On Wednesday, May 26th from 1pm – 2:15pm, Bruce Baron will present “PCH/ALR and Privacy Issues Update” at the “Facing Forward” webinar, hosted by Daneen Reese and Associates. Mr. Baron will discuss privacy issues for PCH/ AL providers, highlight best practices for preventing lawsuits, and he will provide a compliance/ regulatory update. Time for Q&A will be available at the end of the presentation.
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Capozzi Adler, P.C.’s New Florida Title Company “Straight Line Title Services, LLC” Completes First Transaction
Capozzi Adler, P.C.’s recently formed Florida title company, Straight Line Title Services, LLC, just issued title insurance in its first transaction. The $3.9 million dollar transaction involved the purchase of the buildings at 3472 Northeast Fifth Avenue and 519 Northeast 34th Street in Oakland Park, Florida. The buildings were purchased by a new investment and development firm, Newrock Partners, managed by Oakland Park developer Dan Deitchman and former Link Real Estate executive Koby Assaraf. More information on the transaction can be found HERE.
Capozzi Adler, P.C. is excited about its expansion into Florida and looks forward to working on future real estate transactions in the Sunshine State.
Capozzi Adler, P.C. Completed 626 Closings & Issued over 350 Million in Title Insurance in 2020
Capozzi Adler, P.C. is proud to announce that it completed 626 closings and issued over $350,000,000 in title insurance in 2020, across its 4 title companies: Mid-Penn Abstract Company, Foundation Settlement Company, Team Pete Settlement Services, and Charter Settlement Company. Record low interest rates and a strong real estate market made 2020 a record year for our firm. We thank our clients for a successful year and look forward to growing our Real Estate Practice Group further in 2021.
“Current Issues Affecting PA Nursing Facilities” Seminar – 5 NHA and CPA Credits
Friday, December 11, 2020
8:15 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
*Approved for 5 Virtual or in-person CEU credit hours for NHAs, CPAs*
CLICK HERE to view a printable, PDF flyer.
Agenda:
- 7:45 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. In-Person Registration
- 8:15 a.m. – 8:25 a.m. Welcome & Administrative Remarks
Andrew R. Eisemann, Esq.
Part I: Labor & Employment (1.5 Credit Hrs)
- 8:25 a.m. – 9:10 a.m. NLRB & Union Activity Update
Louis J. Capozzi Jr., Esq.
- 9:10 a.m. – 9:55 a.m. COVID-19 Employment Law Update
Brandon S. Williams, Esq.
Corey S. Smith, Esq.
- 9:55 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. – Mid-Morning Break
Part II: Reimbursement & Finance (2 Credit Hrs)
- 10:10 a.m. – 11:40 a.m. Your Resident Accounts Receivable: Best Practices to Maximize Reimbursement Recovery
Andrew R. Eisemann, Esq.
Daniel B. Sullivan, Esq.
- 11:40 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. COVID-19 Relief Funds: Reporting, Compliance and Accountability
Daniel K. Natirboff , Esq.
Timothy Ziegler
- 12:10 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. — Lunch Break
Part III: Avoiding Lawsuits & Compliance/ Regulatory Update (1.5 Credit Hrs)
- 1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Panel: Avoiding Lawsuits in a COVID-19 Environment
Andrew R. Eisemann, Esq.
Bruce G. Baron, Esq.
Brandon S. Williams, Esq.
- 1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. COVID-19 Compliance & Regulatory Update
Bruce G. Baron, Esq.
Daniel K. Natirboff, Esq.
- 2:30 p.m. – In-Person Social
Registration Information:
In-Person: Radisson Hotel Harrisburg, 1150 Camp Hill Bypass, Camp Hill, PA 17011
Virtual: Zoom sign-in information provided upon RSVP.
The Registration Deadline is November 27, 2020! To Register: RSVP to Cassie Reed at cassier@capozziadler.com or 717-233-4101. Provide your name, company, and job title. If you need NHA credit, please provide your NAB ID #. IF you need CPA credit, please provide your license number. Please note whether you are planning on attending virtually or in-person!
Cost. None.
Credits
This program is approved by the National Continuing Education Review Service (NCERS) of the National Association of Boards of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators for 5 clock hours (Program Approval Code: 20211210-5-A71585-DL); is pending approval by PACLE for 5 substantive participant hours of CLE for attorneys (Course No. TBD; In-person attendance required!); and is approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy (No. PX177781) for continuing education credits for CPAs.
In-person participants must sign in and out in order to obtain Continuing Education Credits for Program Hours actually attended. Attorneys seeking PA CLE Credits must file Certificates of Attendance and pay the required fee directly to PACLE in order to obtain CLE credits.
Objectives: As a result of this presentation the participant will be able to…
- Identify strategies to avoid lawsuits in long-term care.
- Assess the impact of new COVID-19 developments in health care law and regulations on facility status and resources.
- Evaluate the impact of recent NLRB decisions on facility workplace organization status.
- Understand labor law developments, including medical marijuana in PA, which may require an update of employee manuals.
- Understand how to maximize reimbursement from all payer sources in the new Managed Care system.
Prerequisites: Prior knowledge in the area of long-term care.
Experience level: Intermediate
Required advanced preparation: None
Teaching methods:
- Facilitated Lecture/Content Review
- Interactive Panel Discussions
- Case Study Discussions
OLTL ACT 24 Cost Reporting Update for Nursing Facilities
Below is updated guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Health Regarding Cost Reporting. If you have questions on how this impacts your nursing facility, please contact Dan Natirboff (dann@capozziadler.com) or Tim Ziegler (timz@capozziadler.com) at our firm.
“The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) is delaying the due date by which nursing facilities must submit interim reports on COVID-19 impacts and the use of Act 24 funding. The new due date for interim reporting is Monday, November 30.
Unexpected delays in web portal user provisioning for OLTL providers have made it necessary to delay the due date for interim reporting by nursing facilities. OLTL anticipates nursing facilities will be able to access the Act 24 reporting web portal during the week of November 9. Nursing facilities will receive a link and instructions via email when the web portal is available.
OLTL will also offer a webinar on November 16 to give nursing facility providers a chance to ask questions about reporting COVID-19 related costs under Act 24. OLTL will provide a link and additional details on the webinar in coming days.
In the meantime, nursing facilities should begin populating the applicable Excel reporting templates provided in the October 27 Listserv message (attached). Nursing facilities are encouraged to review the frequently asked questions documents and send any remaining questions about Act 24 reporting to act24reporting@pa.gov.
Additionally, providers are advised to review the guidance for eligible COVID-19 costs on the U.S. Department of Treasury websites Coronavirus-Relief-Fund-Guidance and Coronavirus-Relief-Fund-Frequently-Asked-Questions, and in DHS’s Frequently Asked Questions. These documents outline the conditions and acceptable uses of Cares Act and Act 24 funding. Importantly, deadline by which costs must be incurred to be eligible under Act 24 is November 30, 2020.
Any provider that does not expect to use all or part of the Act 24 funding may return the funds to OLTL at:
PA Department of Human Services
Office of Long-Term Living
PO Box 8025
Harrisburg, PA 17105-8025
Please send any remaining questions about OLTL Act 24 reporting to act24reporting@pa.gov.”
Phase 3 CARES Act Provider Relief Funding Application Due
November 6, 2020 is the deadline for providers to apply for CARES Act Phase 3 Provider Relief Funds. The Health and Human Services CARES Act Provider Relief Fund page has more information on the CARES Act and the requirements for the Phase 3 application.
Click HERE to download a toolkit provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
If you have any questions that arise when preparing your application for the Nov. 6th deadline, please contact Dan Natirboff (dann@capozziadler.com) or Tim Ziegler (timz@capozziadler.com) at our firm.
Webinar: COVID-19 Relief Funds: Reporting, Compliance & Accountability
- Date & Time: Thursday, October 29th from 1:00pm – 2:00pm Duration: 60 minutes
- NHA & CPA Credits: This educational offering is approved for 1 hour of NHA credit (Approval Code: 20211028-1-A70854-DL) and is approved for 1 hour of CPA credit (PX177781).
- Cost: NONE
- Session Description: Over the past 9 months, a variety of COVID-19 relief funds have been offered to long-term care providers, including PPP funds, COVID-19 Hazard Pay Grants, and three rounds of CARES Act funding. During this webinar we will provide an overview of each funding stream and then explore the compliance measures and reporting requirements that providers need to be aware of.
- The first half of the webinar will provide an overview of each funding source and their compliance requirements.
- During the second half of the webinar we will look at the financial records and reporting requirements issued to date. Providers must be aware of these requirements in order to ensure that all eligible COVID expenses and lost revenues are properly documented to reduce and/ or eliminate any liability to the government agency for unused funding.
- Speakers:
- Daniel K. Natirboff, Esquire, Chair of Licensure, Compliance, Regulatory Practice & Enforcement Group
- Timothy T. Ziegler, Long-Term Care Reimbursement Analyst
Registration Required:
Please RSVP to Cassie Reed at cassier@capozziadler.com or 717-233-4101. Provide your name, company, and job title. If you need NHA credit, please provide your NAB ID #. Cassie will send you the webinar sign-in information via both email and a calendar invite, within a week of the webinar.
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) reinstates 80-years of precedent
Employers do not have to provide unions with notice and opportunity to bargain, prior to disciplining employees while negotiating a new CBA.
On June 23, 2020, the current three members of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued their decision in 800 River Road Operation Co., LLC, 369 NLRB No. 109, overruling Total Security Management Illinois 1, LLC, 364 NLRB No. 106 (2016).
The current Board determined that the prior decision, which overturned 80 years of prior NLRB precedent on the issue:
(1) conflicted with Board precedent and the rationale of the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in NLRB v. Weingarten, Inc., 420 U.S. 251 (1975) (establishing the right to union representation during disciplinary investigations), relevant to the issue;
(2) misconstrued the general unilateral-change doctrine announced by the U.S. Supreme Court in NLRB v. Katz, 369 U.S. 736 (1962), with respect to what constitutes a material change in working conditions; and,
(3) imposed a complicated and burdensome bargaining scheme that is irreconcilable with the general body of law governing statutory bargaining practice.
The prior decision required an employer to provide a union with notice and an opportunity to bargain before imposing discipline on any union-represented employee who was not yet covered by the terms of a collective bargaining agreement; and, for any violation, required reinstatement and backpay for the disciplined employee unless the employer could prove the discipline was imposed for “good cause” within the meaning of Section 10(c) of the National Labor Relations Act. The Board decision will apply retroactively to all pending cases in whatever stage.
As a result of the decision in 800 River Road Operating Co., LLC, the effective rule, as previously discussed in Fresno Bee, 337 NLRB 1161 (2002), is that there is no predisciplinary bargaining obligation under the National Labor Relations Act. Our Firm previously successfully argued for application of the Fresno Bee precedent and that any change to that rule had to be applied prospectively only, CPL (Linwood) LLC, 367 NLRB No. 14 (2018).
The new Board majorities’ major decisions that overturned prior Board decisions since 2017 include:
- The Boeing Co., 365 NLRB No. 154 (2017)(employee handbook rules)
- PCC Structurals, 365 NLRB No. 160 (2017) (composition of Bargaining Units)
- Supershuttle Dfw, Inc., 367 NLRB No. 75 (2019) (returning to common law principles for determining independent contractor status)
- Ridgewood Health Care Center, Inc., 367 NLRB No. 110 (2019) (when successor is required to bargain to avoid “perfectly clear successor” status);
- Johnson Controls, Inc., 368 NLRB No. 20 (2019) (providing for disputes with withdrawal of recognition of union to be resolved by post-withdrawal elections)
- Kroger Ltd. Partnership 1 Mid-Atl., 368 NLRB No. 64 (2019)(more flexibility to permit charitable solicitations on employer premises)
- MV Transportation, Inc., 368 NLRB No. 66 (2019) (adoption of “contract coverage” standards to determine employer authority to make unilateral changes to working conditions).
If you have any questions regarding this favorable pro-Employer decision or about any of the other pro-Employer decisions issued by the Trump-appointed NLRB, please contact Louis J. Capozzi, Jr. at our Firm (Email: LouC@CapozziAdler.com).
COVID-19 Legal Update
Capozzi Adler, P.C. is assisting LTC providers and small businesses with legal issues arising during the COVID-19 pandemic. To those of you in long-term care who are on the front lines caring for our country’s most vulnerable citizens: we applaud you for your bravery and resilience during this difficult time.
Congress is about to enact the largest economic relief effort in U.S. History, the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), with funds expected to flow quickly starting in April 2020. State Governments are also putting in place relief programs for their citizens and businesses. Relief will be available under these programs for businesses, self-employed individuals, employees, the unemployed, students and retirees, along with special programs and requirements for health care providers and other employers.
Our Firm continues to provide legal services and counseling under the current public health precautions in place in Pennsylvania. We are available to assist businesses in:
- Navigating whether the new FMLA and Paid Sick Leave requirements effective April 2, 2020 apply to them, including the special provisions relating to employees who are health care providers or first responders.
- Applying for waivers of State limitations on operations.
- Responding to union and employee issues related to continued operations, health and safety, under current precautions and conditions.
- Applying for forgivable loan relief from the Small Business Administration to help sustain operations and employees, or employee retention credits under the pending $2 Trillion CARES Act, which also includes a delay in payment of employer payroll taxes.
- Coordinating and clarifying guidance regarding resident admissions policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are able to work with our clients remotely and can arrange for on-site consultation as may be required. If you need help with business issues to get through the current crisis, do not hesitate to reach out to us.
- For assistance with long-term care regulatory and operational issues, contact Bruce Baron at bruceb@capozziadler.com or 717-982-3055
- For employment/ labor issues, contact Lou Capozzi at louc@capozziadler.com or 717-979-7205, or Brandon Williams at brandonw@capozziadler.com or 717-439-0545
- For business and loan-related issues, contact Craig Adler at craiga@capozziadler.com or 717-503-9924
- For Medicaid reimbursement matters, contact Dan Natirboff at dann@capozziadler.com or 717-503-3083
Recent DHS COVID-19 Updates for Long-Term Care Providers:
- DHS Stakeholder Update- COVID-19- March 25, 2020
- DOH Information for Home Care Agencies, Home Health Care Agencies and Hospices During COVID-19
- Post Acute and Long Term Care COVID-19 Toolkit:
- CDC Messaging for Nursing Home Infection Prevention and
Control for COVID-19 - EPA’s Registered Antimicrobial Products for Use Against
Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 - Healthcare Facility COVID-19 Exposure Tracking Log
- Ten Initial Steps for Long-Term Care Facilities with a confirmed case of COVID-19
- Active Screening of Residents
- LTCF Preparedness Assessment for COVID-19: Abbreviated
- Steps to Conduct Contact Tracing for a COVID-19-positive Case
- Family Letter for when there is a Confirmed Case
- COVID-19 Symptomatic Line List Template
- CDC Messaging for Nursing Home Infection Prevention and
State Budget Stretching Out Processing Time for New Home Care and Home Health Licenses
Pennsylvania has been working to rebalance its Medicaid Program expenditures for long-term care and support services to get more recipients into lower cost home- and community-based programs instead of higher cost nursing home care, including through the current roll out of the new Community Health Choices Medicaid managed care program and expansion of LIFE Programs. However, the State Budget has not allocated funds for the Department of Health to hire more staff for processing licenses for new home- and community-based providers.
The result is longer processing time frames for license applications, beyond the 60-days prior notice required by Department regulations (28 Pa. Code Section 51.3), for new Home Care and Home Health Care providers seeking to meet the increasing demand for home- and community based services. New companies seeking to provide these services will need to factor in the new licensing time frames.
For new Home Health licenses (28 Pa. Code Chapter 601), the Department of Health current projected processing time frame is 6 months to a year (including the related Medicare certification). There are currently 580 licensed home health agencies in Pennsylvania.
For new Home Care licenses (28 Pa. Code Chapter 611), the Department of Health current projected processing time frame is 5-6 months. There are currently 2,264 licensed home care agencies or registries in Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has not reported any network shortages of licensed home- and community-based providers during the roll out of Community Health Choices in the Southwest (14 counties) and Southeast (5 counties) Regions. Implementation of Community Health Choices in the 48 remaining counties (Phase 3) is scheduled for January 1, 2020; and, will test whether the current license delays are affecting network sufficiency there.
A current and growing shortage of both Home Care Workers and Home Health Aides nationwide has been reported. Forbes stated in their April 18, 2018 article “The Shortage of Home Care Workers: Worse Than You Think” that “Government statisticians rank home care as one of the nation’s fastest growing occupations, with an additional million workers needed by 2026; that’s an increase of 50% from 2014.”
Home Health Care News reported in their May 6, 2018 article “Where the Home Health Aide Shortage Will Hit Hardest by 2025” that “The number of new job openings for home health aides by 2025 is expected to reach 423,200, a growth rate of 32%….the expected workforce gap will also hit negative -446,300 workers by 2025….with all states needing more home health aides.”
For more information about licensing for health care services facilities by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, you may contact Bruce G. Baron, Esq. at BruceB@CapozziAdler.com or 717-233-4101.