Federal Medicaid Update From National Council
Emma Sharp
OMHSAS Releases Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services FAQ
The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) conducted Technical Assistance (TA) sessions regarding the updated Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (PRS) regulations outlined in 55 Pa. Code Chapter 5230. These sessions were held in November 2024 for licensed PRS providers and Behavioral Health Managed Care Organizations (BH-MCO). The revised regulations became effective on January 18, 2025. To further support licensed PRS providers and BH-MCOs in implementing the new regulatory requirements, OMHSAS has released a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document addressing common questions identified during those sessions. The FAQ document is now available; you can view the document here.
The FAQ document can also be found at the links below.
- DHS Consumer Driven Programs web page;
- DHS Mental Health Licensing Compliance web page; and
- DHS Bulletin Search web page.
Comments and questions regarding this memorandum should be submitted via email to the DHS Psych Rehab inbox. You can also contact RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp.
Speakers Announced for OMHSAS Children’s Crisis Forum
The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) has announced the speakers for their Children’s Crisis Intervention Forum, which will be held April 29 – 30, 2025, at the Hilton Harrisburg. The speakers will include:
- Drew Martel, LISW, CADC, is a leading expert in crisis intervention and suicide prevention, overseeing crisis response programs at CommUnity Crisis Services.
- Amanda Gillespie, LISW-S, is the MRSS Coordinator at Case Western Reserve University, with expertise in crisis intervention and youth mental health.
- Heather Distin, Project Director at Case Western Reserve University, is a licensed clinical counselor with 20 years of experience in youth behavioral health and multi-system collaboration.
- Ashley Nichols-Kaye, MS, MHP, CHCO, is the Program Manager for Human Services Quality Management and HIPAA Compliance at Venango County Human Services.
- Dr. Rhonda Boyd is a faculty member at PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and an associate professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She is also the associate director of CHOP’s Child and Adolescent Mood Program.
- Jennifer Foxworthy, a retired U.S. Navy veteran, is the Founder and CEO of Inspirationally Speaking, LLC, and Unstoppable You Ministries, Inc., serving others as a motivational speaker, author, and coach.
From experienced insights to actionable strategies, these speakers (and more) will inspire your impact!
Date: Tuesday, April 29 – Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Location: Hilton Harrisburg (discounted accommodations available)
Parking: Discounted parking provided to conference guests
Register Today – Space is Limited!
Please contact RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp with any questions.
FY 2025/26 PATH Grant Application Now Open to Public Comment
The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) is pleased to announce that the draft application for the Fiscal Year 2025 Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) grant is now available for public comments. The draft application has been posted for public review on the Mental Health in PA website.
The PATH grant is a non-competitive formula grant available to all states and territories by the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Amendments Act of 1990. PATH programs serve individuals with serious mental illness experiencing or at imminent risk of homelessness. The PATH grant application is submitted to the federal agency Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) annually.
Please note that this is the Pennsylvania application to SAMHSA. This is not a request for new PATH project proposals.
The PATH Application public comment period will remain open until 10:00 am Friday, March 21, 2025. If you have any questions or comments, please send them to Lauren MacWithey, Pennsylvania PATH Grant Coordinator, via email.
Please contact RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp with any additional questions.
National Council Webinar on Federal Funding Outlook at 2:00 pm Today!
RCPA Shares White Paper on IBHS — We Must Be Better Together
PA DOH Announces Funding Opportunity for Increasing ASD Diagnostic Services
The PA Department of Health’s (DOH) Bureau of Family Health is excited to announce a funding opportunity for Pennsylvania-based community-based organizations, public health organizations, local governments, or health care organizations that have the capacity to provide services to people with or at-risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Pennsylvania. The opportunity will connect organizations to the Autism Diagnostic Clinic (ADC) program in order to increase access to diagnostic services for ASD and develop support systems for caregivers of children diagnosed with ASD. From March 6, 2025, until 1:30 pm April 17, 2025, DOH is soliciting applications. The overall goal of this funding is to provide access to autism diagnostic services along with community-based resources and education.
The Autism Diagnostic Clinic (ADC) program utilizes innovative telehealth technology to increase access to diagnostic services for ASD. The clinic partners with two health systems to expedite diagnoses for children aged 18 months to 3 years. Children who are initially screened as at-risk for ASD are referred from Early Intervention to the ADC, which then schedules diagnostic services for the children within six months of the referral.
More information on this Request for Applications can be found at PA Marketplace.
If you have questions or need additional information, you can send them electronically or 717-772-2763.
Post-Award Forum for PA’s 1115 Demonstration for Former Foster Care Youth and SUD
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) is holding a post-award forum to afford the public with an opportunity to provide comments on the progress of the federal Section 1115 Demonstration titled “Medicaid Coverage for FFCY from a Different State and SUD Demonstration.” The FFCY component of the demonstration was approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) effective October 1, 2017, and enables the Commonwealth to provide Medicaid coverage to out‑of‑state former foster care youth under the age of 26 years who were in foster care under the responsibility of another state or tribe when they turned 18. The SUD component of the demonstration was approved by CMS effective July 1, 2018, and provides necessary funding that is critical to continue supporting the provision of a full continuum of medically necessary SUD services, including residential services. In September 2022, CMS approved the Commonwealth’s application to renew the Demonstration through September 30, 2027.
The forum will be held on Friday, March 28, 2025, from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm via WebEx. Please register for the Post Award Forum prior to the meeting date here.
Please contact RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp with any questions.
RCPA Publishes White Paper Evaluating School-Based Mental Health Funds
New Funding Opportunity: Request for Proposals — Family Navigator Pilot
The University of Pittsburgh’s Youth and Family Training Institute (YFTI) is working with the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) Bureau of Children’s Behavioral Health Services and Bureau of Policy, Planning & Program Development to develop and implement a two-year innovative pilot that will define, develop, implement, and evaluate the role of the Family Navigator in up to six sites within the Commonwealth. The goal of the pilot will be to assist in defining Pennsylvania’s Family Navigator Model by testing the effectiveness and implementation strategies of pilot family navigator models for children, youth, and young adults (CYYA) with serious emotional disturbance (SED). The pilot is designed to promote early access, engagement, coordination, and optimization of mental health treatment and services for CYYA aged 5–21 who are experiencing symptoms of mental health problems along with their family caregiver (defined as family members or other caregivers with a primary responsibility of caring for the individual).
A Family Navigator plays a critical role in guiding and supporting family caregivers through the array of mental health services and other systems of care that may be needed to support CYYA. They help them navigate the often confusing, overwhelming, and fragmented services available, ensuring that family caregivers have the resources, information, and support needed to access the appropriate care for their CYYA. Family Navigators who are also Family Peers are able to share their own lived experience related to connecting their loved ones to mental health services. This approach offers a safe and comfortable means of educating family caregivers that may be overwhelmed in the midst of accessing care for their children.
Request for Proposals — Call for Applications:
- Up to six sites across the Commonwealth will receive up to $250,000 each year of the 2-year pilot to design and implement a model within the parameters of the Family Navigator definition. This will include varying recruitment strategies, referral sources, and strategies to connect to families.
- Sites are expected to participate in the evaluation process, training, coaching, and skill-based technical assistance throughout the implementation of their approved pilot with guidance and oversight from The University of Pittsburgh/YFTI to ensure sites are meeting minimum implementation standards in order to continue to receive funding.
- Counties, provider organizations, health facilities, or other public, private, or non-profit entities within Pennsylvania that serve children, youth, and young adults aged 5–21 are eligible to apply.
- A diversity of sites is being sought in various contexts such as setting (urban, suburban, rural) and target population.
Submission/Review: Applications are due on or before March 28, 2025. For more information, please contact Bryon Luke, Director of Program Implementation.
Applications will be reviewed by a team of OMHSAS and YFTI staff who will be responsible for selecting the pilot sites.
A list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) is available as part of the RFP document. Additional questions can be submitted until March 15, 2025 to Bryon Luke, Director of Program Implementation and will be added to the FAQ on the YFTI website.
If there are follow-up questions from YFTI/OMHSAS regarding the submissions, a member of the review team may contact the project coordinator on the application for clarification.
*NOTE: Current participants in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funded System of Care (SOC) grants or interested applicants for an upcoming SAMHSA-funded PA CARE SOC grant are not excluded from applying to this RFP and are encouraged to apply. Please indicate any relevant SAMHSA-funded grants in which your agency is participating in your application and describe how they would be connected to this pilot.
Selected sites will be notified in writing by YFTI by April 25, 2025. The projected start date for implementation will be July 1, 2025.
Please contact RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp with any questions.
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