Benchmarks' Legislative Update is Highlighted Below in the Video and in Written Budget Summary
Recording Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar with Dave Richard
(Includes NCGA Budget Highlights)


Senate Budget Highlights
June 2021
The Senate released their budget on Monday evening, June 21, 2021. You can view the budget and associated documents through these links:

This is the second part of a series of events that will lead us to a final budget. First, the Governor released his budget a few months ago. The Senate released their budget this week and we expect to see the House budget released sometime in mid-August. The House and Senate will then need to work together to develop a compromise budget between the House and Senate versions.

Concurrently, they will be working with the Governor’s office (we hope and expect) to make sure that the compromise budget that the House and Senate develop will not be vetoed by the Governor 
(which happened to the previous NC budget).

Below we have outlined some highlights of what was included in the budget that impacts our members. This has been separated into two categories to make it easier for you to review. The first is child 
welfare and the second is Medicaid, MH/DD/SAS.

We were very happy to see a number of the requests we had made were included in the budget such as the:
  • foster care rate increase,
  • bridge money to keep the Children’s Homes whole once the Family First Act begins,
  • the implementation of the 7 regional oversight divisions of DSS as directed by Rylan’s Law (although they didn’t fund the positions needed),
  • funding to extend Medicaid for the Medicaid eligible parents of children who enter foster care,
  • extension of Medicaid coverage for post-partum mothers for one year, and
  • funds to support Direct Support Workers. We would note that these funds have been a big focus of our work in which we requested $160 million in recurring dollars (with over $333 million in Medicaid match) to increase the hourly wage of direct service workers by approximately $4.00 per hour. However, the Senate budgeted $100 million in one-time funds for $1,500 dollar bonuses for Direct Support Workers in 21/22. The sponsor for this bill is a House member and we have a LOT of support from the House for this bill. We will be working hard on the House budget to make sure that the money is allocated recurring as an hourly rate increase rather than a $1500 bonus for just 21/22!

CHILD WELFARE
Foster Care Rate Increase
(a)The maximum rates for State participation in the foster care assistance program are established on a graduated scale as follows:
(1) $475.00 $514.00 per child per month for children from birth through five 4 years of age.
(2) $581.00 $654.00 per child per month for children six through 12 years of age.
(3) $634.00 $698.00 per child per month for children at least 13 but less than 21 years of age.

(b) The maximum rates for the State adoption assistance program are established consistent with the 
foster care rates as follows:
(1) $475.00 $514.00 per child per month for children from birth through five years of age.
(2) $581.00 $654.00 per child per month for children six through 12 years of age.
(3) $634.00 $698.00 per child per month for children at least 13 but less than 21 years of age.

The new rates are effective October 1, 2021.

Children’s Homes Bridge funding for Family First Prevention Services Act
Provides funding to cover a loss in federal receipts from the Family First Prevention Services Act, which limits Title IV-E funding for congregate care to 14 days starting October 1, 2021.

FY 21-22 - $6,000,000, FY 22-23 - $12,000,000 non-recurring

Parents of Children in Foster Care
Provides funds to allow the parents of children temporarily placed into the child welfare system to retain Medicaid eligibility if the parent is making reasonable efforts to comply with the court-ordered reunification plan. DHHS must apply for a waiver to authorize the change in eligibility.

FY 21-22 $26,950,000 & FY 22-23 $55,600,000

Regional Supervision and Support of Child Welfare Services
In accordance with the plan submitted by the Social Services Regional Supervision and Collaboration Working Group (SSWG) in its report on March 31, 13 2019, to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services as required Rylan's Law, DHHS shall establish seven regions for regional supervision of child welfare and social services and begin providing oversight and support within those regions through State regional staff and the central office team by March 1, 2022.

To that end, the Department shall continue, pursuant to existing authority, with
(i)   redeploying positions identified in the report to support regionalization and all managerial staff needed to support regionalization in the central office and
(ii)  repurposing corresponding operating expenses.

The Department shall pursue procurement of physical offices within each of the seven regions beginning in March 2023 and shall prioritize staffing to improve the child welfare system.

The Department shall move towards full implementation of a regional model, with offices, by March 1, 2024. The Department shall use existing funds to provide staff to improve regional supervision and support of child welfare services pursuant to the plan as described in this subsection.

Child Welfare/Behavioral Health Pilot Project
DHHS shall establish a two-year child welfare and behavioral health pilot project that will provide easier access to comprehensive health services for children in foster care by
(i)      creating better continuity of care,
(ii)     providing an alternative to therapeutic foster care, and
(iii)    ensuring care and services are available without disruption to a child's foster care placement while accessing services needed to treat the child's trauma.

Four counties shall participate in the pilot project, which shall include Davie, Forsyth, Rockingham, and Stokes. The purpose of the pilot project is to establish a trauma-informed integrated health foster care model to facilitate partnerships between county departments of social services and local management entities/managed care organizations (LME/MCOs) regarding children placed in foster care that will do each of the following:
(1) Address safety and health needs of children with the application of trauma-informed tools.
(2) Address appropriate preventive and medical care for children placed in foster care.
(3) Address other social determinants of health, specifically those related to education and social development.
(4) Meet the goals of Medicaid Transformation, Child Welfare Reform, and the federal Families First Prevention Services Act (Family First Act).
(5) Provide for collaboration across agencies, including private behavioral health providers, health systems, and agencies of social determinants of health.
(6) Allow for the development of alternative funding models and service definitions.
(7) Allow for behavioral health services in family foster homes augmented with mental health services.
(8) Allow for wraparound services for the child to support a singular, unified goal of children in foster care having a single placement.
(9) Assign dedicated care coordination to each county social services agency

NC FAST Child Welfare Case Management
Provides funding to augment and enhance the child welfare case management component of NC FAST and to deploy the child welfare case management component Statewide.

FY 21-22 $23,265,000 & FY 22-23 $23,778,025

MEDICAID, MH/DD/SAS
Direct Care Worker Bonuses
Provides a $1,500 bonus for eligible direct care workers employed by eligible providers enrolled in the Medicaid or NC Health Choice program.

FY 21-22 $100,000,000 & FY 22-23 $100,000,000

Additional Innovations Waiver Slots
Provides funding to allow an additional 1,000 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to access services through the State's Medicaid Innovations Waiver, 420 new slots effective October 1, 2021 and 580 slots effective July 1, 2022.

Additional Slots for Community Alternatives Program for Disabled Adults
Provides funding for additional slots in the Community Alternatives Program for Disabled Adults (CAP/DA) Medicaid waiver, effective October 1, 2021. The program provides individualized home- and community-based services for medically fragile adults at risk of institutionalization. A minimum of 114 slots shall be made available October 1, 2021.

FY 21-22 $2,317,000 & FY 22-23 $3,085,467

Wage Increase for Direct Support Personnel in Intermediate/Care Facilities (ICF/IID)
Provides funding for a wage increase for direct support personnel employed by ICF/IID facility Medicaid providers to raise their hourly wage to $15 per hour, effective July 1, 2022.

FY 22-23 $17,500,000 recurring

Temporary Additional Funding Assistance for Intermediate/Care Facilities (ICF/IID)
Provides ($12,600,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2021-2022 fiscal year to be used to distribute a one-time payment to each (LME/MCO) for the purposes of providing temporary additional funding assistance for Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IID) services on a per diem basis.

Transitions to Community Living Initiative
Increases funding for the Transitions to Community Living Initiative (TCLI), which supports eligible Medicaid beneficiaries with mental illness in transitioning from institutions to community settings in accordance with the US Department of Justice Olmstead Settlement.

The revised net appropriation for TCLI across all Health and Human Services divisions is $68.2 million in each year of the biennium.

Extension of Postpartum Benefits
Provides funds to extend Medicaid benefits for the pregnant women eligibility category from 60 days postpartum to 12 months postpartum, effective April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2027. The State share of funding, $12.5 million in FY 2021-22 and $50.8 million in FY 2022-23, will be paid from additional hospital assessment receipts.

Single Stream Funding Restoration
Provides an additional $30 million in recurring single stream funding for LME/MCOs to replace the transfer of funds from Medicaid to LME/MCOs that has occurred in most years recently. These funds 
partially restore past recurring reductions in single stream funding.

Supplemental Short-Term Assistance for Group Homes
“Group Home” means any facility that
(i)      is licensed under Chapter 122C of the General Statutes,
(ii)     meets the definition of a supervised living facility under 10A NCAC 27G .5601(c)(1) or 10A NCAC 27G .5601(c)(3), and
(iii)     serves minors or adults whose primary diagnosis is mental illness or a developmental disability but may also have other diagnoses.

Provides funding to group homes for temporary, short-term financial assistance in the form of a monthly payment to group homes on behalf of each resident who meets all of the following criteria:
(1) Was eligible for Medicaid-covered personal care services (PCS) prior to January 1, 2013, but was determined to be ineligible for PCS on or after January 1, 2013, due to Medicaid State Plan changes in PCS eligibility criteria,
(2) Has continuously resided in a group home since December 31, 2012.

These monthly payments shall be subject to all of the following requirements and limitations:
(1) The amount of the monthly payments authorized by this section shall not exceed four hundred sixty-four dollars and thirty cents ($464.30) per month for each resident who meets all criteria specified in subsection (b) of this section.
(2) A group home that receives the monthly payments authorized by this section shall not, under any circumstances, use these payments for any purpose other than providing, as necessary, supervision and medication management for a resident who meets all criteria specified in subsection (b) of this section.

The Department shall terminate all monthly payments pursuant to this section on June 30, 2023, or upon depletion of the $1,800,000 in nonrecurring funds appropriated in this act.

Each group home that receives the monthly payments authorized by this section shall submit to the Department a list of all funding sources for the operational costs of the group home for the preceding two years, in accordance with the schedule and format prescribed by the Department.

The Department shall use an existing mechanism to administer these funds in the least restrictive manner that ensures compliance with this section and timely and accurate payments to group homes.

Choice in Accreditation for LME/MCOs Operating BH IDD Tailored Plans
During the initial four-year contract term for Medicaid BH IDD tailored plans, the DHHS, Division of Health Benefits (DHB), shall not require, by contract or otherwise, any local management entity/managed care organization (LME/MCO) to be accredited by any one specific accreditation organization. DHB shall require each LME/MCO awarded a BH IDD tailored plan contract to be accredited by a nationally recognized accreditation organization that has been selected by the LME/MCO and approved by DHB. DHB shall create a process by which DHB approves the accreditation 
organization selected by the LME/MCO.

Certificate of Need Exemption for Certain Facilities
Notwithstanding the State Medical Facilities Plan or Article 9 of Chapter 131E of the General 5 Statutes, each facility that receives funds allocated under subsection (a) of this section is exempt from certificate of need review for the establishment or expansion of behavioral health services at the facility at which the constructed or converted beds will be brought into operation, including any combination of the following:
(1) The establishment or expansion of outpatient therapy services or substance use disorder treatment services, or both.
(2)  The replacement or relocation of a behavioral health facility, defined as a psychiatric facility, a facility-based crisis center, or any facility that is primarily engaged in providing services for the diagnosis and treatment of behavioral health issues.
(3) Changes in inpatient behavioral health bed capacity.
Health Equity Payment Initiative Survey for Medicaid Providers
All Carolina Access Providers who received health equity payments are asked to take 5-10 minutes to complete this survey by July 16, 2021. The survey allows DHHS to monitor and evaluate how these payments were used.

Practices receiving enhanced payments must complete a practice survey following this health equity initiative; failure to complete the survey may result in NC DHHS recouping payments.

In March of 2021, NC Medicaid announced the health equity payment initiative, providing certain Carolina Access providers serving Medicaid beneficiaries from high poverty areas of the State enhanced payments for a 3-month period to achieve health equity among North Carolina’s Medicaid population.

The initiative aimed to improve access to primary care and preventive services for Medicaid and NC Health Choice beneficiaries in North Carolina at a time when historically marginalized populations face challenges highlighted during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Reminder - Input Needed for NC Medicaid’s Home & Community Based Services Improvements
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), signed by President Biden on March 11, 2021, provides increased funding for Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) to enhance, expand, or strengthen these services.

In the face of heightened challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the goal of financial incentives to support HCBS is to promote community living, improve quality of life, and enhance access to services that enable independence for older adults and individuals with disabilities. Section 9817 of ARPA temporarily increases the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for HCBS by 10 percentage points.

The increased FMAP will be in place from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released guidance on the FMAP increase for HCBS on May 13, 2021, and requested states submit their plans and funding estimates within 30 days of the release and revised quarterly plans through 2024. CMS has since allowed states to extend the deadline by additional 30 days, if needed.

Feedback from stakeholders is essential to the implementation of HCBS that positively impact the health of NC Medicaid’s beneficiaries. NC Medicaid is seeking input from people who work in HCBS, people who receive HCBS care and the public on how North Carolina can most effectively allocate the funds. Please provide feedback on what the priorities should be for NC Medicaid’s HCBS spending plan. Feedback can be shared by:
  • Emailing [email protected]
  • Attending a webinar on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Register here to attend.
For more information, please see the Medicaid Bulletin article Reminder - Input Needed for NC Medicaid’s Home & Community Based Services Improvements.

Expiring Provider Credential Reminder
In early May 2021, NCTracks began sending reminder notifications to providers through the NCTracks Provider Message Center Inbox advising of the requirement to update expiring credentials in order to avoid claims suspension and potential termination. In suspension status, claims pend and will not pay. 
 
If an expiring credential (licenses, certifications and accreditations) is not updated, a reminder notice is sent at 30 calendar days and again at 14 calendar days prior to the expiration of the credential. The final reminder is sent seven calendar days prior to expiration date.
 
Beginning June 26, 2021, claims will suspend for providers who received notice but failed to meet the deadline by which the update was required.
  • If the expiring credential is not updated, the provider's taxonomy code(s) that requires the expiring credential will be terminated on the 61st calendar day following suspension.
  • If the terminated taxonomy represents the only taxonomy for that location or provider record, then the service location or enrollment record will also terminate.
 
Terminated providers must reapply in order to participate in North Carolina Medicaid and NC Health Choice programs. For more information, please see NCTracks Changes to Provider Verification Process.

DHHS Update Call for BH/IDD Consumers, Family Members and Community Stakeholders June 28th
Joint DMHDDSAS and DHB (NC Medicaid) Update Call
For BH/IDD Consumers, Family Members and Community Stakeholders
Monday—June 28, 2021
2:00 pm
(Monthly on the Fourth Monday at 2:00pm. Please note the new process for future calls)

This call is for consumers, family members, and community stakeholders ONLY. If you are a provider who joins the call, please allow consumers, family members, and community stakeholders to ask their questions. (Provider questions will be answered during the regularly scheduled NC Providers call.)

The Division of MH/DD/SAS and Division of Health Benefits (NC Medicaid) remain committed to working hard to assess service gaps, create and amend policies, and direct funding into service areas that will be impactful in preventing the interruption and delay of BH/IDD services during this challenging time. This recurring call will be the fourth Monday of each month in an attempt to help keep consumers, family members and community stakeholders informed and updated on policies and actions impacting service access and health outcomes for BH and IDD consumers, and perhaps more importantly – to hear directly from you about any questions or issues that have emerged since we last communicated. We hope that you can join us. To participate please click on the link below to register:

Participant Log-In Information ONLY:

Please register for Joint DMHDDSAS and DHB (NC Medicaid) Update Call on Jun 28, 2021 2:00 PM EDT at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4632881719895677968
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

For Closed Captioning see link below:
At the start time of the event, please login to your event by clicking on the link below:


SL 2&3 Stakeholders RE: June 18th Follow-Up
We’re pleased that so many of you were able to attend last Friday’s SL 2&3 Quarterly Stakeholder Meeting with its special emphasis on understanding the "IDD Universe at DHHS” and Dotty’s story of her son Dylan.
 

Joint Communication Bulletin #396: State-Funded Day Supports Service
This communication bulletin informs LME-MCOs of the following changes to the amended Division of Mental
Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services (DMH/DD/SAS) state-funded service
definition effective July 1, 2021.
Day Supports (DS) service requirements are as follows:
  • DS is a group service that provides assistance to individuals 16 years of age and older with acquisition, retention, or improvement in socialization and daily living skills and is one option for a meaningful day activity.
  • Group services are provided as outlined within the Person-Centered Plan (PCP) or Individual Support Plan (ISP) are able to be fully addressed.
  • Maximum group service ratio: Paraprofessional to individuals ratio is 1:4 as long as services outlined within the PCP or ISP are able to be fully addressed.
  • The service is often provided in a licensed DS provider facility or by an Adult Day Health provider that serves individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI); however, this service may be delivered in the community as well.
  • The service requires a NC Support Needs Assessment Profile (NC-SNAP) score at Level 2 or higher, a Supports Intensity Scale (SIS) rating at Level C or higher, or a TBI Assessment requiring a moderate t0 high level of supervision and support in most settings.
  • A psychological, neuropsychological, or psychiatric evaluation supported by appropriate psychological/neuropsychological testing that denotes an I/DD diagnosis as defined by G.S. 122C-3(12a) must be completed by a qualified licensed professional prior to the provision of this service. For individuals with a TBI, a clinical exam completed by a qualified licensed professional is required noting a TBI diagnosis as defined by G.S. 122C-3(38a).
  • Service authorization must be completed by a Qualified Professional prior to the day services are provided. 
Independence Day Holiday Information, New Medicaid Bulletins
The NCTracks Call Center will be closed Monday, July 5, in observance of the Independence Day holiday. (The Pharmacy Prior Approval Unit will be open holiday hours from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.)
 
The checkwrite schedule is not affected by the 2021 Independence Day holiday.
 
The 2021 checkwrite schedules can be found under Quick Links on the NCTracks Provider Portal home page.

Reminder: No Checkwrite for the Week of June 29, 2021
As stated in the published approved 2021 checkwrite schedules, "NCTracks will issue 50 checkwrites per fiscal year. The payment cycle will be weekly, exceptions being the last week of June (end of state fiscal year) and the last week of the calendar year."

The last checkwrite date for the State fiscal year was on June 22. There will be no checkwrite on June 29. The first checkwrite for the new State fiscal year will be on July 6, 2021.

The 2021 checkwrite schedules for both DHB and DMH/DPH/ORH can be found under the Quick Links on the right side of the Provider Portal home page at https://www.nctracks.nc.gov/content/public/providers.html. 

A Message from NCTracks on Behalf of NC Medicaid
White House Virtual Conversation with NC Providers on June 29
The White House COVID-19 Response Team and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s Office are having a virtual conversation on North Carolina Primary Care Providers and the COVID-19 vaccination rollout Tuesday, June 29, from 4 to 5 p.m. ET.

The conversation will be an opportunity to express gratitude to North Carolina’s primary care providers for their service to their patients, state, and country throughout the COVID-19 response and vaccine rollout. Speakers will discuss the critical role primary care providers continue to play in this phase of the vaccination effort -- including through vaccine education to their patients and through offering vaccinations in their offices -- and the tools the federal government and State of North Carolina are providing to support them.

Attendees will hear from fellow primary care providers in North Carolina on innovative approaches they are taking to patient outreach and implementing their own vaccination programs. Additionally, attendees will be able to pose questions about the role of primary care providers in the current phase of the vaccination effort and the challenges or concerns they face.

Please RSVP and submit questions for the session here at https://pitc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_M1JZNYYxR6W3tGEwTRYomA. 

SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #167: NC Medicaid No Longer Accepting COVID-19 Response Facility Designation Requests
Due to diminished need, NC Medicaid will no longer accept new requests to serve as a Response Facility from nursing homes, effective Monday, June 21, 2021. More Information.
 
SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #168: Vaccination Counseling Code Reimbursement
Effective June 22, 2021, CPT 99401: Preventative medicine counseling and/or risk factor reduction intervention (s) provided to an individual, up to 15 minutes has been added to counsel Medicaid beneficiaries regarding the benefits of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. More Information
 
New Medicaid Bulletins Available as of June 22, 2021
The NC Division of Health Benefits (DHB) has recently published new Medicaid Bulletin articles:
 
  • NC Medicaid Managed Care Provider Update – June 16, 2021
  • Reminder to Update Expiring Credentials in NCTracks – June 16, 2021
  • Attention: Providers of Well Child Exams - Clarification of Appropriate Diagnosis Codes
  • Reminder - Input Needed for NC Medicaid’s Home & Community Based Services Improvements
  • Expiring Credential Update Reminder

Providers are encouraged to review this information. All bulletin articles, including those related to COVID-19, are available on DHB's Medicaid Bulletin webpage
TREC ARP Technical Sessions - July 13, 15, and 20

The Governor's Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice and the North Carolina Association of County commissioners are hosting a series of three sessions in July to provide information about three funding opportunities for the more than $3 billion in American Rescue Plan funds being directed to our communities. These solutions focus on addressing both COVID-19 and criminal justice issues in North Carolina.
 
These sessions will feature Justice Earls or Attorney General Stein as moderators, guidance from subject matter experts, and best practices from North Carolina communities that have already implemented the initiatives.
Session details:
  • Tuesday, July 13, at 12 p.m.: Respond more appropriately to calls for emergency service, specifically those concerning mental illness, autism, intellectual disabilities, substance abuse, homelessness, and other non-emergency situations. Register here.
  • Thursday, July 15, at 12 p.m.: Fund violence prevention programs. Register here.
  • Tuesday, July 20, at 12 p.m.: Establish and expand access to pre-arrest and post-arrest diversion programs (ex. LEAD). Register here.
 
We invite you to help North Carolina maximize an extremely rare opportunity to secure funding address the public health and economic challenges that have devastated our communities.
Kids Count Data Book 2021: State Trends in Child Well-Being. Annie E. Casey Foundation. 2021 

SUMMARY
The 32nd edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT® Data Book describes how children across the United States were faring before — and during — the coronavirus pandemic.
This year’s publication continues to deliver the Foundation’s annual state rankings and the latest available data on child well-being. It identifies multiyear trends — comparing statistics from 2010 to 2019. In addition, the report shares data on how families endured throughout the pandemic.

HOW KIDS AND FAMILIES HAVE WEATHERED THE PANDEMIC
Every child needs food, health care and safe and stable housing. Millions of households with children already lacked these necessities before the pandemic, and this economic and public health catastrophe brought millions more face-to-face with challenges ranging from lost health insurance and bare pantries to the threat of homelessness due to eviction or foreclosure.
An additional area of concern: Students are completing a second academic year disrupted by COVID-19, undermining academic performance and altering post-high school plans.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RECOVERY
The nation will not recover from this crisis without innovative public policy. Several of the Foundation’s federal policy recommendations have already been enacted through the 2020 CARES Act and with 2021's American Rescue Plan. Of particular note is the historic expansion of the federal child tax credit, which is expected to cut the child poverty rate by more than half. Unfortunately, the expansion is currently slated for only one year.

To continue progress already made on recovery, the Foundation recommends: making the expansion of the federal child tax credit permanent; strengthening state and local policies affecting kids and families; and prioritizing racial and ethnic equity in policymaking.

STATE RANKINGS
This year, New England states hold two of the top three spots for overall child well-being. Massachusetts ranks first, followed by New Hampshire and Minnesota. Louisiana (48th), Mississippi (49th) and New Mexico (50th) are the three lowest-ranked states.
States in Appalachia, as well as the Southeast and Southwest — where families have the lowest levels of household income — populate the bottom of the overall rankings. In fact, except for Alaska, the 17 lowest-ranked states are in these regions.

RACIAL INEQUITIES IN CHILD WELL-BEING
Despite gains for children of all races and income levels during the reporting period, the nation’s racial inequities remain deep, systemic and stubbornly persistent. Data suggest that we as a nation fail to provide children of color with the opportunities and support they need to thrive. States are failing to dismantle barriers that African American, American Indian and Latino children especially encounter. As a result, nearly all index measures show that children experience disparate outcomes in spite of their potential.
In 14 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, kids of color were the majority of the child population in 2019. The future success of our nation depends on our ability to ensure all children have the chance to be successful.
Adoption Excellence Awards: Nominations Deadline Extended!

The United States Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Children’s Bureau (CB) is pleased to announce that Adoption Excellence Awards nominations are now being accepted. These annual awards recognize States, Tribes, agencies, organizations, businesses and individuals that have demonstrated excellence in making contributions to providing permanency for children in foster care. The Adoption Excellence Awards honor leadership and innovation in the commitment toward rebuilding the lives of children in foster care and those who are waiting for adoption. 

You are invited to nominate candidates for the 2021 Adoption Excellence Awards.  Nomination materials, including a description of the award categories, eligibility and selection criteria, and nomination forms are included with this letter. You can find information about past recipients at the Children’s Bureau website. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/resource/adoption-excellence-awards 

We recognize that there may have been difficulties downloading the nomination forms so we have attached them to this email and extended the submission deadline. All nominations must be received by COB Thursday, July 15, 2021.  

All nominations should be sent electronically to [email protected], Subject Line: AEA Nomination. If you have questions about the award, please contact June Dorn at [email protected] or 202-205-9540. 

Consider submitting a nomination to recognize the extraordinary efforts of a family member, colleague, business, or organization that has shown dedication and innovation in finding permanent, loving homes for America's waiting children. 
Supporting Youth in Foster Care Through the Pandemic
I’m a child welfare professional. What can I do?
If the youth or young adult you work with is under the age of 27 and spent time in foster care after the age of 14, they may be eligible for pandemic relief funds to get financial support with rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, car loans, groceries, or other basic needs.
Use the following Federal resources to get more information. Keep in mind, however, that States, Tribes, and territories will administer the financial support and assistance at the State, county, local, and agency level.
Learn about the Children's Bureau's instructions and guidance on actions required to address the Supporting Foster Youth and Families through the Pandemic Act.
Read this Information Memorandum that outlines changes available to States and Tribes to the Chafee and ETV supplemental funding, maximum age limitation on eligibility for assistance, programmatic flexibilities, and more.
Read this letter that urges child welfare directors to act swiftly to implement the “Supporting Foster Youth and Families through the Pandemic Act,” Division X of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116-260). It also encourages child welfare agencies to partner with youth and young adults in implementing these provisions.

Watch this webinar from January 7, 2021, where the Children’s Bureau provides information to States, Tribes, and courts on the Supporting Foster Youth and Families Through the Pandemic Act, P.L. 116-260. To access the webinar(opens in new window)
, use the passcode 9ES4H0K#.
Featured Grantees:
Building Capacity of Child Welfare and Mental Health Professionals
Project Description: The National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative (NTI) provides state-of-the-art, standardized, web-based trainings to build the capacity of child welfare and mental health professionals in all States, Tribes, and territories to effectively support children, youth, and their foster, adoptive, and guardianship families.

Project Highlight: In part one of the Transfer of Learning Tuesdays webinar series, learn from two NTI host sites, the Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, on how they successfully integrated the NTI training knowledge and skills into their professional development array. Presenters share their stories of how NTI has enhanced day-to-day practice, emphasizing collaboration and shared language between child welfare and mental health professionals.

Learn More: Register for upcoming webinars in the Transfer of Learning Tuesdays series for additional discussions, strategies, tools, and resources for improving outcomes for adoptive, foster, kinship, and guardianship families.








Assessing Systems to Support Adoption and Guardianship Families
Project Description: The National Quality Improvement Center for Adoption and Guardianship Support and Preservation (QIC-AG) is a 5-year project working with eight partner sites to implement evidence-based interventions or develop and test promising practices to achieve long-term, stable permanence in adoptive and guardianship homes for waiting children, as well as children and families after adoption or guardianship has been finalized.

Project Highlight: To better support today’s adoption and guardianship families, it is important to understand service availability as well as service delivery systems that attend to these families. The QIC-AG developed an assessment tool to help sites consider key factors when determining the need for change. Check out the related webinar and accompanying materials to learn more about this tool and how it can be used to help better understand the strengths and limitations of your system and inform transformation.

Learn More: Following 5 years of implementation and evaluation, view the seven implementation manuals for each of the seven QIC-AG interventions. Each manual provides a structured process to determine if an intervention is right for your site and support the intervention with integrity. They also contain practical considerations for implementation as well as lessons learned from the pilot sites.
Building a Resilient Child Welfare Workforce

Project Description: The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) is a 5-year cooperative agreement awarded to build the capacity of child welfare professionals and improve the organizations that recruit, train, supervise, manage, and retain them.

Project Highlight: NCWWI is hosting a discussion series that addresses how child welfare leaders have supported their workforces in building resiliency during the pandemic. During the sessions, NCWWI speaks to colleagues in the field doing this work and then breaks into peer-led small groups to discuss how to incorporate the strategies at other organizations. The recordings, PowerPoint, and key takeaways from the first two sessions—"Providing Operational Workforce Supports" and "Leveraging Key Partnerships"—are available now.

Learn More: Read Critical Workforce Needs to learn about child welfare workforce needs beyond the pandemic. In this report, NCWWI compiled 12 years' worth of data to identify common themes and the critical needs of the workforce across both public and Tribal child welfare programs.
Telehealth for the Treatment of Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders-Report

SMI and SUD impact millions of Americans. Barriers to accessing
care include access to appropriate services and providers, stigma
associated with SMI or SUD, and competing priorities (e.g.,
employment and caregiving responsibilities).

Telehealth is the use of two-way, interactive technology to provide
health care and facilitate client/provider interactions. Telehealth
modalities for SMI or SUD may be synchronous (live or real
time) or asynchronous (delayed communication between clients
and providers).

Telehealth has the potential to address the treatment gap,
making treatment services more accessible and convenient,
improving health outcomes, and reducing health disparities.
Research Highlight: Mapping ‘Imbalance’ in Brain Anatomy Across the Lifespan

Researchers in the NIMH Intramural Research Program have developed a new way to measure the degree to which the proportions of an individual person’s brain differ from the proportions typically seen in the broader population. This technique yields new insights into brain development and offers tools for further study.
Webinar Recording - Investing in Children’s Health and Well-being

Listen to our new webinar to hear leading experts explore the rise in reported mental and emotional health problems among children during the pandemic. This webinar highlighted strategies and solutions to invest in children and young adults' mental and physical health after a year of unprecedented challenges. Speakers discussed: 
  • How collaboration to address the social determinants of health leads to positive outcomes for children and families
  • The impact the pandemic has had on LGBTQ youth and crisis interventions being used to combat LGBTQ suicide moving forward
  • A health plan foundation’s efforts to support youth mental health through community partnerships
Alcohol Use Disorder: The Role of Medication in Recovery

Medications to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD) are vastly underutilized, despite evidence for their effectiveness. Change may be coming as a surge of new information on the neuropharmacological mechanisms of AUD has raised hopes for developing targeted medications for symptoms that drive drinking relapse, such as anxiety, dysphoria, irritability, and insomnia.

Could these formulations finally push pharmacological treatment of AUD into the mainstream?

Experts in the field review the latest research for answers.
COPS Office Releases New Publications on Law Enforcement Family Preparedness

The COPS Office is pleased to announce the release of a publication suite focused on creating an organizational culture of wellness for officers and their support networks. 

Law enforcement officers regularly experience stress and secondary trauma during their shifts and rely on their families and friends as a positive social support network to maintain holistic wellness. The executive guide and companion tools for families and agencies guide professional dialogue around holistic wellness innovations, best practices to support employees and their families, and opportunities within agencies to strengthen relationships with law enforcement families.

The purpose of this executive guide is to create a roadmap for law enforcement agencies to develop stronger family-friendly policies, procedures, and organizational cultures to work in collaboration with officer support networks. The executive guide includes information on employee benefits, family planning, trauma and loss, disciplinary considerations, and retirement planning.
OSHA Healthcare Employer Safety Rule Takes Effect, Compliance Deadlines Begin

The United States Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on June 10 to help combat the unique and elevated occupational hazards that exist for healthcare employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 916-page ETS, "Occupational Exposure to COVID-19; Emergency Temporary Standard," which was released as an interim final rule, is effective immediately upon publication in the Federal Register.

The document was published in the Federal Register on June 21 and is also available on the GovInfo website. The goal of the ETS is to provide workers of the healthcare industry adequate assurances that precautions are being utilized to properly protect them from the dangers associated with COVID-19. Employers must comply with all requirements set forth in the ETS, except for requirements in paragraphs (i), (k), and (n) by July 6, 2021. Employers must comply with the requirements in paragraphs (i), (k), and (n) by July 21, 2021.


Behavioral Health – Provider Considerations for the Evolution to Value-Based Care
Much of the health care industry has taken significant strides to move reimbursement for medical services away from volume-based, fee-for-service models to value-based care models. Outside of the inpatient psychiatric hospital setting, value-based models have not reached the same footing in the behavioral health context. While the daily industry press is replete with articles highlighting payor desire to move to value-based behavioral healthcare, adoption has been slow and seemingly daunting. 
Apply Now for the NC CTP 2021-2023 Learning Collaborative in Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP)

The NC Child Treatment Program is now accepting applications for the 2021-2023 Learning Collaborative in Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP). Applications are due by August 6, 2021 at 5pm. This cohort will commence training in November 2021. 

Interested in learning more about CPP? Join one of our upcoming Information Calls to hear from our faculty and trainers in CPP about the model, learning collaborative expectations, and more. It is also a great opportunity to ask us any questions you have before applying. Details for our two upcoming Information Calls are below:

Wednesday June 30, 2021 from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Tuesday July 13, 2021 - 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Click on the links below to access the CPP Cohort 8 applications and information guide. You can also go to our website to find the applications using the button below.
Upcoming Events
New: Monday, June 28, 2021
White House Virtual Conversation with NC Providers 

Time: 2:00 pm thru 3:00 pm
  
New: Tuesday, June 29, 2021
Employment Law: For a Re-Opening Workplace

Time: 1:00 pm thru 2:30 pm
  
New: Tuesday, June 29, 2021
White House Virtual Conversation with NC Providers 

Time: 4:00 pm thru 5:00 pm
  
New: Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Motivational Interviewing: Evidence-Based Strategies and Principles for Guiding Conversations With Your Patients

Time: 12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm
  
Thursday, July 8, 2021
Benchmarks' Child Welfare Webinar
Lisa Cauley Joins Karen McLeod

Time: 8:00 am thru 9:00 am
  
Monday, July 12, 2021
Foster Care Plan Workgroup (Listen Only)

Time: 3:00 pm thru 4:30 pm
Monday, July 12, 2021 thru Friday, July 24, 2021
North Carolina Youth Leadership Forum
The North Carolina Youth Leadership Forum (NCYLF) will be a free two-week web series in July that will model online college life for youth with disabilities. Participants will be treated like college students.
New: Tuesday, July 13, 2021
The Governor's Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice and the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners-Session 1

Time: 12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm
New: Thursday, July 15, 2021
The Governor's Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice and the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners-Session 2

Time: 12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm
New: Tuesday, July 20, 2021
The Governor's Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice and the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners-Session 3

Time: 12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm
Friday, July 23, 2021
Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar
Dave Richard Joins Karen McLeod

Time: 8:30 am thru 9:30 am
  
Thursday, August 12, 2021
Benchmarks' Child Welfare Webinar
Lisa Cauley Joins Karen McLeod

Time: 8:00 am thru 9:00 am
  
Friday, August 20, 2021
Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar
Dave Richard Joins Karen McLeod

Time: 8:30 am thru 9:30 am
  
Thursday, September 9, 2021
Benchmarks' Child Welfare Webinar
Lisa Cauley Joins Karen McLeod

Time: 8:00 am thru 9:00 am
  
Friday, September 17, 2021
Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar
Dave Richard Joins Karen McLeod

Time: 8:30 am thru 9:30 am