Information for Providers

The $83.5M was allocated among FBMH, Mobile Crisis, IBHS, and PRS providers. For providers enrolled in PROMISe with these specific provider type and specialties, the Department took the number of units of service as reported in the encounters that the Behavioral Health HealthChoices Managed Care Organizations submitted to PROMISe and calculated the percentage of each service types’ total units against the total units of service for the four provider types. The amounts provided for each service were then allocated by each provider’s units claimed against the total units of service for all providers within each service.  A minimum of $5,000 was provided. 

If a provider believes there is an error, the provider may contact OMHSAS at RAPWBHHCBSPayments@pa.gov.  Additional information on how eligibility for payment was determined can be found in Question #2 and Question #3.   

All information was pulled from the PROMISe provider file. Information on how to update PROMISe information can be found on the PROMISe Provider Enrollment page.

Providers have until October 31, 2023 to spend the Behavioral Health Workforce Gap payment. 

DHS expects to share guidance on reporting in the Spring of 2022.  Providers have until October 31, 2023 to spend the Behavioral Health Workforce Gap payment.   

Providers can submit an attestation until July 1, 2022.  The February 1^st due date was the deadline to issue the payments in March 2022.  The later the attestation is received, the later the payment will be issued via PROMISe to the provider.

If a provider has not submitted an attestation by July 1, 2022, the Department of Human Service (DHS) will issue one final communication and provide 30 days for the provider to return their attestation.  If there is still no attestation submitted, DHS will make determinations about the Behavioral Health Workforce Gap funding not claimed by providers. 

These funds are not considered duplicative of any funding that may have been provided by a BH-MCO.  This is additional funding and should be treated as separate from any funding received from a BH-MCO. 

If you wish to decline the funding, please return the attestation letter with a note stating that you are declining these funds. 

The funds are to be used for workforce retention and strengthening your behavioral health direct care workforce at the specified service location(s).  If you provide FBMH, PRS, Mobile Crisis and/or IBHS services at additional service locations beyond the one identified in the attestation, a request may be sent to RA-PWBHHCBSPayments@pa.gov to consider the additional service locations in the funding.  Please identify the additional service locations in your request with their PROMISe ID and service location. 

The funds must be used for strengthening the behavioral health direct care workforce. No portion of the payments can be used to increase executive compensation, which would include payments to Directors, Officers, and Board members. 

House Bill 253, which was signed into law as Act 2 of 2022, is a separate round of funding from the Behavioral Health Workforce Gap payments.  Act 2 applies to inpatient and residential behavioral health facilities.  DHS is working on guidance related to Act 2 payments that will be shared with eligible providers.  The Behavioral Health Workforce Gap payments are for home and community-based service providers providing FBMH services, Mobile Crisis services, PRS and IBHS. 

Yes, any unspent portion of the funds will have to be returned to DHS no later than December 31, 2023. 

Yes, please make a notation on the attestation of the smaller amount that you would prefer to receive.