Questions and Answers (444-22-3024)

Q&As for Program 510-FHTG Healthy Transitions

Q: Are government agencies eligible for the FHTG Healthy Transitions funding opportunity?
A: Yes, a Health Department, who has been providing mental health services to transition age youth 16 years through 25 years, for a minimum of 2 years can apply.
Q: Is this a Federal Grant or State Grant Application Process?
A: You are applying for a State grant and then in collaboration DMH will be applying for the Federal Grant. Funding will flow through the Division because DMH is the entity that must apply for the Federal Funding. There are examples of Federal Funding from FY18 and FY19 online.
Q: Are we using Federal regulations or State regulations pertinent to the grant such as allowable costs, acquisitions, purchasing, etc.?
A: Federal Funds will be used for this grant program. Allowable costs will have to be consistent with Federal Requirements. State funding mirrors the Federal Requirements.
Q: If the Federal Grant is not going to be released on January 30th will the April 1st start date be pushed back or do you anticipate a very quick turnaround?
A: Typically when grants post like this we are given 6-9 weeks to respond to the Federal Request for Funding and they typically do a very short turnaround for scoring and they want us to start right away. The time we used was based on previous application.
Q: Is there basic requirements the State is looking for partner agencies? What experience are you looking for?
A: Historically, this funding has a Federal Requirement that the partnering agencies that the State would collaborate with must have two years' experience providing mental health services for adults with serious emotional disturbances and/or children with a serious mental illnesses between the ages of 16 to 25 years old.
Q: In the NOFO the estimated total funding was $150,000 so that would be $75,000 per agency. Is this for April through the end of fiscal year?

A: Year one of the State Fiscal Year (SFY) will be for 3 months (April 1, 2022 - June 30, 2022). This timeframe is different than the Federal Fiscal Year. Every SFY (July 1 - June 30) after that, the funding will be $300,000 for the grantee with the exception of the last SFY which will be only 9 months. The start date of the grant the actual final funding will be based on when SAMHSA actually scores the applications and DMH is notified that we are funded. We anticipate the first three months of this grant will be start-up and coordinating, organizing your local teams. The work that you do for the actual service provision and build-out of the services will take a few months to get started. So when the NOFO states services begin on April 1, 2022, that is ensuring that the young people with serious emotional disturbances and/or serious mental illnesses between the ages of 16 to 25 years old that you're working with are getting their mental health services and needs met and will expand the capacity and the service continuum as we work on implementing the grant and identifying best practices to address that population.
Q: Do you know what tool or information is required for the SAMHSA Performance Accountability and Reporting System (SPARS) that we have to enter into. Are they utilizing the NOMS (National Outcome Measures)?
A: We believe they will use the SPARS System and use the NOMs based on how they have done it historically. There is a list of data points they were looking at for in FY19. This might help you get some clarity because we won't know what SAMHSA is actually looking for as the true information to be put into SPARS for the grant until that grant actually posts. They have made updates to the SPARS that are starting in January 2023.