchase approved goods and services
Purchase Transportation (Mile) and Public Transportation.
Monitor spending in real time in MyAccount.
Services include
Payroll – We process payroll for your SSP using money from your budget.
Employment tax requirements – We handle all employment-related taxes for you, including federal, state, local, and unemployment.
Enrollment support – Assists with completing enrollment paperwork for the Participant/Common-Law Employer (CLE) and their SSP(s).
Customer service – Our friendly and professional customer service agents are available 6 days a week to help you with any questions.
Service reports – With our reports you’ll always have a clear picture of the services you’ve received.
Goods & Services – We process payments for goods and services purchased by the participants using their allocated budget funds
Self-Directed Care FAQ
Congratulations on signing up for self-direction! Here are answers to some questions we often get from participants and caregivers.
Answers for Participants, Common Law Employers (CLES) and your Support Service Professional (SSP):
Healthcare does love those TLAs (three-letter acronyms)! Here are some used in this FAQ:
SSP – Support Service Provider. Just a fancy way of saying care worker.
Participant – Person receiving services
CLE – Common Law Employer. As a participant in a self-determined care program, you become the employer of your SSP. You also may choose someone to be the employer.
There are user guides for CLEs and SSPs towards the bottom of the PA ODP program info page on our website.
Any changes can be made directly in MyAccount.
Answers for participants and CLEs (Common Law Employers):
Just use the support broker choice form on the website and send it to the email shown.
Answers for SSPs (Support Service Providers):
The amount of tax withheld from your paycheck is based on the information and deductions you entered on the W-4 when you enrolled in the program. The amount of withholding can be changed at any time by filing another W-4 with new information about your dependents and filing status. Taxes may be affected if you are related to the participant. You enter information in MyAccount that determines whether the relationship between yourself and your employer exempts you from federal and state taxes. This is a federal rule.
Please ask a tax consultant for more information about tax deductions.
These changes can be made right in MyAccount.
Authorized overtime (over 40 hours a week) is paid at 50% of the regular pay rate. Your pay stub has one line showing the amount of regular pay, and another for the 50% overtime pay.
When two staff are working with one participant at the same time, staff must clock in and out at the exact same time. If you do not, the shift will pend and your employer will need to reject it for you to correct. This is a program rule.
PPL encourages you to sign-up for direct deposit. You will receive a physical check for your first payment. Once that check clears, future payments will be direct deposit.
Most errors will be flagged when you enter your time into the Time4Care mobile app. It’s easiest to make any corrections at this point.
If an error sneaks though, don’t panic! Notify your employer as soon as possible. They can reject the timesheet so you can make corrections.
Mileage should be entered in MyAccount, this ensures accurate and prompt payment. More info can be found in the MyAccount ODP Provider Guide. If you are a CLE submitting mileage, you must use the reimbursement form on the website.
Important Transition Dates
January 8- PPL transition/enrollment paperwork begins
January – Live webinars for MyAccount login and transition paperwork
February – Orientation live webinars for Time4Care
March 9 – Last time submission PALCO
March 10 – Begin submitting time in Time4Care
March 22 – Last payment from PALCO
April 5 – First payment from PPL
Webinars
Check out a recording of a previous presentation:
Participants-Common Law Employers (CLE) Session A Recording
Check out the presentations from previous sessions:
Participants-Common Law Employers (CLE) Session A Presentation
How to get started
Are you wondering if self-direction is right for you or your loved one?
Time4Care™
Both participants (employers) and caregivers (employees) have lots of timekeeping to do when working in a self-direction program.
Time4Care is our highly rated mobile solution for Apple and Android smart devices.
Reminders to submit timesheets
Timesheet submission and approval alerts
Timesheet error checking
Offline time entry
Simple calendar interface
Privacy features
Documentation
Instant timesheet approval
Works right in the MyAccount/BetterOnline portal
Log in
Select the system your program uses to go to the login page.
Time4Care™
Log time and review, approve, and submit timesheets with ease.
Learn more about the benefits of Time4Care
Download on App Store Download on Google PlayOur complete web app that puts everything you need as a self-director (or case manager, or caregiver!) right at your fingertips.
MyAccount
MyAccount has everything you need to make sure your self-direction journey is a success. Designed for participants and caregivers, it lets you complete and check all required paperwork, timesheets, budgets and spending, with a focus on making the enrollment process easy.
It’ll make smooth sailing of any choppy waters you encounter while you’re getting set up, giving you the answers and forms you need, right when you need them.
Program Documents
FILTER DOCUMENTS
Payroll Documents
Goods And Services Request Form NEW Mileage Reimbursement Instructions NEW PA ODP Invoice Schedule 2024 NEW PA ODP PAPER RATE SHEET NEW PA ODP Paper Rate Sheet Instructions NEW PA ODP Pay Schedule 2024 Purchasing Goods and Some Services Instructions NEW Temporary Transportation Mileage Log NEW Uber Rideshare Request Form NEW Vendor Service Descriptions Sheet NEW Vendor Services NEWReferral & Enrollment Process
Septa Request Form NEW Support Broker Choice Form NEW Temporary Participant Referral Form NEWProcedures & Information
Complaint/Grievance Form NEW ODP CLE Welcome Letter ODP SSP Welcome Letter PA ODP CLE Session A Presentation NEW PA ODP SSP Session B Presentation NEW PPL ODP Complaint and Grievance Form NEW Support Broker Choice Form Welcome Page FAQMyAccount
MyAccount ODP Guide for Vendors NEW MyAccount ODP Participant Guide MyAccount ODP Provider Guide PA ODP MyAccount Guide for Administrators NEW Resetting Your Password NEWTime4Care™
PA ODP Time4care Tips NEW Time4Care – Create a Manual Entry NEW Time4Care EVV Quick Guide NEWTrainings & How to Guides
PPL New Employer Training NEWContact Information
Customer Service / General Questions:
1-800-249-0861
Customer Service Email:
PAODP-CS@pplfirst.com