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Act 59 of 2017 gave the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) the power and duty to license drug and alcohol recovery houses that receive referrals from state agencies or state-funded facilities or federal or state funding and to impose fines on unlicensed recovery houses that receive funds from federal, state, or county agencies. On December 11, 2021, DDAP published recovery house licensure regulations in 28 Pa. Code Ch. 717. The regulations took effect immediately upon publication, except for 28 Pa. Code § 717.14, regarding fines for unlicensed recovery houses, which took effect on June 9, 2022. On June 9, DDAP gave notice that, effective July 1, 2022, to minimize disruption to residents during the application and licensure process, single county authorities (SCAs) could continue to act on existing contracts with recovery houses that were making timely and good faith efforts to obtain licensure. DDAP also expressed its position that it would not penalize recovery houses while they were actively working through the licensure process.

Beginning January 1, 2023, SCAs may only fund recovery houses that have obtained licenses from DDAP. SCAs should plan to transition individuals who remain in unlicensed recovery houses to another licensed recovery home or arrange for other suitable housing as of January 1, 2023.

The SCAs are subject to the provisions of all requirements as outlined in the 2020–2025 Grant Agreement. Any state or federal funding used to make payments to unlicensed recovery homes is a violation of Act 59 of 2017 and the terms outlined in Appendix D Program Specific Provisions, Paragraph VI Compliance/Termination/Reduction of the 2020–2025 Grant Agreement.

In addition, as of January 1, 2023, DDAP will exercise its enforcement authority to impose fines of up to $1,000 per day on persons who have not obtained licenses but who operate recovery houses that receive funds from a federal, state, or county agency, in accordance with the requirements of Act 59 of 2017 and 28 Pa. Code § 717.14. Recovery house operators who have started but not completed the licensure process must either obtain their license or stop accepting federal, state, and county funds by January 1, 2023 in order to avoid this fine.

Act 59 of 2017, 71 P.S. § 613.16(a), relating to Violations, provides:

(a) Penalties — A person operating a drug and alcohol recovery house that is funded, in whole or in part, by the department or a Federal, other State, or county agency, that has failed to attain or maintain licensure or certification of a drug and alcohol recovery house and has not been licensed or certified by the department, shall pay a fine of up to $1,000 for each violation.

28 Pa. Code § 717.14(b), relating to Fines, provides, “Each day of operating a drug and alcohol recovery house that requires a license without a current license shall constitute a separate violation.”

Please submit all questions regarding this communication to the Bureau of Program Licensure.

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The Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has announced the launch of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) Funding Reporting portal. The online portal will be available on September 30, 2022, for OLTL providers to submit costs associated with ARPA funding distributed in 2021 in order to comply with DHS reporting requirements.

Background: ARPA Funding Information 

In 2021, federal funding from ARPA was allocated by the General Assembly under Act 24 and enacted by Governor Wolf to provide funding to nursing facilities (NF), personal care homes (PCH), and assisted living residences (ALR). These ARPA funds should be used for COVID-19 relief for costs not otherwise reimbursed by federal, state, or other sources of funding.

In addition, ARPA provided a temporary 10 percent increase to the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for certain Medicaid expenditures for home and community-based services (HCBS). The funding must be used to enhance, expand, or strengthen HCBS. OLTL outlined in its plan to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initiatives to strengthen the workforce and assist Adult Day Services (ADS) providers. The OLTL ARPA plan directed funding to Personal Assistance Service (PAS), Community Integration (CI), and Residential Habilitation (Res Hab) providers to assist with recruitment and retention of direct care workers. The plan also directed additional funding to providers to strengthen ADS.

ARPA funding must be used for things such as sign-on bonuses, retention payments, COVID-19 related leave benefits and paid time off, vaccination incentives, and/or the purchase of personal protective equipment and testing supplies. Additionally, ADS providers can use the funding for retrofitting adult daily living centers, expenses to re-open the centers, and expenses to develop alternative models to provide ADS.

Additional detailed information about the distribution of the 2021 ARPA funding can be found on the DHS Long-Term Care Providers web page.

ARPA Funding Reporting Portal
Effective September 30, 2022, providers can access the portal and begin to report ARPA 2021 costs. Providers can access the portal through the Funding Portal Login web page. The first report due date will be November 30, 2022, and should reflect two reporting periods. Providers are required to submit reports in the portal on a bi-annual basis thereafter according to their exhaustion of the funds. Please reference the chart below.

Report Period 

Due Dates 

07/01/2021 – 12/31/2021

01/01/2022 – 06/30/2022

 11/30/2022
07/01/2022 – 12/31/2022 2/28/2023
 01/01/2023 – 6/30/2023 8/30/2023
 07/01/2023 – 12/31/2023 2/28/2024

Providers must keep all documentation related to the costs reported in the final cost report for a minimum of five years.

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The Council on Brain Injury (CoBI) clinical forum will be presenting a webinar on November 8, 2022, from 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm. This webinar, titled “Recreational Therapy: Implications for Life Care Planning After Brain Injury,” will focus on how recreational therapy (RT) can help to support health promotion, prevention of secondary conditions, and quality of life. RT can also contribute to positive outcomes for individuals with various chronic conditions, such as brain injury. This webinar will consider the steps for integrating RT into the life care plan for individuals with brain injury and will include specific case studies to be described and discussed.

This webinar is intended for a professional audience and is free of charge. To participate, registration is required. Questions should be directed to MJ Schmidt of the Council on Brain Injury.

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The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) today issued Licensing Alert 02-22, which details the process for establishing mobile narcotic treatment programs (NTPs). In 2021, the Drug Enforcement Agency issued a final rule authorizing NTPs to add mobile components for dispensing controlled substances for maintenance or detoxification treatment without obtaining a separate registration.

Read the full DDAP Licensing Alert.

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Image by Gino Crescoli from Pixabay

A reminder to providers who received Provider Relief Fund (PRF) payments during the period January 1, 2021, to June 30, 2021. You must use the PRF Reporting Portal to document the use of these funds by this Friday, September 30, 2022.

According to the HRSA website, “Recipients who do not report within the respective reporting time period will be considered out of compliance with payment Terms and Conditions, and funds may be subject to recoupment.”

If you have any questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director.

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Image by photosforyou from Pixabay

This webinar series is being provided by the GLS Youth Suicide Prevention Team in collaboration with The COVID-19 Emergency Response Suicide Prevention & National Strategy For Suicide Prevention Grant Team.

Suicide Risk Assessment for Mental Health Professionals

  • October 6, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Safety Planning for Mental Health Professionals

  • October 13, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Family Engagement for Mental Health Professionals

  • October 27, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Postvention Training for Schools and Community Behavioral Health Partners

  • November 3, 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm

Lethal Means Reduction for Mental Health Professionals

  • November 10, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Visit here for more information and registration.

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