Statewide Races Forum a Success — Continue Your Election Year Engagement!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Gubernatorial & Statewide Races Forum during Fall Conference! We were pleased to bring candidates for statewide office together for an opportunity to hear directly from them on issues important to Kansas and our aging services providers.
Missed the forum or want to watch it again? You can view and download the full forum recording here:
View and Download the Full Forum Recording
We also encourage members to keep their Gubernatorial & Statewide Races Campaign Guide handy as you continue learning about the candidates and their positions. The guide is designed for notetaking purposes and can be downloaded and printed for your use.
Download the Gubernatorial & Statewide Races Campaign Guide
For best results, print double-sided along the short edge.
As a reminder, members can also take advantage of the LeadingAge Kansas 2026 Election Year Toolkit, which includes additional resources to help your organization and staff stay engaged throughout the election season.
Access the 2026 Election Year Toolkit
Connect With Legislative Candidates This October
The conversation doesn’t stop with statewide races! Members will have additional opportunities to engage with state and federal legislative candidates during our Fall Legislative Lunches in October.
These events provide an opportunity to hear directly from candidates and learn more about the issues that matter to aging services providers across Kansas.
Registration is FREE — Register for a Fall Legislative Lunch
And a special thank you to our Fall Legislative Lunch sponsor, Forvis Mazars, for helping make these events possible!
We encourage all members to take advantage of these opportunities to stay informed, engage with candidates, and make your voice heard this election season.
iQIES PBJ Submitter Role: Clarification for Providers
LeadingAge Kansas recently reached out to providers identified as not having a designated PBJ Submitter Role in iQIES outside of their Provider Security Official (PSO) Role. This outreach was based on information indicating that a separate PBJ Submitter Role would be required for providers to enter PBJ data moving forward.
Based on our current understanding, an individual cannot be assigned both the Provider Security Official (PSO) Role and the PBJ Submitter Role. We are seeking additional clarification to confirm the requirements moving forward. However, for organizations where one individual is responsible for managing all iQIES and PBJ functions, our understanding is that the individual should be able to manage PBJ data with the PSO Role alone.
This is particularly relevant for many LeadingAge Kansas members, as smaller organizations may have one individual managing multiple iQIES responsibilities rather than having separate staff assigned to each role.
We recommend that all providers ensure they have at least one individual assigned to the Provider Security Official (PSO) Role. The PSO is able to manage PBJ data entry and other necessary functions within iQIES. iQIES recommends having two individuals assigned in the PSO role.
For organizations that have a different individual completing PBJ reporting than the person assigned to the PSO Role, the PBJ Submitter Role may be appropriate. The attached instructions provide information on creating a HARP account and requesting the necessary approval from the organization’s PSO.
The attached document also includes additional best practices and information related to iQIES access and PBJ responsibilities.
If you need additional step-by-step assistance, CMS has iQIES reference manuals available here: iQIES Reference Manuals
Providers can also utilize CMS Quality Support Central’s chat support, which is available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. E.T.: CMS Quality Support Central
Please reach out to LeadingAge Kansas if you have questions about the information provided or need assistance determining which iQIES roles are appropriate for your organization.
New Functional Capacity Screen Form and Manual Effective October 1
KDADS has released an updated Functional Capacity Screen (FCS) Form and Manual, which will go into effect October 1, 2026.
Reminder: The Functional Capacity Screen applies to state-licensed settings, including Assisted Living (AL), Home Plus (HP), Residential Health Care Facilities (RHCF), and Boarding Care Homes. It does not apply to nursing facilities.
As KDADS explained during its weekly webinar on September 4, providers do not need to update every resident’s Functional Capacity Screen on October 1. Rather, the new form should be used when a resident’s FCS is due for an update based on a change in the resident’s condition or the amount of time that has passed since the previous assessment, as required by regulations.
KDADS previously distributed links to these resources; however, some of those links do not appear to be working properly. Providers can access the updated resources directly through the KDADS website: KDADS Adult Care Homes (SCCC) Resources.
Once on the page, scroll down to the “Adult Care Homes Forms and Manuals” drop-down menu. The updated Functional Capacity Screen Form and Manual should be listed among the available resources.
We have also attached PDF copies of the updated materials for your convenience.
Please let LeadingAge Kansas know if you have any questions or need assistance locating the updated resources.
Reminder: August Involuntary Discharge Reporting Due Today
This is a reminder that all involuntary discharges for the month of August (August 1–31, 2026) must be reported in KOTA by the end of day today, September 30.
Providers must complete the report, even if they had no involuntary discharges during the month. If your facility had 0 involuntary discharges, simply enter 0 for the month. If you had one or more involuntary discharges, you will need to complete the requested questions for each discharge that occurred during August.
Please remember:
- This reporting applies to state-licensed adult care home settings, including Assisted Living (AL), Home Plus (HP), Residential Health Care Facilities (RHCF), and Boarding Care Homes.
- Do NOT include discharges from nursing facilities.
- Do NOT include planned transfers or discharges that were not involuntary.
- Only report involuntary discharges that occurred during the August 1–31 reporting period.
This information is being shared with the Kansas Legislature to help provide a more accurate picture of involuntary discharges and inform discussions about whether additional regulations may be needed. It is important that providers report the data as accurately as possible so that the information being reviewed reflects what is actually occurring in the field.
If you have questions about the reporting process, please contact KDADS at KDADS.InvoluntaryDischarge@ks.gov or reach out to the LeadingAge Kansas team.
