FY2025-Annual-Report

12 Meeting Challenges Head On Programs of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) NJAMHAA is a member of the DMHAS’ workgroup that is reviewing the PACT regulations and will continue to advocate for Psychiatric Advanced Practice Nurses to fill the role of Psychiatrists on PACT Teams, among other changes to current regulations. Integrated Case Management Services (ICMS) NJAMHAA’s ICMS Practice Group has shared draft regulations for the ICMS program with DMHAS and held several meetings to discuss proposed changes. We continue to advocate for these regulations to be finalized. NJAMHAA Continues to Lead on Many Important, Impactful Issues Ongoing policy and legislative advocacy has also realized many interim successes. Among the areas where NJAMHAA continues to have significant impacts are: NJAMHAA was advocating for additional provisions in this bill to ensure all interns (social workers, counselors, etc.) are permitted to provide services via telehealth, and for clarification that non-clinical staff, (e.g., case managers) can also do so within their scope of practice. While those provisions did not get added into the current bill, NJAMHAA has secured commitments in both the Assembly and Senate for a bill to be drafted with these provisions, which is currently underway. Integrated Licensure Regulations NJAMHAA has advocated tirelessly for the release of integrated licensure regulations for several years, dating to well before the pandemic. In April, the proposed new Chapter 8:43K, Manual of Standards for Licensure of Outpatient and Integrated Care Facilities, was finally released for public comment. NJAMHAA has commented on several provisions in the proposed regulations, and will keep members apprised of any changes as the process proceeds. Indexing Legislation As a core member of the Human Services Equity Coalition (HUSEC), a group formed to advance S1032/ A1143 – a bill to index rates and contracts to inflation, – NJAMHAA continues to work with the sponsors and Coalition members to move this bill. Many additional sponsors have been secured and, while Senate committee amendments weakened the bill, there is a commitment from the Assembly sponsor to make further amendments to make the bill more impactful. I Licensing - General Since NJAMHAA established a quarterly meeting schedule with licensing staff at the Department of Health (DOH) several years ago, we continue to make progress on several issues. The new facility licensing process was a great win, yet other challenges remain and these meetings provide an important avenue for finding solutions. Most recently, NJAMHAA brought the issue of how behavioral health services can be provided in homeless shelters to this group, and DOH staff are now consulting with both Medicaid and DMHAS on options to do so. Telehealth Provisions After having achieved an extension of the temporary certification processes for Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors (CADC) and Temporary Graduate Licensure (TGL) that were slated to end early in 2023, NJAMHAA began working to see that these policies are made permanent in legislation. They are both included in S3565/A4619, which has passed the New Jersey General Assembly and is awaiting a floor vote in the Senate, as of this writing.