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Tags Posts tagged with "Funding"

Funding

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ODP Announcement 22-031 provides guidance about the process for providers and Supports Coordination Organizations to request one-time payments to address staff training, credentialing, and business associates programs for employment.

As part of the Office of Developmental Programs’ (ODP) American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) strategy to strengthen Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), providers can receive a one-time supplemental payment. The following activities would be supported by this funding:

  • Agency adoption of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) core competency training for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs);
  • DSP National Association for Dual Diagnosis certifications;
  • Agency completion of National Association for Dual Diagnosis Accreditation; and
  • Lifecourse Ambassador Series for individuals or agency hosting of the series.
    • Providers are encouraged to be creative in their proposals with an eye towards the development of creating or enhancing career ladders for DSPs, portability, and expansion of a well-qualified workforce and employing the principles of Lifecourse.

Providers interested in applying will need to complete and submit the attached Staff Training, Credentialing, and Business Associates Programs for Employment Supplemental Payment Application and submit via email to Rick Smith. Applications will be accepted through June 30, 2022. Funding may be requested up to 1% of ODP eligible service revenue from Fiscal Year (FY) 2019/2020, FY 2020/2021, or $100,000, whichever is greater.

Please see the announcement for full details of this program.

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The Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association Political Action Committee (RCPA PAC) is asking members to consider making a personal contribution. With these donations, we are able to provide financial support to state legislators or representatives who have demonstrated a strong, consistent, and positive interest in our legislative priorities.

With support of the RCPA PAC, we have been successful in supporting legislative leadership who understand the severe challenges facing many of our providers and who are willing to stand up for our issues as we fight to move Pennsylvania forward. Recent efforts we have closely followed include:

  • The passage of Act 25 of 2018;
  • Testifying at numerous House and Senate Committee meetings on gun violence, autism, community participation, and other issues affecting RCPA members; and
  • Assisting with language for the 2021/22 fiscal budget to delay the implementation of ASAM requirements on drug and alcohol providers.

As we move into a new legislative year, efforts are now underway in multiple areas, including:

  • Advocating the General Assembly to release federal funding that they placed in reserve for direct care workers (see RCPA media campaign);
  • Drafting legislation to eliminate prudent pay for IDD providers;
  • Working with legislative leaders and family advocates for children and adults with severe autism;
  • Working with House and Senate leadership on rate increases for brain injury providers;
  • Providing information to House and Senate leadership regarding how Drug and Alcohol Opioid Settlement Funds allocations should be distributed to drug and alcohol providers;
  • Advocating the Governor/General Assembly and collaborating with the County Commissioners Association of PA (CCAP) and the Hospital Association of PA (HAP), as well as other organizations, to increase County Mental Health Funding;
  • Working with legislators to Amend Act 25 of 2018, which RCPA helped draft, by introducing new legislation regarding outpatient psychiatric issues (HB 2294);
  • Assisting legislative staff with their constituent issues regarding human services issues, such as consumer placements for services; and
  • Advocating legislators and staff on rate transparency.

We urgently need your support to continue with these ambitious projects. While the request is voluntary, we encourage you to make a contribution of $100, $250, $350, $500 or more to RCPA PAC. For your convenience, you can now make an online contribution.

Thank you for your participation and support. If you are interested in learning more about RCPA PAC or donating, please visit our website, download the PAC FAQ Card, Donation Card, or email Jack Phillips, Director of Government Affairs.

Your participation in the RCPA-PAC is completely voluntary, and you may contribute as much or as little as you choose. Donations are not tax-deductible and will be used for political purposes. You may choose not to participate without fear of reprisal. You will not be favored or disadvantaged by reason of the amount of your contribution or decision not to contribute.

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The Senate Appropriations Committee will meet for a budget hearing with the Department of Human Services (DHS) at 10:00 am on Tuesday, March 8. The budget hearing will be livestreamed. Then, at 10:00 am Wednesday, March 9, the House Appropriations Committee will hold its hearing with DHS. That hearing will also be livestreamed.

DHS is budgeting more than $6 billion in capitation to pay for behavioral health services in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022/2023. Based on the current fiscal year’s spending, approximately 22 percent, or $1.6 billion, is budgeted to be spent for drug and alcohol, including administration fees paid to behavioral health managed care organizations, according to DHS. The $6 billion is an increase of 11 percent over the $5.4 billion budgeted for FY 2022.

The details of the budget are available in DHS’ 2022/2023 Executive Budget.

The $6 billion behavioral health budget (p. 105 of 399 in the Executive Budget) is comprised of:

The FY 2022/2023 budget also includes $57 million in state dollars for the Behavioral Health Services Initiative (BHSI). BHSI includes state funds to provide treatment services to Pennsylvanians who are uninsured, do not have insurance that covers the service they need, or cannot obtain Medical Assistance benefits. Single County Authorities distribute those dollars per the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol’s Fiscal Manual, according to DHS.

The DHS Executive Budget also breaks out an $80 million line item in both FY 2021/2022 and FY 2022/2023 for the American Society of Addiction Medicine transition (See p. 101 of 399). This $80 million, $16 million of which is state dollars, is included in $6 billion behavioral health capitation budget.

RCPA will continue to update the membership on the budget as it moves toward passage in the coming months.

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The House Appropriations Committee will meet for a budget hearing with the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) at 10:00 am on Thursday, March 3. The budget hearing will be livestreamed.

For Fiscal Year 2022/23, the governor is budgeting a total of $317 million for DDAP, which is a 16 percent reduction over the current fiscal year’s budget of $379 million. The decrease is due to a $60 million reduction in federal State Opioid Response dollars.

Of the total amount budgeted from the General Fund for the upcoming fiscal year, $270 million is budgeted for grants and subsidies to drug and alcohol programs. Of those funds, 75 percent ($220 million) comes from federal grants, including:

  • SAMHSA’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SABG) ($80 million);
  • State Opioid Response (SOR) Grant ($118 million); and
  • Substance Abuse Special Projects Grants ($22 million).

The remaining $50 million earmarked for drug and alcohol programs in the General Fund come from the McKinsey opioid settlement ($5 million) and $45 million in state funding.

Other funds in DDAP’s budget include the Compulsive and Problem Gambling Treatment Fund ($13 million), the Medical Marijuana Program Fund ($6 million), and the State Stores Fund ($5 million).

DDAP’s budget also includes $23 million ($3 million of which is state money) earmarked for operation and administration of the department and its various grant programs. The federal grants allow for a percentage of the funds to be used for operations and administration. Operations and administration also includes the department’s complement, or staffing, and their salaries.

While most of the SABG and state funding earmarked for drug and alcohol programs are distributed through the Single County Authorities, SOR and other special grant projects are delivered typically through a grant process. Details of initiatives that these grants have funded can be found on DDAP’s Department Funding web page.

As the regulator of the state’s addiction treatment system, DDAP’s funding of drug and alcohol programs pales in comparison to the Department of Human Services’ budget for drug and alcohol services. The governor has budgeted $6 billion for behavioral health services for Medicaid capitation rates, $1.6 billion of which is earmarked for drug and alcohol.

More details of DDAP’s budget are available in DDAP’s Bluebook.

DDAP’s Senate Appropriations Hearing is set for 2:30 pm, Wednesday, March 16.

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The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is making more than $560 million in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 General Distribution payments to more than 4,100 providers across the country this week. Providers will receive an email notification by Thursday, February 24 if their application was among those processed in this latest batch. HRSA is working to review all remaining applications as quickly as possible.

With today’s announcement, a total of nearly $11.5 billion in PRF Phase 4 payments has now been distributed to more than 78,000 providers in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and five territories. This is in addition to HRSA’s distribution of American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural payments, totaling nearly $7.5 billion in funding to more than 44,000 providers since November 2021.

Learn More

  • The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a press release on February 24 and an updated state-by-state table detailing all Phase 4 payments made to date.
  • As individual providers agree to the terms and conditions of Phase 4 payments, it will be reflected on the public dataset.

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

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