News  Supported Independence Provider Capacity Grant

The Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) has expanded their Supported Living (SL) program with a new grant designed to help individuals with behavioral health needs transition from nursing facilities back into the communities of their choice.

The Supported Independence Provider Capacity Grant offers qualified MRC Supported Living vendors grants up to $150,000, and qualified independent contractors grants up to $20,000, for enhanced training programs, workforce recruitment and retention, and technology upgrades. The goal is to make sure providers have the staff, training, and resources to help individuals with behavioral health concerns transition quickly.

MRC will prioritize proposals that support the language, cultural, and technology needs of the intended population, and proposals that can scale up to serve more clients.

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• Who can apply?
• Eligible Activities
• Helpful Resources
• Questions

The following organizations can apply:

• Qualified providers participating in the Supported Living program
• Independent contractors (e.g., case managers) under Community Services for Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury or Developmental Disabilities

Applications must include enhanced training to prepare staff so they can help individuals with behavioral health needs live independently in the community.

Enhanced training programs include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Best practice training in key areas related to working with people with behavioral health needs
• A part- or full-time staff person to provide education and training
• Contracts for training and support with a third party
• Reimbursement of billable time, including for travel time, so staff can participate in training

Applicants can also use grant funds for workforce recruitment and retention, technology upgrades, or both.

Workforce recruitment and retention includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Referral, sign-on, and six-month retention bonuses. Bonuses are capped at 5% of total funds requested and should not exceed $1,000 per recipient. 
• Recruitment, marketing, and outreach costs
• Onboarding costs, including staff training in best practices

Technology upgrades include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Purchasing or licensing software
• Technology to support telehealth including laptops, devices with hotspots, cell phones, or tablets
• Technology to coordinate care or help staff serve as a mobile workforce

Grant funds cannot be used to support discharges from a hospital to a skilled nursing facility. Additional ineligible expenses include, but are not limited to:

• Room and board
• Moving costs
• Transportation costs
• Damage deposits 
• Pet deposits or any other pet-related fees
• Mortgages
• Home ownership expenses including home maintenance, home repairs, utilities, and appliances

Grant funds can be used to supplement, but not supplant, existing Medicaid HCBS or any other state-funded initiatives. Grant funds also must not overlap with any Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) waiver extension proposals.  

• FAQs
• Guide to Using the MassGRANTS Application Portal
• Official RFA

For questions about the grant program, please email MAHCBSGrants@pcgus.com. You must submit any questions before the deadline, which is April 18, 2023.

Questions will not be answered individually. On April 24, 2023, answers to all submitted questions will be posted on the EOHHS website.

You cannot make any changes to your grant application after it is submitted.