1. Behavioral Health Workforce Education Training (BHWET) for Professionals and Paraprofessionals Program HRSA Pre-review Conference Call June 29, :00 PM ET
Nicole M. Wilkerson
Project Officer
Division of Nursing and Public Health (DNPH)
Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Nandini Assar, PhD
Grants Management Specialist
Office of Federal Assistance Management (OFAM)
Division of Grants Management Operations (DGMO)
Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA)

2. Agenda Background Program Purpose Eligibility Program Requirements
Summary of Funding
Budget Considerations
Attachments – Required Documents
Review Criteria and Scoring
Funding Priority / Preference 2

3. Program Purpose
The purpose of the BHWET program is to develop and expand the behavioral health workforce serving populations across the lifespan, including in rural and medically underserved areas. The BHWET program places special emphasis on establishing or expanding internships or field placement programs in behavioral health that include interdisciplinary training for 1) students/interns, 2) faculty, and 3) field supervisors to provide quality behavioral health services to communities in need.

4. What does HRSA-17-070 Hope to Accomplish?
Develop and expand the behavioral health workforce;
Establish internships in interdisciplinary and interprofessional settings;
Develop student competencies in integrated behavioral health and primary health care;
Establish partnerships with community partners for student recruitment, field placements, career development and job placement;
Cultivate a cultural and linguistic competent workforce by recruiting students from a variety of racial, ethnic, cultural, geographic, religious, and class backgrounds, and genders and sexual orientations.

5. Eligibility – Professional Track
Accredited institutions of higher education or accredited behavioral health professional training programs in - psychiatry - behavioral pediatrics - social work, school social work - substance use disorder prevention and treatment - marriage and family therapy - occupational therapy - school counseling or professional counseling
Accredited schools of masters or doctoral-level training in psychology programs and psychiatric nursing programs.
American Psychological Association (APA)-accredited doctoral level schools and programs of health service psychology.
All programs must require a pre-degree clinical final field placement/internship in behavioral health as part of the training and a prerequisite for graduation.

6. Eligibility – Paraprofessional Certificate Track
Behavioral paraprofessional certificate training programs and peer paraprofessional certificate training programs offered by States, political subdivisions of states, Indian tribes and tribal organizations, public or nonprofit private health professions schools, academic health centers, State or local governments, or other appropriate public or private nonprofit entities as determined appropriate by the Secretary.
Include an experiential field placement or internship in the certificate program.

7. Program Requirements – Professional Track
Provide stipend support to graduate-level students who will be completing their final field placement prior to graduation;
Implement interdisciplinary training with two or more disciplines and integration of behavioral health with primary care;
Increase the number of field placements and internships with a focus on working with persons in rural, vulnerable, and/or underserved communities; and
Provide interprofessional training for faculty and field placement supervisors.

8. Program Requirements: Paraprofessional Certificate Track
Support students through provision of tuition, fees, and supplies to complete a certificate program in a behavioral health-related paraprofessional field.
Recruit a diverse group of students who are interested in pursuing a behavioral health-related paraprofessional certificate.
Create more slots in a paraprofessional certificate program(s) to expand the number of students trained.
Establish partnerships with organizations and community collaborators to assure recruitment of students from diverse backgrounds, provide opportunities for field placements, career development, and job placement services.
Evaluate the program, collect program information, and disseminate findings to appropriate audiences.

9. Program Requirements – Both Tracks
Competitive applicants must:
Implement innovative strategies to expand the recruitment, retention, and training of a broad group of students;
Demonstrate participation in the institution’s programs of individuals and groups from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, geographic, religious, linguistic, and class backgrounds, genders and sexual orientations;
Demonstrate enhanced didactic and experiential training activities to develop competencies of students in integrated and team-based care;  
Establish partnerships with community;
Incorporate Rapid Cycle Quality Improvement;
Evaluate the program, collect performance data, and disseminate findings; and
Collaborate regularly during the project period with other BHWET program grant recipients.

10. Summary of Funding Sept 30, 2017 to August 31, 2021
Project Period
Sept 30, 2017 to August 31, 2021
Funding Amount
Approximately $45 million
Number of Awards
Approximately 150

11. Summary of Funding (cont’d)
HRSA anticipates awarding the following discipline categories:
Stipend support is only available for:
Students in master’s-level social work, school social work and students in their Advanced Standing field placement or in the final field placement for other social work programs;
Students in master’s-level school counseling, professional counseling, substance use disorder prevention and treatment, marriage and family therapy, occupational therapy, psychology programs, or psychiatric nursing programs;
Doctoral-level psychiatry, psychiatric nursing programs or behavioral pediatrics internships; and
Doctoral-level psychology, school psychology internships and practicums in APA-accredited doctoral schools and programs in health service psychology in practica for ten or more hours per week, per academic semester.
Stipends for Paraprofessional Certificate Track are not allowable. Students will receive support through the provision of tuition, fees and materials.

12. Grants Management Role - ORC Review
Advisory in nature
Provide and interpret grants management policy to reviewers:
As necessary
When requested
When proposed actions are in conflict with HRSA polices and procedures

13. Support Requested - How to Review the Budget
Focus on Direct costs in terms of whether they are reasonable and necessary for the purpose of the proposed project objectives and activities.
Did the applicant follow all budget related guidance and requirements in the NOFO, including the funding restrictions?
Does the total proposed budget appear consistent with the size and scope of the project?
Does the proposed line item and budget narrative justification relate logically to the narrative describing the project?
Are there extraneous items of cost that do not appear necessary, reasonable or allocable (linked to specific objectives) in support of the proposed project?
Do any individual line items appear inflated (or under-funded) compared to the overall scope or individual tasks proposed?

14. How to Review the Budget (cont’d) The Budget Summary Statement and Recommendations
Strengths and Weakness statements should reflect concrete and definitive remarks
Budget Recommendations can be
as requested
with conditions, (craft condition and provide rationale)
as reduced (provide rationale)

15. How to Review the Budget (cont’d)
Panels may reduce a budget – by amount, line item, and total line amount. Compute the revised figure and provide a rationale/ reason for the budget reduction.
Budget-related issues should be brought to the attention of grants management through comments/recommendations to HRSA, please be very specific with what the concern is.
Grants management will review the budgets of the approved applications in accordance with grants policies and procedures and will take under advisement recommendations made by the panel of reviewers.

16. Budget Considerations: Professional Track
No less than sixty (60) percent of a grant recipient’s overall requested budget must be used for stipends to students in field placement or internships.
Up to forty (40) percent of an applicant’s overall requested budget may be dedicated to grant recipient activities other than student support.
No less than 6 months and no more than one year (12 consecutive months) of full stipend support is allowed per student/intern. Eligible students must be in their final field placement prior to graduation and practice.
Health insurance is allowable as a trainee related expense, but may only be included in the forty (40) percent of dedicated funding, not attributed to trainee stipends.

17. Budget: Professional Track
Doctoral psychiatry and psychology applicants must provide non-federal funds to add to HRSA-funded stipends - to comply with the regional standard set by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).
The additional stipend amount will be the grant recipient’s contribution from non-federal sources.
Proposals must include the non-federal amount in the budget narrative.

18. Budget Narrative Justification: Professional Track
Personnel Costs (Sections A & B on the R&R Budget Form):
Base salary, amount requested, and level of effort – Check that the level of effort matches the project requirements.
Fringe – The application should list the components that make up the fringe benefit rate.
Salary Limitation: The Executive Level II salary of the Federal Executive Pay scale is $187,100. This salary limitation also applies to sub-recipients under a HRSA grant or cooperative agreement.

19. Budget Considerations: Paraprofessional Certificate Track
No less than seventy (70) percent of a grant recipient’s overall requested budget must be used to support the tuition, fees, and supplies for the enrolled students.
Applicants may request a maximum of $3,000 per student to cover all student support activities (tuition, fees and supplies) for the 12-month period.
Up to thirty (30) percent of an applicant’s overall requested budget may be dedicated to grant recipient activities other than student tuition, fees, and supplies.
Health insurance is allowable as a trainee related expense, but may only be included in the thirty (30) percent of dedicated funding, not attributed to student support.

20. Budget Narrative Justification: Paraprofessional Certificate Track
Participant/Trainee Support Costs: The proposal should contain number of students, training dates/duration, itemized cost per trainee, total training costs. Reminder – At least seventy (70) percent of the total requested must be dedicated to tuition, fees, and supplies. Cost per student should be listed.
Other Direct Costs (as listed in Section F on the R&R Budget Form) include the following, if applicable:
Materials and Supplies: Itemized line item cost breakdown- the items that the project will use to implement the proposed project should make sense.
Publication Costs: Should provide details for the costs of documenting, preparing, publishing or otherwise making available to others the findings and products of the work conducted under the award.

21. Budget – Both Tracks Indirect Costs:
Grants to organizations other than state, local or Indian tribal governments will be reimbursed at 8% (eight percent) of modified total direct costs. Amounts for equipment and capital expenditures, tuition and fees, and sub-grants and contracts in excess of $25,000 are excluded from the direct cost base.
Indirect costs are included in the administrative and management activities.

22. Budget - Both Tracks
Consultant Services: Should identify each consultant and their expertise, the services they will perform, hourly rate, total number of hours, travel, and total estimated costs.
Sub-awards/Consortium/Contractual Costs: Should provide a clear explanation as to the purpose of each sub- award/contract, how the costs were estimated, and the specific contract deliverables.
Note: A line-item budget and budget justification is required for each sub-award.

23. Budget Narrative – Both Tracks
Pre-Award Costs:
HRSA may consider up to 90 days in pre-award costs for applicants that demonstrate that the requested pre-award costs are necessary for the efficient and timely performance of the proposed project.

24. Budget Flags – Both Tracks
If costs include items listed in funding restrictions on NOFO.
If costs do not appear to be reasonable, given the project description (e.g. equipment or supplies or travel).
Stipends for paraprofessionals.
Other items that appear questionable.

25. Budget determination
The grants management staff is responsible for making final determinations on budget recommendations and conditions.
DGMO will conduct a complete budget analysis of the approved application budgets according to this NOFO’s grant authorities and consider the ORC and HRSA program recommendation(s).

26. Attachments 1 Staffing Plan and Job Descriptions for Key Personnel
Required 2
Letters of Agreement and/or Description(s) of Proposed/Existing Contracts
(project specific)
As Applicable 3
Project Organizational Chart 4
Tables, Charts, etc. 5
Maintenance of Effort Documentation 6
Documentation of Accreditation or State Recognition 7
Documentation of Field Placement/Internship is a training curriculum pre-requisite for graduation from school or program (Professional applicants only) 8
Student/Intern Commitment Letter Template 9
Logic Model 10
Letters of Support 11
Work Plan 12
Documentation to Support Request for Funding Priority and/or Funding Preference 13
Other Relevant Documents

27. Review Criteria 10 Points Criterion 1: Purpose and Need
Criterion 2: Response to Program Purpose
25 Points
Criterion 3: Impact
10 Points
Criterion 4: Organizational Information, Resources and Capabilities
10 Points
Criterion 5: Support Requested

28. Review Criteria Criterion 1: Purpose and Need (10 points)
Applicants must describe the purpose and need of the proposed project.  
Reviewers will consider whether the applicant has presented a clear purpose and evidence of a compelling need for behavioral health services within their service area with a specific focus on working with persons in vulnerable and/or medically underserved communities.

29. Review Criteria Criterion 2: Response to Program Purpose (45 points)
Applicants must:
Propose the methods that will be used to address the community and system needs (identified in the Purpose and Need section) and meet the program requirements.
Submit a project workplan and timeline.
Submit a logic model for designing and managing their project as Attachment 9.

30. Review Criteria Criterion 2 (cont’d): Response to Program Purpose (45 points)
Applicants must:
Provide a detailed work plan that demonstrates their experience implementing a project of the proposed scope.
Clearly explain how the proposed objectives and sub-objectives will be implemented.
Discuss challenges that are likely to be encountered designing and implementing the project activities, and approaches that will be used to resolve such challenges.

31. Review Criteria Criterion 3: Impact (25 points)
Applicants must:
Describe their evaluation plan for program performance.
Describe the systems and processes that will support the organization's collection of HRSA’s performance measurement requirements for this program.
Include a plan for Rapid Cycle Quality Improvement (RCQI) for the continuous monitoring of ongoing project processes.
Describe their capacity to collect, validate, and report required data measures.
Reviewers will consider the extent to which the applicant describes a reasonable and feasible plan for project sustainability after the period of federal funding ends.

32. Review Criteria Criterion 4: Organizational Information, Resources, and Capabilities (10 points)
Applicants must:
Demonstrate the extent to which project personnel are qualified by training and/or experience to implement and carry out the project.
Provide information on the applicant organization’s current mission and structure, scope of current activities, leadership and personnel, quality and availability of facilities, and an organizational chart.
Include a staffing plan as Attachment 1 and a project organizational chart as Attachment 3.

33. Review Criteria Criterion 5: Support Requested (10 points)
Reviewers will consider the extent to which
costs, as outlined in the budget and required resources sections, are reasonable given the scope of work;
key personnel have adequate time devoted to the project to achieve project objectives;
trainee stipends, fellowships, or traineeships are reasonable and supportive of the project objectives;
doctoral-level psychiatry, psychology, school psychology, psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner or behavioral pediatrics internships leverage other resources to align with stipend level requirements; and
the proposal follows the budget guidelines specified in the FOA and the SF-424 R&R Application Guide.

34. Funding Priority / Funding Preferences
Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other Minority Serving Institutions: Pursuant to Section 756(c), at least 4 of the grant recipients under the psychology and social work disciplines shall be Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs) or other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). HRSA staff will make this determination. No additional information is required of applicants.
Pursuant to Section 756(d), HRSA shall give priority to any applicant under the Professional Track that has demonstrated the ability to train psychology, psychiatry, and social work professionals to work in integrated care settings.
Section 791 of the Public Health Service Act requires a funding preference for any qualified applicant above the 20th percentile of proposals that have been recommended for approval by peer review groups.

35. Contact Information
Nicole M. Wilkerson
Project Officer
(301)
Nandini Assar, PhD
Grants Management Specialist
(301)

36. Questions