Home and Community Based Service (HCBS) workforce gap payment update from the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS)

Below is information PCCYFS received from OMHSAS Deputy Secretary, Kristen Houser, via the OMHSAS listserv.

Providers of IBHS, mobile crisis services, family based mental health services and psychiatric rehabilitation services received an attestation form for HCBS Workforce Gap payments on or after January 19, 2022.  Following release of the attestation forms, OMHSAS received concerns regarding the anticipated payment amounts and allowable uses of the funds.  To address these concerns, OMHSAS committed to reviewing the data used in the methodology to calculate payments and released an FAQ on February 9, 2022.     

On the original data run, the absence of available CY 2021 data was of particular concern for providers of IBHS given that 2020 was a year of transition from BHRS to IBHS. When OMHSAS first pulled data to calculate payments to each of these provider types and locations, CY 2021 data was not available. We have re-run the payment calculations using CY 2021 data.  Where CY 2019 data showed a more favorable outcome for a provider, the CY 2019 was used.  The CY 2019 data was supplemented with 2021 data for FBMH, Mobile Crisis and PRS provider locations that were not present in the CY 2019 data and that had more favorable data in CY 2021. 

Please note that any previously submitted attestation forms will be considered null and void, and OMHSAS will be sending new forms with the new amounts reflecting the most complete claims data in the next few weeks. We will send notification through our email list when they are sent.

If you have not checked your contact information and both email and physical addresses in PROMISe, please do so immediately to help ensure the quickest method of notification.

If you have questions about provider qualifications or other topics related to these payments, please refer to our FAQs.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. We know these payments for workforce recruitment and retention are critical, and it is important to us that they be as accurate as possible.