About the Pennsylvania Long‑Term Care Council
The Pennsylvania Long-Term Care Council makes suggestions about rules and funding for long-term care services. It was created by Act 64 of 2015 and updated by Act 63 of 2021 to better match today’s needs. This council replaces the Intra-Governmental Council on Long-Term Care. It covers all types of long-term care, like care in nursing homes and help at home. The council has 35 members. It includes people who use long-term care, consumers, advocates, caregivers, providers, and policymakers. Secretary of Aging, Jason Kavulich, chairs the council.
Attend a Meeting
Long-Term Care Council meetings begin at 1:00 p.m. They will be on Microsoft Teams unless otherwise specified. The end time will vary based on agenda items for each meeting.
Please contact Gabby Szymanski at (717) 783-5166 or via email at gszymanski@pa.gov for the following:
- Request a link to the virtual meetings
- Request accommodations as provided for in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
- Make inquiries about Long-Term Care Council business
Membership
Senator Maria Collett, Minority Chair Aging & Youth Committee
Designee: Tom Holroyd
Senator Judy Ward, Chair Aging & Youth Committee
Designee: Greg Beckenbaugh
Representative Steven Mentzer, Republican Chair Aging & Older Adult Services Committee
Designee: Annemarie Robey
Representative Patty Kim, Chair Aging & Older Adult Services Committee
Designee: Chuck Miller
Acting Insurance Commissioner Mike Humphreys
Designee: Katie Merritt, Policy Director
MG Mark Schindler, The Adjutant General
Designees:
BG Maureen Weigl, Deputy Adjutant General for Office of Veterans Affairs
Richard C. Hamp, SGM (Ret)
Special Assistant to the Deputy Adjutant General for Veterans Affairs
Travis J. Davis, MHA, NHA, HSE
Director, Bureau of Veterans' Homes
Robin Wiessmann
Executive Director/CEO, PA Housing Finance Agency
Designee: Danielle Rudy, Supportive Housing Officer II
Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen
Designees:
Susan Coble, Director
Bureau of Community Program Licensure and Certification
Megan Barbour
Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Health
Acting Secretary of Human Services Dr. Valarie Arkoosh
Designee: Jennifer Hale, Director
Bureau of Policy and Regulatory Management
Office of Long-Term Living
Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich
Council Chair
Acting Secretary of Transportation Michael Carroll
Designee: Danielle Spila, Director
Bureau of Public Transportation Secretary
Nicole M. Anders
Program Director, Inglis Day Program
SE Regional Rep., PA Adult Day Srvs. Assoc. (PADSA)
Adult Day Center Representative
Eric Beittel, CFP
Ender's Insurance
Long-Term Care Insurance Representative
Karen Buck, Esq.
Executive Director, SeniorLAW
Consumer Advocacy Representative
Janice Cameron
Member, PA Council on Aging Member
Chair, Southeast Regional Council on Aging
PA Council on Aging Representative
Kathy Cubit
Advocacy Manager, Center for Advocacy for the Rights & Interests of the Elderly (CARIE)
Caregiver Representative
Shona Eakin
Chief Executive Officer, Voices for Independence
LTSS Consumer
Commissioner Jeff Engleston
Warren County Commissioner
County Commissioners Association of PA Representative
Kathleen Gillespie
Chief Executive Officer, Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging
Area Agency on Aging Representative
Mark J. Gusek
Chief Executive Officer / Executive Director
The Lutheran Home for The Aged d/b/a
The Village at Luther Square d/b/a
LIFE – Northwestern Pennsylvania
LTC Managed Care Representative
Dr. Daniel Haimowitz, MD
Physician, Long-term Care Experience
Mia Haney
Homecare/Hospice Representative
Nancy Hodgson, PhD, RN,
Associate Professor, Biobehavorial Health Science
Anthony Buividas Term Chair in Gerontology
School of Nursing
University of Pennsylvania
Academic Research Representative
Daniel Kaye
Senior Community Center Representative
Ali Kronley
Consumer Advocacy Representative
David A. Nace, MD, MPH
Chief Medical Officer, UPMC Senior Communities
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director of Long-Term Care & Influenza Programs
Division of Geriatric Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
LTSS Physician Representative
Shane Nugent
Vice President, The Nugent Group
For-Profit Skilled Nursing Facility Representative
Teresa Osborne
Advocacy and Outreach Manager, AARP Pennsylvania
Consumer Advocacy Representative
Adrienne Peters-Sipes. Esq.
PA Bar Association, Elder Law Section Representative
Vini Portzline
Brd. Pres., Center for Independent Living of Central PA
LTSS Consumer
Chuck Quinnan
Nonprofit Skilled Nursing Facility Representative
Angela M. Reynolds, Ph.D.
CEO YWCA Greater Pittsburgh
Caregiver Representative
Susan Saxinger
Assisted living/Personal Care Home Representative
Missy Shupe
LTSS Nurse Representative
Michael Sokoloski
Mgr. of Grassroots Advocacy, BAYADA Home Health Care
Homecare Representative
Nicholas M. Taylor
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. ARMY (Ret.)
Chairman, Pennsylvania State Veterans Commission
Designee: Mark Baylis
State Veterans Commission Representative
Kimberly VanHaitsma, PhD
Assoc. Professor & Dir., Program for Person Centered Living Systems of Care, Penn State College of Nursing
Senior Research Scientist, Polisher Research Institute
Academic Research Representative
Heshie Zinman
Founder & Board Member, LGBT Elder Initiative
Consumer Advocacy Representative
Upcoming Meetings
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Thursday, June 12, 2025
Thursday, August 14, 2025
Thursday, October 9, 2025
Thursday, December 11, 2025
Additional Information
LTCC Work Products
Blueprint for Strengthening Pennsylvania’s Direct Care Workforce (April 18, 2019)
Letter to the General Assembly - Illegal Gambling (Sept. 10, 2019)
Letter to the Council on Reform (Sept. 16, 2019)
Letter to the General Assembly - Statewide LGBTQ Nondiscrimination Protection (Oct. 7, 2019)
Recommendations to the Department of Human Services - The Community HealthChoices 1915(c) Waiver (Dec. 13, 2019)