Grants for Mental Health Centers, Applications Due July 19

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AAFCPAs would like to make clients aware that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) announced the establishment of time-limited supplemental payments to eligible providers enrolled with MassHealth as mental health centers (MHCs).

With a July 19th deadline to apply, AAFCPAs advises that clients not delay.

Grant Eligibility

Eligibility for supplemental payment is only available if:

  1. The MHC currently operates at least one location enrolled with MassHealth as provider type 26 (mental health center);
  2. Providers associated with the MHC’s tax identification number (TIN) (collectively, an “organization”), have provided behavioral health (BH) outpatient services to at least 150 MassHealth members during calendar year 2023, determined by the unduplicated member count across claims and managed care encounters submitted by the organization;
  3. The providers associated with the MHC’s organization have had no sanctions or corrective actions imposed by MassHealth under 130 CMR 429.00: Mental Health Center Services and 130 CMR 450.000: Administrative and Billing Regulations within the past three full calendar years and have no open corrective actions or plans of correction with any other state or federal agency and are not currently subject to any sanctions by such agencies; and
  4. The MHC submits a complete and accurate Proposal Form by the deadline.

Grant Usage and Reporting Guidelines

MHCs should use supplemental payments within one year of the execution of the supplemental payment agreement for activities such as forming community collaborations, increasing language capacity, or updating technology infrastructure. Community collaborations may involve partnerships with various local organizations or the establishment of formal referral processes from the community organization to the MHC location. Enhanced language capacity includes the purchase of video translator services or incentives to hire and/or train multilingual staff.  However, it does not include audio-only translator lines. Technology updates may involve the purchase or implementation of a new or more advanced Electronic Health Record (EHR) system with capabilities like the tracking of patient social risk factors or facilitation of flexible scheduling along with billing software to automate tasks, ensure coding and billing compliance, and identify revenue gaps.

The total supplemental funding of $15.6 million for eligible MHCs will be allocated evenly in two groups: Group A, which consists of MHCs affiliated with the top 30 organizations with the highest unduplicated member count served during calendar year 2023, and Group B, based on a composite score system. A Group A MHC is ineligible for Group B. Qualifying MHCs in either group will receive at least $120,000, with the remaining funds distributed proportionally based on unduplicated members served. Supplemental payments will be made to eligible MHCs in two installments prior to December 31, 2024.

Eligible MHCs receiving supplemental payments must submit an Initial Implementation Report within three months detailing the planned use of funds and budget along with a Final Progress Report by September 30, 2025, which outlines the funding uses and outcomes. Non-compliance with reporting timelines or audit requests may lead to the partial or full recoupment of funds. All report information is subject to EOHHS verification and audit.

MHCs interested in receiving supplemental payments must submit a completed submission form by 5:00 PM EST on July 19, 2024.

Learn more about Supplemental Payments for Eligible Mental Health Centers. >>

How We Help

AAFCPAs’ Healthcare Practice has worked closely with behavioral health and other healthcare provider organizations since 1973. We provide clients with guidance on complex financial, operational, and regulatory matters and can assist MHCs with the strategy surrounding the supplemental payment funding or assist with the application process.

If you have questions, please contact Matthew Hutt, CPA, CGMA, Partner at 774.512.4043 or mhutt@nullaafcpa.com—or your AAFCPAs Partner.


About the Author

Matthew Hutt, CPA, CGMA

Matt leads AAFCPAs’ Healthcare Division, providing assurance, tax and advisory solutions for sophisticated and complex healthcare organizations including Federally Qualified Health Centers, behavioral health providers, home care agencies and hospices, nursing homes, and senior care living centers. Matt advises healthcare providers on consolidation and coordination of care, including the integration of behavioral health into the primary care delivery system. He also provides consulting solutions for providers transitioning to new value-based reimbursement models, and data driven …