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Lifespan Waiver Information Presentations
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has been developing the Lifespan waiver for several years, with significant involvement from the disability community, including people with disabilities, their families, advocates and providers. As the process moves forward, the Department anticipates posting the Department-approved waiver draft for public comment in the near future. In advance of that opportunity for public comment, the Department is offering two presentations to help inform the community and provide updates on the Lifespan waiver. The Lifespan waiver is designed to better meet the long-term needs in the service system that people with disabilities, their families, advocates and providers have identified. The goals of the new waiver include assisting individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and/or Autism and their families in ways that:
If you need an accommodation or support to take part in one or more of these meetings, please contact [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you all and working together to improve services. ~ The OADS Team Maine Parent Federation & Maternal and Child Health Annual Conference Save the Date March 17th, 2026 Registration Email Coming Soon!!! Disability Services Reportable Events Trainings Sections 21 and 29The Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) Reportable Events trainings for 2026 are now open for registration. After the event, attendees who are present for the required minimum amount of time will receive a certificate of attendance.
Note: Each attendee must register and use their unique link to join the sessions to receive a certificate of attendance. Using another attendee’s unique login link will result in your attendance not being recorded. 2026 Intro to Reportable Events Training Dates: This introduction to reportable events training is for Providers and Case Managers of individuals receiving Section 21 and 29 services. Goals of the session include understanding your reporting requirements, best practices for writing a narrative, and answering questions. The OADS Quality Assurance team is hosting this Zoom training twice per quarter.
2026 Reportable Events Provider Follow-Up Training Dates: This training is for Providers responsible for completing Reportable Events Follow-Up reports and will introduce Root Cause Analysis and Quality Improvement. The OADS Quality Assurance team is hosting this Zoom training once per quarter.
For all sessions: If you require accommodation, such as real-time transcription and captioning (CART), American Sign Language (ASL), or other language interpretation, please contact April Keyes by email [email protected] at least two weeks before the session you plan to attend. Please contact [email protected] with any questions about Reportable Events training. PDF versions of the PowerPoint presentations will be available on the OADS website at: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/oads/providers/adults-with-intellectual-disability-and-autism/reportable-events Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) CAHPS® Survey Results
The Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) recently completed the Home and Community-Based Services - Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCBS CAHPS®) survey. This survey asks waiver members about their experiences with long term services and supports in Maine. The HCBS CAHPS® survey feedback collected is used to inform future quality assurance and improvement efforts. We were fortunate to have nearly 2,000 individuals receiving Maine HCBS waiver services participate in this survey. The 2025 HCBS CAHPS® survey results are now available on our website. Find these results and more information on our website. DHHS-OADS: Attention Providers of Section 13, 18, 20, 21, 29, and 97 Appendix F – IID/Autism11/26/2025 OADS Licensing Guidance and Review Tools Webinars As you may know, the way providers of developmental disabilities services are licensed is changing as of late 2025. Moving forward, all agencies that provide case management, group home, shared living, day, and employment services are required to be licensed by the Division of Certification and Licensing (DLC). The Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) and DLC will jointly oversee the licensing process. Licensing standards include administrative requirements, physical plant requirements, and program standards. These licenses are service-specific, meaning that different standards will apply to a provider agency based on the type of services that agency provides. To help agencies prepare to transition to the new licensing system, OADS is holding a series of webinars:
We look forward to seeing you all and getting ready for a smooth transition! ~ The OADS Team Forwarded from Maine Disability Alerts:
Contact Congress to protect Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Please see the town hall and toolkit to protect children with disabilities and consider contacting federal Senators and Representatives about saving special ed.
From Maine Disability Alerts:
Dear Friends of Mainers with Disabilities, Sorry for this late request for action, but please act on it TODAY (Wed 10/22) - and please feel free to forward to allies who might also act today. Rep Sean Faircloth has introduced a "bill request" LR 2694 "An Act to Criminalize Intentional or Knowing Failure to Make a Report, Preventing a Report and Making a False Report of Abuse or Neglect". The bill will be considered at 9 am Thursday, 10/23, by Maine's Legislative Council for whether they will admit its introduction in the 2026 legislative session. In order for them to admit it, they have to deem it an emergency. This bill was inspired directly by Hampden case - and in particular by reports that some mandated reporters failed to report abuse. (See the Bangor Daily News article from earlier this year for more information on the case: https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/05/13/bangor/bangor-police-courts/lee-residential-care-hampden-maine-concealed-abuse-victims-family-says-lawsuit-joam40zk0w/) Maine currently has NO CRIMINAL PENALTY for a mandated reporter failing to report abuse and NO CRIMINAL PENALTY for blocking a report of abuse of children or adults w disabilities. (The only penalty is a $500 civil fine.) Rep Faircloth's bill would fix that. (It would also create a penalty for false report.) Please email EVERY MEMBER OF LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY to ask them to vote in favor of introducing LR 2694 "An Act to Criminalize Intentional or Knowing Failure to Make a Report, Preventing a Report and Making a False Report of Abuse or Neglect" as an emergency bill in the upcoming 2026 legislative session. Please also briefly explain why this bill is important to you. Please also ask your own senate and rep to contact members of legislative council from their own party to request that they support introduction of this important bill. thank you! Contact info for the 10 legislature council members: House Speaker Ryan Fecteau (D) [email protected] Senate President Mattea Daughtry (D) [email protected] Sen Teresa Pierce (D) [email protected] Sen Jill Duson (D) [email protected] Sen Trey Stewart (R) [email protected] Sen Matt Harrington (R) [email protected] Rep Matt Moonen (D) [email protected] Rep Lori Gramlich (D) [email protected] Rep Billy Bob Faulkingham (R) [email protected] Rep Katrina Smith (R) [email protected] You can get email addresses of your own rep at https://legislature.maine.gov/house/house/MemberProfiles/ListEmail You can get email addresses of your own senator at https://legislature.maine.gov/senate-home-page/find-your-state-senator We would like to inform you of an important change regarding the review process for requests for Individual Goods and Services for Members with self-direction services under Section 29 of the MaineCare Benefits Manual.
Effective the week of October 14, 2025, the OADS Clinical Review Team/ Resource Coordinators will assume responsibility for reviewing Section 29 Individual Goods and Services request forms. This change is being implemented to support consistency and continued alignment with reviews of services for timely prior authorization and approval of individual goods and services consistent with current practices. We thank you for your continued support in empowering individuals to direct their own services. Self-direction offers people the opportunity to have greater choice and control over the services and supports they receive, allowing them to live the lives they choose in their homes and communities. It reflects the values of dignity, independence, and community inclusion. Self-direction places the individual in the “driver’s seat,” giving them decision making authority over what services they use, who provides them, when and where they’re delivered, and how they are carried out. At this time, we encourage you to review the MaineCare Benefits Manual, Section 29, Chapter II, with a particular focus on the self-direction workflows and requirements. Please ensure you are familiar with the roles and responsibilities of the member/employer, the Financial Management Service, the Supports Broker, and the Case Manager in facilitating self-directed services. To support your review, please see the following links to resources:
If you have any questions or need further clarification, please email [email protected]. Thank you for your ongoing partnership in supporting individuals through self-directed services. Money Follows the Person (MFP) Stakeholder Informational Meeting
The Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration supports long-term services and supports (LTSS) rebalancing efforts under the Medicaid program to advance LTSS system reform and to support successful transitions from institutional to community-based settings for individuals eligible for Medicaid LTSS. Maine’s MFP project known as Homeward Bound is available to eligible individuals living in institutional settings and offers an opportunity to transition to participating Home and Community Base Services (HCBS) waivers under MaineCare (S18, S19 or S20). Interested parties are invited to participate in an informational meeting to learn more about program offerings and current status on Friday, October 24th 11:30-12:30. Click here to Register! Forwarded Call to Action from Maine Parent Federation: Department of Education Reduction in Force10/14/2025 Call to Action Reduction in Force at Offices of Special Education Programs & Rehabilitative Services
We have learned that last Friday evening nearly all staff at the federal Offices of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and Rehabilitative Services (OSER) have received a reduction in force notice. This means, unless the notices are rescinded, effective 12/09/2025 these offices will be severely understaffed threatening special education programs in schools and employment offices. Why This Matters These offices provide the essential oversight and expertise needed to ensure states properly implement the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The impact to State Departments of Education, local schools, and agencies who implement IDEA and Section 504 programming may include a lack of Special Education monitoring, absence of grant approvals, delayed corrective actions plans, limited oversight of special education and civil rights law, and slower response times for assistance, approvals, and appeals. Most concerning is the threat to the protections and supports that students with disabilities and their families depend on. What Does This Mean for MPF While the situation is fluid and uncertain, one thing remains constant: MPF's work continues. Our parent center funding remains stable at this time. We remain fully operational and committed to the families and communities we serve. In partnership with disability organizations across Maine and within our National Coalitions MPF is committed to working with our partners in D.C. including within Maine's Congressional Delegation to get these positions reinstated. What Can You Do As we have proven already many times during this administration voices of families, providers, and state leaders are extremely powerful. You can do a couple of things.
Email Template Dear "staffer name", My name is "enter name" and I am contacting you today to express my feelings in regard to the reduction in force action at the Offices of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. I am concerned these actions will threaten the implementation and oversight of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitative Act. My experience as a "enter a value, here are some examples. family members, provider, educator" with IDEA and/or Section 504 includes "provide a couple sentences about your experience with our agency and why or why not you believe funding should be provided." Thank you for your time and consideration. "Your name and contact information" Maine Congressional Delegation Contacts Senator Susan Collins - Chair of the Appropriations Committee Education Staffer - Katie Brown - [email protected] & Katherine Huiskes - [email protected] Phone - (202) 224-2523 Website Senator Angus King Educational Staffer - Sanjay Kane - [email protected] Phone - (202) 224-5344 Website Representative Chellie Pingree Health & Education Staffer - Evan Johnston - [email protected] Phone - (202) 225-6116 Website Representative Jared Golden Health & Education Staffers Tyler Nadeau - [email protected] Phone - (202) 225-6306 Website Maine Parent Federation truly appreciates your advocacy and voice to assist us during what remains an extremely challenging time. I remain available to all of you to assist with your questions and concerns. Thoughtfully with you, Carrie Woodcock, Executive Director and The Staff of Maine Parent Federation |
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