Weekly Health Care Policy Update – August 28, 2023

September 1, 2023

In this update: 

  • Federal Agencies
    • CMS Issues Draft Guidance Allowing Monthly Payments for Medicare Prescription Drug Costs
    • CMS Introduces Changes to ACO REACH Program
    • CMS Releases Medicare Shared Savings Program Data
    • CDC Launches Core Elements for Hospital Sepsis Programs
    • HHS Announces 2023 LEAP Awardees
    • HHS Awards $1.4 Billion in Project NextGen Funding
  • Other Updates
    • Ninth Circuit Changes Ruling on UnitedHealth Behavioral Health Case
    • Fifth Circuit Issues Ruling on Mifepristone; DOJ Will Appeal to SCOTUS
    • National Quality Forum Joins Joint Commission as Affiliate Member
    • Cigna Plans to Reduce Prior Authorization by 25% in Commercial Plans
    • Epic Announces New App Market Gallery
    • USPSTF Updates Recommendation to Include Long-Action PrEP
  • New York State Updates
    • DFS Publishes Proposed PBM Regulations on Pharmacy Contracting Standards and Pricing Models
    • DOH Releases Second Survey for Practitioner Feedback on Telehealth
    • DOH Announces Approval of eFMAP Funding for Children’s Workforce & Infrastructure
    • DOH Announces Improvements to the New York State Physician Profile Website
  • Funding Opportunities
    • DOH Issues RFA for $3.75 Million for Harm Reduction Services
    • OASAS Releases Second Round of Funding for Paid Prevention Internships  
    • PeerTAC Announces Scholarships for Peers to Attend 2023 NYAPRS Conference

Federal Agencies

CMS Issues Draft Guidance Allowing Monthly Payments for Medicare Prescription Drug Costs
On August 21st, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued draft guidance implementing the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan program. Included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the program requires all Part D plan sponsors to provide enrollees with the ability to pay cost-sharing in monthly capped amounts rather than at the point of sale. The program takes effect January 1, 2025, for all enrollees, including subsidy-eligible enrollees, in prescription drug plans (PDPs), Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans (MA-PDPs), and Employer Group Waiver Plans (EGWPs).

CMS’ draft guidance, which is only applicable to the 2025 program year, provides calculations for monthly out-of-pocket (OOP) cost limits, participant billing requirements, pharmacy payments, claims processing provisions, and enrollee outreach and benefit elections requirements. CMS seeks comment on all aspects of the draft guidance and, in particular, requests feedback on elements it aims to include in part two of the guidance, which will address enrollee education about the program.

Comments on the draft guidance, which is available here, are due September 20th. Additional information from CMS on the program include a fact sheet, available here, an implementation timeline, available here, and a press release, available here.

CMS Introduces Changes to ACO REACH Program
On August 14th, CMS announced a set of changes to the Accountable Care Organization Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (ACO REACH) Model for performance year 2024 (PY 2024). Modifications to the program model include the following:

Alignment

  • CMS will expand eligibility criteria for alignment to a High Needs Population ACO to include beneficiaries that have at least 90 Medicare-covered days of Home Health services utilization or at least 45 Medicare-covered days in a Skilled Nursing Facility within the previous 12 months.
  • For New Entrant ACOs, CMS is reducing the beneficiary alignment minimum for PY 2025 from 5,000 to 4,000. It will then maintain the planned increase to 5,000 in PY 2026.
  • For High Needs Population ACOs, CMS is reducing the beneficiary alignment minimums from 1,200 to 1,000 for PY 2025 and from 1,400 to 1,250 for PY 2026.
  • CMS will provide a 10% alignment buffer beginning in PY 2024, allowing ACOs to continue to participate even if their beneficiary count temporarily drops below the beneficiary alignment minimum by up to 10%. This flexibility will only be available for one year per ACO.

Benchmarking, Settlement, and Financial Guarantee

  • CMS is pushing back the Provisional Settlement process by six months. Going forward, Provisional Settlement will reflect a full 12 months of performance year experience, instead of 6 months (with 6 months of run-out). Final Settlement will still occur after 18 months.
  • CMS will apply symmetric risk corridors to the Retrospective Trend Adjustment (RTA). There will be three symmetric RTA corridors: ±0-4%, ±4-8%, and over (±)8%. REACH ACO will be responsible for 100%, 50%, and 0% of the RTA for each corridor, respectively.
  • CMS is modifying the financial guarantee policy so that ACOs that have elected Provisional Financial Settlement and have fully paid Shared Losses (or received Shared Savings) are only required to update their financial guarantee to reflect the amount required for the current performance year.
  • CMS will increase the financial guarantee for ACOs that have selected the Enhanced Primary Care Capitation and Advanced Payment Option to 4%, starting in PY 2024.

Risk Adjustment

  • CMS will phase in the new 2024 Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) model for risk scores. For PY 2024, risk scores will be blended using 67% of the risk scores under the current 2020 HCC risk adjustment model and 33% of the risk scores under the revised 2024 HCC risk adjustment model. CMS projects that this will have a downward impact of about -0.4% on ACO benchmarks.
  • The ACO-level 3% symmetric cap on risk score growth and zero-sum model-wide Coding Intensity Factor (CIF) policies will both continue to be applied to the Standard and New Entrant ACOs. However, the CIF will be capped at 1% for PY 2024.
  • CMS will consider further changes for PY 2025 and 2026 based on results.
  • High Needs Population ACOs will continue to use the concurrent CMMI-HCC risk scoring model. They will begin to be subject to the risk score growth cap and CIF in PY 2024, with the cap based on a static reference year and the CIF capped at 1%, if determined to be statistically reliable.

Health Equity

  • CMS is revising the composite measure used to identify underserved beneficiaries for the Health Equity Benchmark Adjustment (HEBA) by incorporating two new variables: Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) Status and State-based Area Deprivation Index (ADI). PY2024 HEBA Score will now be an equal mix of the three measures: National-Based ADI, State-based ADI, and dual and/or LIS status.
  • CMS will apply a more continuous distribution of adjustment amounts under the HEBA: $30 per beneficiary per month (PBPM) for beneficiaries with equity scores in the top decile, $20 PBPM for beneficiaries in the second decile, $10 PBPM for the third decile, $0 PBPM for the next four deciles, and -$10 PBPM for the bottom three deciles.
  • CMS is expanding the current Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant services beneficiary enhancement to permit NPs and PAs to certify and order Pulmonary Rehabilitation Care Plans.

A quick reference guide is available here.

CMS Releases Medicare Shared Savings Program Data
On August 24th, CMS released cost and quality data for ACOs participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) in 2022. Overall, the program generated $1.8 billion in savings compared to spending targets, the sixth consecutive year of savings and the second-highest amount of savings accrued to Medicare since the program began 10 years ago. Low-revenue ACOs (those comprised of 75% or more primary care clinicians) led all ACOs in savings, generating $294 per capita in net savings. High-revenue ACOs saw $140 per capita in net savings. Overall, 63% of all participating ACOs earned shared savings payments in 2022.

ACOs also reported higher average performance on required quality measures, including statistically significant higher performance on diabetes and blood pressure control, breast and colorectal cancer screening, tobacco screening and smoking cessation, and depression screening and follow-up.

A press release on MSSP 2022 financial and quality results is available here and the financial and quality performance results data are available here. More information about the MSSP may be found here.

CDC Launches Core Elements for Hospital Sepsis Programs 
On August 24th, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the Hospital Sepsis Program Core Elements, a resource intended to “help hospitals implement, monitor, and optimize sepsis programs and improve survival rates.” The Core Elements are modeled after the Core Elements for Antibiotic Stewardship. They are intended serve as a “manager’s guide” for organizing staff and identifying resources to reduce sepsis rates and increase survival rates.

The CDC document lists seven Core Elements and provides various examples of how hospitals may implement each element. The Elements are: 

  • Leadership Commitment: Dedicating the necessary human, financial, and information technology resources.
  • Accountability: Appointing a leader responsible for program outcomes and setting concrete program goals.
  • Multi-Professional Expertise: Engaging key partners throughout the organization.
  • Action: Implementing structures and processes to improve the identification of, management of, and recovery from sepsis.
  • Tracking: Measuring sepsis epidemiology, outcomes, progress toward program goals, and the impact of sepsis initiatives.
  • Reporting: Providing usable information on sepsis treatment and outcomes to relevant partners.
  • Education: Providing sepsis education to healthcare professionals during onboarding and annually.

More information is available here.

HHS Announces 2023 LEAP Awardees
On August 14th, the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) announced the 2023 Leading Edge Acceleration Projects (LEAP) in Health Information Technology awardees. The awards totaled $2 million and seek to “create methods and tools to improve care delivery, advanced research capabilities, and address emerging challenges related to interoperable health IT.”

The first award was granted to the Western New York Clinical Information Exchange (HEALTHeLINK) to advance FHIR capabilities for advanced care planning. The goal of the project is to aggregate advanced care planning documents from disparate sources so that they are accessible electronically at the point of care. The second awardee is Boston Children’s Hospital, which seeks to “cultivate an interoperable health IT ecosystem that enables easy access to high quality, standardized health care data, with a particular focus on the USCDI in FHIR format.”

More information is available here.

HHS Awards $1.4 Billion in Project NextGen Funding
On August 22nd, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced more than $1.4 billion in funding awarded to Project NextGen to develop new tools and technologies to protect against Covid-19. Project NextGen is led by ASPR’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), in partnership with the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The awards include: 

  • $1 billion to four BARDA Clinical Trial partners to support vaccine Phase IIb clinical trial studies;
  • $326 million to Regeneron for development of a next-generation monoclonal antibody for Covid-19 prevention;
  • $100 million to Global Health Investment Corporation to invest in new technologies that will accelerate future responses; and
  • $10 million to Johnson & Johnson Innovation (JLABS) for a competition through Blue Knight, a BARDA-JLABS partnership

A press release announcing the awards is available here and more information about Project NextGen may be found here.

Other Updates

Ninth Circuit Changes Ruling on UnitedHealth Behavioral Health Case 
On August 22nd, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated its earlier ruling in a case in which UnitedHealth Group beneficiaries alleged that they were improperly denied mental health benefits under their ERISA health benefit plans due to United’s internal coverage guidelines. The case, Wit v. United Behavioral Health (UBH) originated in 2014, when a pair of consolidated class action lawsuits alleged that UBH’s determination that the mental health benefits were not medically necessary should have been based on “generally accepted standards of care” (GASC), narrowing the scope of coverage under their ERISA plans.

In 2020, a district court issued an order that found against UBH and ordered a novel form of relief by certifying three classes of plaintiffs and requiring UBH to “reprocess” all 65,000 claims on a class-wide basis. In 2022, the Ninth Circuit panel reversed the ruling, saying that the plan was not obligated to cover all treatments that fall within generally accepted standards of care. The plaintiffs sought rehearing, and the panel revised and expanded its decision while still reversing the district court.

This week, after a second rehearing, the same panel issued a third ruling, which maintains that the district court erred in ordering class-wide “reprocessing,” but concluded that under ERISA, beneficiaries may be entitled to claims reprocessing if they can show that their access to care was impacted by an “errant portion” of UBH’s guidelines. The panel further recertified that UBH was not required to cover all care consistent with GASC. The case will return to the district court for further judgments.

Fifth Circuit Issues Ruling on Mifepristone; DOJ Will Appeal to SCOTUS
On August 16th, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a decision in a case challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of mifepristone, a widely used abortion medication, overturning the original ruling in part but sustaining the revocation of FDA’s expansion of access to the drug in 2016.

The Department of Justice was appealing an April 10th ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk that would have entirely revoked the FDA’s approval of mifepristone. The three-judge panel determined that the statute of limitations had expired on the plaintiff’s claim that the FDA did not follow proper procedure when it first approved mifepristone in 2000, so the Court’s ruling does not address that part of the lower court’s ruling. However, the Court did rule that the FDA did not follow the correct procedure when it expanded access to mifepristone in 2016 to allow mail order of the drug, telehealth prescribing, prescribing by medical professionals other than physicians, and allowing use of to 10 weeks of pregnancy (rather than seven weeks as under the drug’s original FDA approval).

The Supreme Court ruled earlier this spring that access to mifepristone will remain unchanged while the legal challenge continues. The Department of Justice has indicated it will appeal the Fifth Circuit’s ruling to the Supreme Court.

The Appeals Court’s decision is available here.

National Quality Forum Joins Joint Commission as Affiliate Member
On August 16th, National Quality Forum (NQF) announced it will join the Joint Commission as an affiliate member. Under the arrangement, NQF will maintain independence in its quality measure development work while supporting the Joint Commission’s accreditation and certification processes. The two organizations say that a goal of the affiliation is to reduce the burden on health systems by eliminating competing measures and streamlining performance measurement.

Press releases announcing the affiliation are available from NQF here and from the Joint Commission here.

Cigna Plans to Reduce Prior Authorization by 25% in Commercial Plans
On August 24th, Cigna announced that it will eliminate prior authorization requirements for over 600 codes, or 25% of medical services. Cigna will make this change within its commercial line of business, which covers 16.5 million enrollees. The procedures include genetic testing services, surgical procedures, diagnostics, and durable medical equipment. Cigna also said it would eliminate 500 codes for prior authorization in its Medicare Advantage plans later this year. UnitedHealth Group made a similar announcement in March.

Cigna’s press release is available here.

Epic Announces New App Market Gallery
On August 22nd, Epic announced its new third-party app market gallery, Showroom, at the company’s annual user group conference. Showroom replaces Epic’s previous “app orchard,” which was launched in January 2016 and shut down in December 2022. Showroom includes four components for different types of third-party vendors: 

  • Cornerstone: for companies that Epic uses significantly in its software, like Microsoft and InterSystems.
  • Partners: for established market leaders in specific areas, such as Nuance and Press Ganey.
  • Pals: for companies with products in areas of promising technology, such as Abridge and Talkdesk.
  • Member Services: for companies in established areas that complement Epic’s system

Epic intends for Showroom to be a “smaller, more focused” offering than the previous app market. It will launch in the next several weeks.

USPSTF Updates Recommendation to Include Long-Action PrEP
On August 22nd, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) updated its recommendation for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent acquisition of HIV to include a long-acting injectable drug taken once per month. Prescription of PrEP for individuals at risk of HIV acquisition maintains an “A” rating. Evidence reviewed by the Task Force in updating the recommendation included findings that the injectable option is more effective than the daily pill, due to adherence issues with the latter.

Under the Affordable Care Act, items and services with an “A” or “B” rating from the USPSTF must be covered by health plans without cost-sharing. Plans will be required to include coverage of the long-acting injectable PrEP (Apretude) for plan years beginning on or after August 31, 2024. However, the requirement to cover PrEP without cost-sharing has been challenged by a group of Texas employers and individuals, and a federal district court ruled in their favor earlier this year. An appeals court has stayed the ruling while it considers the Biden administration’s appeal of that decision. 

The Task Force’s recommendation is available here and a press release is available here.

New York State Updates

DFS Publishes Proposed PBM Regulations on Pharmacy Contracting Standards and Pricing Models
On August 16th, the Department of Financial Services (DFS) announced new proposed regulations that establish new network contracting standards for Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) operating in New York. These regulations seek to establish standards for contracting with network pharmacies; prevent PBMs anti-competitive claims practices and predatory audits; and define other guidelines for acceptable conduct. DFS notes that this publication builds on other PBM regulations adopted in 2022, which required registration and licensure of PBMs. Notable components of the new PBM regulation include:

Contracting Standards

  • Prohibited Network Practices: PBMs will be subject to contract standards to ensure fair payment for pharmacies, including: 
    • PBMs are prohibited from charging network participation fees (such as application or credentialing fees) or claims adjudication fees.
    • PBMs may not reimburse their affiliated or owned pharmacies at a higher rate than another network pharmacy.
    • PBMs may not retroactively deny or reduce reimbursement for a claim post-adjudication, except for adjustments related to fraud, errors detected on audit, or pre-agreed adjustments.
    • PBMs may not prevent pharmacies from offering delivery services.
    • PBMs may not charge a shipping or handling fee to an individual on top of any fee charged by the pharmacy.
    • PBMs may not include a variety of provisions in contracts, including “gag orders,” including for disclosures to government or to covered individuals (such as the availability of a more affordable alternative) and unilateral updates to a contract, except at time of renewal with 60 days’ notice.
  • Credentialing Requirements: PBMs must, among other requirements, require recredentialing no more than every three years and must inform pharmacies of credentialing processes upon request.
  • Reimbursement Requirements:
    • The regulation creates rules for the use of maximum allowable cost lists, including that there must be an appeals process.
    • PBMs may not reimburse a pharmacy at a rate less than the national average drug acquisition cost plus a professional dispensing fee of $10.18.
    • PBMs are prohibited from “spread pricing,” that is, they must offer health plans the option of paying the PBM the same price that the PBM pays the to ensure patients have access to in-network pharmacies nearby.

Oversight and Regulation

  • The regulation requires DFS approval of any merger or acquisition activity involving a PBM licensed in the state.
  • PBMs are required to promptly comply with any DFS requests for information to investigate complaints submitted by consumers and pharmacies.
  • PBMs must create and publish formulary and network pharmacy directories on their website.
  • PBMs must meet network adequacy standards, including that all covered individuals must have access to a 24-hour pharmacy within 30 minutes’ travel time (if one is available).
  • The regulation creates rules for the conduct of audits or investigations.

The notice of proposed rule-making is available here, and the full text of the proposed regulations is available here. Public comments may be submitted to Kristina Magne at kristina.magne@dfs.ny.gov through October 15th.   

DOH Releases Second Survey for Practitioner Feedback on Telehealth
On August 21st, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) announced that it is conducting a second survey to gain knowledge of how health care providers in New York have been using telehealth to deliver care. The survey is for individual clinicians, staff, and administrators (including physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and others). Although individuals should only submit one survey, different clinicians from the same organization may submit their own responses. The survey seeks information on: 

  • The number and percentage of telehealth visits;
  • Whether the practitioner, patient, or neither are on-site during telehealth services;
  • Whether the practitioner uses remote patient monitoring;
  • Practitioners’ plans for offering telehealth services over the next year;
  • Barriers to expanding the use of telehealth (e.g., lack of hardware, IT capacity, etc.)
  • How telehealth has benefited the provider (e.g., decreased no-shows, care coordination, etc.)
  • Which telehealth flexibilities, such as interstate licensure, practitioners being allowed to be off-site, audio-only services, and so on, have been most useful to the provider; and
  • What types of support would be most useful for the organization to help expand telehealth (e.g., funding for new hardware, training on best practices, etc.).

The survey is available here. Responses will be accepted through October 2nd. Questions regarding the survey may be submitted to Telehealth.Policy@health.ny.gov.

DOH Announces Approval of eFMAP Funding for Children’s Workforce & Infrastructure
On August 22nd, DOH announced that Workforce & Infrastructure funds for children’s behavioral health providers as part of Section 9817 of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) have been approved for release. Under the ARP, qualifying states are eligible for an enhanced federal medical assistance percentage (eFMAP) for certain Medicaid expenditures for home and community-based services (HCBS). Impacted providers include: 

  • 1915(c) Children’s Waiver HCBS providers;
  • Article 29-I Health Facilities; and
  • Children and Family Treatment and Support Services (CFTSS) Providers.

A portion of total funds will be paid by each Medicaid Managed Care Plan (MMCP) with which eligible providers contract. Plans will receive funding on September 6th and must distribute awards to eligible providers within their networks by October 6th. State-only funds will be released directly to eligible providers on September 13th.

Additional information on final award amounts will be provided under separate cover to individual providers and plans. Providers and plans may contact BH.Transition@health.ny.gov with any questions.

DOH Announces Improvements to the New York State Physician Profile Website
On August 17th, DOH announced updates to the New York State Physician Profile website, which enables the public to review information about all physicians who are licensed to practice medicine in NYS. All licensed and registered physicians are required to complete a New York Physician profile under the New York Patient Health Information and Quality Improvement Act of 2000.

The updates allow for improved access to information that will help empower patients to make decisions about their medical care, including:   

  • An advanced search to make it easier to find a physician;
  • A streamlined complaints process; and
  • A login for physicians that directly connects them to the Health Commerce System, where they can update their profile.

The DOH press release is available here. The Physician Profile site is available here.

Funding Opportunities

DOH Issues RFA for $3.75 Million for Harm Reduction Services
On August 14th, the DOH AIDS Institute announced a Request for Applications (RFA) to fund agencies that aim to provide harm reduction interventions, along with mental health, medical, and social services in community settings in New York State, to people who use drugs within priority populations who experience persistent inequities with respect to drug use, overdose, and other negative health outcomes. Applicants must be not-for-profit agencies, including but not limited to: hospitals, primary care networks, community-based organizations, voluntary agencies that operate OASAS-authorized SUD treatment programs, and voluntary agencies that operate OMH-licensed mental health services programs.

DOH will allocate $3.75 million in total annual funding to support between 8-24 programs that serve at least one of the following priority populations: 

  • Adolescents/young adults
  • BIPOC
  • Criminal Legal/Justice Involved
  • Houseless/Homeless
  • LGBTQI+
  • Older Adults
  • Pregnant/Parenting
  • Veterans

Between one and three awards will be made for each priority population. Although applicants can submit separate applications for each different priority population, applicants may submit only one application for each specific priority population. DOH will consider and review up to four applications (one per priority population) per applicant. For applicants that intend to serve a cross section of multiple priority populations (e.g., homeless youth), only one application is required, but applicants must indicate a priority population to be the main focus of the application.

Awarded applicants will be required to implement the following activities and services: 

  • Identify and serve a cross-section of clients who are representative of the overall priority population;
  • Enhance the availability and accessibility of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder/Medication for Treatment (MOUD/MAT) and Hepatitis C care and treatment;
  • Ensure staffing of at least one peer specialist or other person with lived experience who is part of the decision-making and delivery of this new initiative;
  • Develop a support system for peers and staff that includes wellness checks and system to address vicarious trauma or other mental health needs; and
  • Coordinate services with other health and human service providers, including mental health services, serving the priority population(s).

The RFA is available at the Grants Gateway portal by searching “Expanding Harm Reduction”. Applications must be submitted online via the Grants Gateway by October 3rd. Questions may be emailed by August 29th to Narelle Ellendon at PriorityPopsRFA@health.ny.gov, with the subject line “RFA #20395, Expanding Harm Reduction Services for Priority Populations Who Use Drugs” and citations of the relevant RFA sections and paragraphs.

OASAS Releases Second Round of Funding for Paid Prevention Internships  
On August 18th, the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) released an RFA for a second round of the Paid Prevention Internship Opportunity program, which provides one-time funding to support the recruitment and establishment of a Paid Internship position for up to twelve months. The program aims to provide staff support to prevention providers, attract diverse individuals into the prevention field, and provide interns with job experience and an entry-level pathway towards a professional credential, such as a Certified Prevention Professional (CPP) or Certified Prevention Specialist (CPS). Eligible applicants are existing OASAS-funded prevention providers, including Prevention Resource Centers.

OASAS will provide up to $900,000 in total funding to support at least thirty internship positions. Applicants may apply for up to $30,000 to support the one-year paid internship position, which may include: 

  • Hourly wages (intern max pay cannot exceed $20 an hour);
  • Fringe expenses;
  • Equipment costs;
  • OTPS, such as training costs, conferences, CPP/CPS credential application fees, etc.
  • Supervisor stipend (up to $2,500); and
  • Agency administration costs (limited to no more than 10% of operating expenses).

OASAS will fund only one internship position per awarded agency; however, the position may be split between two part-time interns.

The RFA is available here. Applications must be submitted by September 23rd to COVIDFundsApplications@oasas.ny.gov with the subject line “OASAS Project No. SUPP1020, [Provider Name]”. Questions may be submitted to COVIDFunds@oasas.ny.govwith the subject line “OASAS Project No. SUPP1020” by September 1st.

PeerTAC Announces Scholarships for Peers to Attend 2023 NYAPRS Conference
On August 24th, the Peer Support Services Technical Assistance Center (PeerTAC) announced the release of a limited number of scholarships for peers staffed at MHOTRS clinics to attend this year’s NYAPRS conference, which will be held from September 26-28th. The scholarships cover conference registration costs, meals and lodging.

To qualify for one of these scholarships, the applicant must be currently working in a MHOTRS clinic, including school-based clinic settings, and be certified or provisionally certified as a: 

  • NYCPS (New York Certified Peer Specialist);
  • FPA-C (Credentialed Family Peer Advocate); or
  • YPA-C (Credentialed Youth Peer Advocate)

Interested applicants should submit an application (available here) to Shae Pasko at shaep@NYAPRS.ORG by September 1st.