Question 1

Does ODP provide the policies and procedures?

Accepted Answer

No. ODP publishes the regulation, the announcements, and the qualification forms, but the New Provider Self-Assessment requires policies and procedures you developed and aligned with ODP requirements, and that packet is what your AE validates. The state supplies the checklist logic, not the documents.

Question 2

I already have a DOH Chapter 611 home care manual. Does it cover Chapter 6100?

Accepted Answer

No. The Chapter 611 manual answers the Department of Health home care license (hiring, clearances, competency, consumer protections). Chapter 6100 is a Department of Human Services framework with its own policy set: individual rights with signed acknowledgments, EIM incident management, 24-hour annual training, restrictive procedures, quality management, and medication administration. The two manuals sit side by side.

Question 3

What is the 60-day window everyone mentions?

Accepted Answer

Under ODP Announcement 25-013, you must submit the DP 1059, the New Provider Self-Assessment with your policies and procedures, and the Provider Qualification Documentation Record to your assigned AE within 60 days of the date on your Provider Applicant Orientation certificate. Missing the deadline means a Not Qualified determination, and retaking orientation requires waiting 365 days.

Question 4

Which waiver services does this apply to?

Accepted Answer

Providers qualifying for the Consolidated, P/FDS, and Community Living waivers under ODP. For a home care agency expanding into ID/A services, the typical specialties are unlicensed in-home services such as In-Home and Community Support and Companion services, which require cleared, trained staff and Pennsylvania service locations rather than a facility license.

Question 5

What is EIM and who has to report into it?

Accepted Answer

EIM is the Department's Enterprise Incident Management system. Providers must file the first section of an incident report within 24 hours of discovery for most categories (death, abuse, neglect, missing person, hospitalization, law enforcement, injuries beyond first aid, rights violations, among others) and within 72 hours for restraint use and reportable medication errors, investigate starting within 24 hours, and file the final report within 30 days (§§ 6100.401-405).

Question 6

How many training hours do my staff need?

Accepted Answer

Direct service professionals and their direct supervisors need 24 documented hours per year; management, and consultants or volunteers working alone with individuals, need 12 (§ 6100.143). Orientation covering rights, abuse reporting, person-centered practices, and incident recognition must happen before staff work alone and within 30 days of hire (§ 6100.142).

Question 7

Can you guarantee my AE approves the packet?

Accepted Answer

No, and no honest vendor can: the AE is ODP's designee and the qualification decision is theirs. What we do instead is build every policy to the section that mandates it, and if your AE requests specific revisions during your 120-day qualification window, we make them at no charge, so the Additional Information Needed cycle does not eat your deadline.

Question 8

What can a policy manual not do?

Accepted Answer

Your CEO must personally complete and pass Provider Applicant Orientation. You must carry commercial general liability and workers' compensation insurance, obtain PSP, FBI, and child abuse clearances for staff, sign the ODP Waiver Provider Agreement, enroll in PROMISe within 60 days of the approved DP 1059, and actually deliver and document the required training. A manual carries the written-policy layer of the packet, nothing else.

Policy	Citation
Quality management plan: performance measures, improvement targets and strategies, feedback methods, data sources, and staff responsibilities, reviewed and revised at least every 3 years	55 Pa. Code § 6100.45
Protective services and abuse reporting under the Adult Protective Services Act, Child Protective Services Law, and Older Adults Protective Services Act, including removing implicated staff from direct contact pending investigation	55 Pa. Code § 6100.46
Criminal history checks for every employee, consultant, intern, and volunteer who provides a service, under the OAPSA and CPSL frameworks	55 Pa. Code § 6100.47
Child abuse certifications for staff serving children, per the Child Protective Services Law	55 Pa. Code § 6100.49
Complaint handling: individuals informed of the right to complain at entry and annually, oral, written, and anonymous complaints accepted, no retaliation, and findings reported within 30 days	55 Pa. Code § 6100.51
Conflict of interest policy, established and followed	55 Pa. Code § 6100.53
Recordkeeping and confidentiality: records kept confidential and secure, released only with written authorization, retained at least 4 years (5 after service termination)	55 Pa. Code § 6100.54
Staff orientation before working alone with individuals and within 30 days of hire: person-centered practices, rights, abuse prevention and reporting, incident recognition	55 Pa. Code § 6100.142
Annual training program with documented records: 24 hours per year for DSPs and their direct supervisors, 12 hours for management, with required topics including plan implementation and behavior-support safety	55 Pa. Code §§ 6100.141, 6100.143
Individual rights: the enumerated rights of § 6100.182, communicated at entry and annually with a signed acknowledgment statement	55 Pa. Code §§ 6100.181-186
Service documentation and billing integrity: documentation completed on the date of delivery, required claim elements, and progress notes consistent with the individual plan	55 Pa. Code §§ 6100.223, 6100.226, 6100.227
Restrictive procedures: a written policy defining the prohibition or use of specific restrictive procedures, who may authorize them, and a monitoring mechanism, with the prohibited-procedures list and behavior support plan requirements	55 Pa. Code §§ 6100.342-347
Incident management: reporting through EIM within 24 hours (72 for restraints and reportable medication errors), investigation starting within 24 hours with certified-investigator categories, final report within 30 days, quarterly trend analysis, and a designated Incident Management Representative who becomes a certified investigator within 12 months	55 Pa. Code §§ 6100.401-405; ODP Bulletin 00-21-02
Medication administration: who may administer (licensed professionals or staff who passed the Department-approved course), storage and disposal, medication records, and error reporting	55 Pa. Code §§ 6100.461-469

Your AE gives you 60 days to submit Chapter 6100 policies. We build them to the section.

The qualification path, and where the policies fit

The written policies Chapter 6100 requires

What catches new ID/A providers off guard

The 60-day window is the whole game

Not Qualified costs a year

Your DOH home care license does not cover this

Training is counted in hours

EIM has named roles

The rules move by announcement

A fraction of the enrollment consultant’s price.

ODP Chapter 6100 Policy Manual

Policy Updates

ODP Chapter 6100 FAQ

Sources