Rehabilitation & Community Providers Association

06/16/2026

The Education Department plans to move the offices that oversee special education services and civil rights out of the agency, part of the Trump administration’s effort to close the department by moving all its functions to other parts of the government, three people briefed on the plan said Tuesday.

The moves, three people briefed on the plan say, are part of an effort to close the department by moving its functions to other parts of the government.

06/16/2026

Pennsylvania’s state budget is failing to keep up with the housing, healthcare, nutritional and other needs of a growing population of senior citizens, according to witnesses who spoke at a Friday hearing in Elizabethtown convened by Democratic legislators.

Pennsylvania’s state budget is failing to keep up with the housing, healthcare, nutritional and other needs of a growing population of senior citizens, according to witnesses who spoke at a

06/16/2026

Tianeptine, which is legally prescribed as an antidepressant in some countries, is federally unregulated in America and sold in gas stations and head shops across the commonwealth. It produces opioid-like effects in high doses, and can also cause addiction, seizures, psychosis and loss of consciousness, according to the Partnership to End Addiction.

It produces opioid-like effects in high doses, and can also cause addiction, seizures, psychosis and loss of consciousness, according to the Partnership to End Addiction.

06/16/2026

Last year, Congress and the Trump administration approved legislation creating additional work requirements for Medicaid participants and mandating $990 billion in cuts to the program over the next 10 years.

State officials don’t have an estimate of how many Pennsylvania children will lose health coverage when federal changes to Medicaid kick in.

06/16/2026

Those between the ages of 19 and 64 will have to have their Medicaid eligibility checked by completing a renewal every six months instead of every year, beginning January 1, 2027. If you are currently on Medicaid, your current renewal date will remain the same and will be shortened after it’s renewed, according to the DHS.

(WHTM) — The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services is alerting about changes coming to Medicaid next year. Those between the ages of 19 and 64 will have to have their Medicaid eligibility…

06/16/2026

Cuts to developmental disability services in one state will soon mean that the maximum many caregivers can be paid will drop about 25% putting families already struggling to find help in a tough spot.

Cuts to developmental disability services in one state will soon mean that the maximum many caregivers can be paid will drop about 25% putting families already struggling to find help in a tough spot.

06/16/2026

A new federal rule requires airlines to take steps to ensure that they are prepared to assist passengers with disabilities and carriers have just a few more days to comply.

A new federal rule requires airlines to take steps to ensure that they are prepared to assist passengers with disabilities and carriers have just a few more days to comply.

06/16/2026

RCPA staff Jim Sharp and Emma Sharp had the pleasure to meet with The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh President/CEO Johanna Vidal-Phelan, MD, MBA and Vice President of Child and Family Services Bethany Douglas, and visit the facility in Pittsburgh, PA. One of the highlights was the new outdoor therapeutic playground that features climbing structures, a sports court, and sensory elements designed to support physical and developmental goals. RCPA is proud to partner with the amazing work of the Children’s Institute.

06/15/2026

Seven years after Pennsylvania opened its first online casino, academics and government regulators in Pennsylvania say there are increasingly worrying signs that a rising tide of gambling addiction in Pennsylvania is becoming a public health crisis. They say it’s not unlike the opioid crisis in the speed and savagery with which it is tearing through families. And some fear the commonwealth’s response reflects an unwillingness to admit how bad it’s gotten.

Some experts say there’s growing evidence that gambling addiction is tearing apart Pennsylvania families faster than any of the existing efforts can help them.

06/15/2026

State Treasurer Stacy Garrity announced the initiative, which allows cryptocurrency and other digital assets to be used to purchase digital gift cards redeemable for contributions to Pennsylvania’s college and disability savings programs.

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania has become the first state to allow contributions to state-administered education and disability savings programs through gift cards purchased with cryptocurrency, a move state officials say …