October 7, 2025

 Dear OASAS Residential Program Providers and Regional Office Program Managers, An important update to the Part 820 Residential Conversion Funding can be viewed here: https://oasas.ny.gov/part-820-residential-services-conversion-funding. The update provides further information on the availability of funding to assist existing OASAS-certified providers in the transition to Part 820 Residential Services.

Thank you,

Communications Department
NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS)

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OMH Funding Opportunity: New York Peer Specialist Independent Practice Association

The New York State Office of Mental Health has issued a Request for Proposal to operate a New York Peer Specialist Independent Practice Association.

As the demand for qualified and competent peer support staff grows, and the disciplines of family and youth advocates and peer specialists continue to evolve and expand, the need for high quality, evidence-based professional support becomes paramount to the success of these professions. OMH is committed to advancing and promoting the professional development and in-discipline support and supervision of the Peer Support Service professions.

The New York Peer Specialist Independent Practice Association will work with partner organizations to develop, nurture and support collaboration, share strengths and promote these elements of professional development for the New York Peer Specialist workforce. The IPA aims to expand the availability of peer support services statewide, increasing the quality of peer support services and favorable outcomes of the practice of peer support.

This initiative focuses on New York Certified Peer Specialists with the expectation of collaboration with peer support workers across the lifespan – the three disciplines overseen by OMH: Credentialed Family and Youth advocates, and Certified Peer Specialists. The IPA does this through strategic partnerships with Peer Support organizations and connections to provider organizations implementing peer services, statewide. The goal is the continued development and support of a peer support workforce that possesses the skills and knowledge needed to effectively engage in their work through training for the workforce and entities implementing peer support work, technical assistance, and professional support and mentorship.

The RFP can be found on the OMH website at: https://omh.ny.gov/omhweb/rfp/2025/peer-ipa/index.html

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OMH Announces $5 Million in Total Annual Funding to Strengthen Community Wellness and Trauma Recovery
On September 30^th, the New York State (NYS) Office of Mental Health (OMH) released a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking 20 organizations to implement wellness strategies in collaboration with local communities. This initiative aims to foster resilience, reduce the impact of trauma, and support recovery through community-driven mental health promotion. Applicants should include a description of their current work within local communities, identify at least one community partner (this can be a new partnership), and provide a detailed plan for implementing a wellness support strategy (e.g., arts-based activities or peer mentoring programming).

A total of $5 million annually will be available to fund up to 20 organizations across the state. Each contract will provide a maximum of $250,000 per year for up to three years. The number of organizations OMH intends to fund per region is as follows:

• New York City: 8
• Central: 2
• Hudson River: 4
• Western: 3
• Long Island: 3

Eligible applicants include not-for-profit 501(c)(3) agencies or for-profit agencies based in NYS. Applicants do not need to be licensed or funded by OMH.

The full RFP can be found here:  https://omh.ny.gov/omhweb/rfp/2025/wellness/promoting_wellness_rfp_final.pdf   

Proposals are due on December 2^nd. Questions may be submitted to Amanda Szczepkowski at omhlocalprocurement@omh.ny.gov through October 16^th. Questions and answers will be posted on November 5^th. Awards are expected to be announced on January 13, 2026, and the anticipated contract start date is July 1, 2026. 

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Update:  Federal Shutdown

Today is Day 7 of the federal government shutdown.  Democrats are refusing to open the government without an agreement on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, and they’re digging in despite the Trump administration’s threat of mass layoffs. Republicans aren’t willing to negotiate until the government is open.

Most federal workers will miss their first paycheck Friday if the shutdown isn’t resolved. Another big date to watch is Oct. 15 — the day active duty military may also miss a check.

President Donald Trump and Democrats spent Monday afternoon giving reporters conflicting messages about whether they were talking to each other about the health care impasse at the center of the shutdown.

Long story short: They’re not.

But Trump’s suggestion that he was speaking with Democrats about their health care demands raised the possibility that an off-ramp might be in distant sight.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who has been engaged in bipartisan discussions with senators, said Monday Trump’s comments were “helpful” because “the president saying this is something that we need to address is important.”

But GOP leaders are sticking to their strategy: No talks till the government reopens. Senate Majority Leader John Thune plans to keep pressure up by forcing daily votes on the House-passed CR, while Speaker Mike Johnson doesn’t plan on bringing the House back until the Senate acts.

Out of nowhere, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene added new pressure to GOP leaders Monday, calling them out for not prioritizing the expiration of ACA subsidies.

“Not a single Republican in leadership talked to us about this or has given us a plan to help Americans deal with their health insurance premiums DOUBLING!!!,” Greene said in an X post that rocketed around Capitol Hill group chats.

One other thing the White House is eyeing to force movement is Trump’s threat to move ahead any day now with mass firings of federal workers.

But as Jordain Carney and Nicholas Wu report this morning, Democrats are largely unfazed — buoyed by encouraging early polling and the support of federal worker unions, who are already suing to block the move.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters Monday night that blame for the layoffs “falls on Donald Trump’s shoulders … and the American people know that.”  (Politico, 10/7/25)

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The Senate is trapped in a shutdown Groundhog’s Day with no end in sight.

Senators rejected dueling stopgap spending bills Monday for the fifth time as lawmakers show few signs of nearing a detente —even as the shutdown-induced pain is poised to grow as the federal funding lapse heads into its second workweek.

Senate Republicans had hoped the Trump administration’s imminent threat of mass firings, paired with a weekend back home to hear from constituents, would shake loose even a couple of potential swing-vote Democrats. Add to that the fact that most federal workers and active duty members of the military are due to miss their first paychecks Oct. 10 and Oct. 15, respectively.

But Monday evening, Democratic Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada — alongside Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats — were once again the only three to break ranks and vote to advance the GOP-led stopgap bill, which would fund the government until Nov. 21.

Earlier in the day, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) reiterated that Democrats are ready to negotiate on a deal to end the shutdown, but the discussion on health care needs to happen now.

“We’re ready to work with Republicans to reopen the government and end the health care crisis that faces tens of millions of Americans. But it takes two sides to have a negotiation,” Schumer said.

Republicans also again rejected the Democratic stopgap that would link government funding through October to the party’s health care priorities, including a permanent extension of soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act subsidies, plus restrictions on President Donald Trump’s ability to unilaterally claw back congressionally approved funding.

Top Democrats have demanded a “bipartisan negotiation” on health care as part of the government funding fight. Expanded ACA subsidies aren’t set to expire until the end of the year, but with open enrollment for Obamacare plans to begin Nov. 1, Democrats — and some Republicans — view that as the real deadline for getting an agreement for an extension.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said he is only open to negotiating on the health care tax credits once the government is reopened, a position that even some moderate members of his conference have backed. The South Dakota Republican doubled down on this stance Monday.

“We said we’re willing to have those conversations, but it starts with ending the shutdown,” Thune said.

Thune said that while he didn’t speak with Schumer over the weekend, he would talk to his Democratic counterpart going forward if it was “useful.” He added that he hoped enough Democrats would soon change their minds and vote to advance the House-passed stopgap, but that it “sounds like they’re still stuck at the moment.”

He has also warned that while he can promise a discussion on an extension of the enhanced ACA tax credits, he can’t guarantee a deal, which will also need to clear the House and garner Trump’s blessing. This uncertainty has made some Democrats wary of accepting anything short of an ironclad agreement, exacerbating an already deep lack of trust between the two parties — and between Democrats and Trump, in particular.

Yet Republicans are betting they will eventually win over enough Democratic senators to reopen the government, seeking to keep pressure up by forcing votes related to the funding bills every day until the shutdown ends. With Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voting “no,” Republicans need a total of eight Democrats to break with Schumer.

Senators from both parties are trying to find an off-ramp — largely around setting up a framework for what will happen to the ACA credits and the fiscal 2026 appropriations process once the shutdown ends.

But so far lawmakers involved in the bipartisan discussions have failed to sway more Democrats to back the GOP-led stopgap.

“They’re good conversations but they don’t quite seem ready yet,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the chair of the Appropriations Committee, said about talks with Democrats.
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