News

Per Act 21 of 2021, the suspension of various regulatory provisions under the state disaster emergency declaration will expire on September 30, 2021. Some regulations will be reinstated.

OCDEL Regulations Reinstated in September

The September 30 expiration date only affects state regulations that were suspended under the Pennsylvania disaster emergency declaration. Federal flexibilities provided through the federal public health emergency will remain in place as long as the federal public health emergency remains in effect. As of August 25, the federal public health emergency is effective through October 17, 2021.

Impacted Offices and Regulations

Regulations under the following offices have been impacted:

• • the Office of Childhood Development and Early Learning (OCDEL);
• • the Office of Childen, Youth, and Families (OCYF);
• • the Office of Developmental Programs (OPD);
• • the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS); and
• • the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL).

These changes will impact inspections, health assessments, certificates of compliance, physical site requirements, staff requirements, pick-up and drop-off requirements, and more.

View the Full List

To view the list of regulatory provisions, view the full announcement or visit the PA DHS website. For more news, visit our News page.