NJAMHAA FY2022 Annual Report

18 Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Practice Group Chair: Jacques Hryshko, MS, LPC, NJAMHAA Board Vice Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Family Con - nections Vice Chair: Steve Marchiano, MBA, CPA, Chief Finan - cial Officer, Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties On June 29, 2021, the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) issued guidance al - lowing providers to retain certain surpluses resulting from Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness, which NJAMHAA had advocated for on behalf of the CFO Practice Group. The group had many questions on the process, which they submitted to NJAMHAA in July to share with DMHAS. The group’s important inquiries resulted in the issuance of a supplemental guidance document in August. The CFO Practice Group once again played a sig - nificant role in NJAMHAA’s advocacy by responding to a December starting wage salary survey that had been requested by DMHAS, following NJAMHAA’s request for additional funding to cover several years of minimum wage increases. A CFO workgroup added analysis of the Practice Group’s 2017, 2020 and De - cember 2021 survey results to the materials provided to DMHAS. This data was used in DMHAS’ calcula - tions to arrive at the $39 million ($27 million state; $12 million federal) that was included in the Governor’s proposed FY2023 budget for wages. The CFO Practice Group continues its important contributions to the field with its current focus on con - cerns about audits, particularly any done after a final closeout, and is actively monitoring this activity while seeking clarity from DMHAS on these processes. Children’s Practice Group/ School-Based Youth Services Program (SBYSP) Subcommittee Co-Chairs: Mary Jo Buchanan, MPA, LCSW, NJAMHAA Board Secretary and Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Ocean Partnership for Children, and Alan DeStefano, MSW, NJAMHAA Board Member and Executive Director, Cape Atlantic Integrated Network for Kids Early in the fiscal year, the Children’s Practice Group met, as it regularly does, with Department of Children and Families (DCF) Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer and Assistant Commissioner Mollie Greene to: discuss COVID guidance and telehealth; advocate for increased children’s psychiatric assessment, outpa- tient and partial care rates; and clarify the vision for the SBYSP. The group’s advocacy led to a Novem - ber NJAMHAA meeting with both DCF and Medicaid during which a commitment to fixing several inade - quate rates was made. Those increases have been included in the Governor’s proposed FY2023 budget. The practice group, particularly members of its SBYSP Subcommittee, joined in NJAMHAA’s advocacy to see that the $5 million the Legislature added to school linked services was distributed to existing programs. That success came quickly in November. The subcommittee also hosted Stuart Green, DMH, LCSW, Director of the New Jersey Coalition for Bullying Awareness and Prevention, for a very well-received presentation on bullying. In 2022, the Children’s Practice Group welcomed a new PerformCare representative, ensuring up-to- date information on the transition to CYBER 2.0 as it moves to completion this year. The practice group fin - ished the year with a focus on future speaker presen - tations, and will start the new year with a round-robin sharing of morale tips to inspire staff. Members’ Insights Reinforce NJAMHAA’s Impactful Advocacy (continued)