Last week, leaders in the House and Senate appropriations committees announced a deal framework for funding the federal government for the fiscal year 2023. The omnibus package has a $1.7 trillion price tag, with Democrats and Republicans agreeing to $858 billion in defense spending. The parties are still about $26 billion apart on domestic spending. To buy time to complete the negotiations, both chambers of Congress passed continuing resolutions to fund the government until Dec. 23, one week past the original deadline. Until recently, speculation was growing that the negotiations would need to continue into next year under the new Congress; however, both Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have voiced support for this year-end deal, building momentum for its passage. Lawmakers are still negotiating the inclusion of a potential tax deal in the omnibus package that would include an expanded child tax credit and renewed corporate tax breaks. However, it remains to be seen whether the agreement will survive. It is also unclear whether the universal charitable deduction, a social sector priority, will be included. Social Current will continue to monitor the negotiations.

MIECHV Passes the House, Heads for the Senate

On Dec. 2, the Jackie Walorski Maternal, Infant, and Child Home Visiting (MIECHV) Reauthorization Act of 2022 passed in the House with a vote of 390-26. Named after the late congresswoman who advocated for MIECHV, the bill reauthorizes program funding for five years and improves program oversight. The bill increases the annual base funding by $100 million starting in the fiscal year 2023. It creates an additional phased-in federal matching component, through which the federal government contributes $3 for every $1 the states contribute. The new funding also includes asides for workforce support, research, administration, and technical assistance. The bill improves oversight by implementing a new “outcomes dashboard” for Congress to track the program’s outcomes for families, along with a requirement of a new annual report detailing the results of the program to Congress. These changes are geared toward helping new parents and their children from pregnancy until kindergarten with health challenges and school readiness. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill this week.

New Report from DHS on the Youth Mental Health Crisis

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) published a new report entitled National Guidelines for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Care in response to the rising toll of mental health challenges on children and youth in the US. The report rolls out guidelines to communities on providing this vulnerable population with services that are not currently delivered. For example, it encourages communities to take advantage of the new national 988 suicide and crisis lifeline, which gives youth and families around-the-clock access to counselors. The report also recommends using mobile response teams that meet children and youth in their homes, schools, and communities. Finally, the report suggests crisis receiving and stabilization services, like in-home and crisis care facilities. Overall, the new guidelines encourage crisis response teams to build formal connections with entities in the community to create a full continuum of care. 

Mental Health Parity Discussion Draft Released

Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Senate Finance Committee members Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.), released the fifth and final so-called “discussion draft” of the bipartisan mental health initiative that began earlier this year. This final report centers on mental health parity and ensuring mental and physical health are equally accessible and covered through health insurance. The team made several recommendations. For instance, the report asks Medicaid managed care organizations and Medicare Advantage plans to provide accurate and updated directories of providers and information on whether providers are accepting new patients. It also would require the Government Accountability Office to conduct two studies comparing the cost of mental health and substance use disorder services with the cost of physical health care under Medicare Advantage and Medicaid. Finally, the report requires that Medicare give providers guidance on how long they can provide partial hospitalization and particular outpatient services to beneficiaries with SUDs.

Hearing on AmeriCorps Focuses on Program’s Financial Health

Last Wednesday, the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investments hosted a hearing called “Examining the Policies and Practices of the Corporation for National Community Service.” Chairwoman Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL) opened the hearing with positive words for the CNCS, also known as AmeriCorps. Since 1993, she said, over one million Americans had participated in AmeriCorps, helping rebuild neighborhoods after Hurricane Katrina, for example, and aiding food-insecure families and mentoring students throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Though Congresswoman Wilson stressed that AmeriCorps is “essential for our communities” and that the program has earned bipartisan support since its inception, it struggles from poor financial health. Deborah Jeffrey, from the Office of the Inspector General, detailed some of the agency’s challenges in accounting for its $1.3 billion budget, including reporting its grant funds in real-time. Michael Smith, CEO of CNCS, testified that financial management had been his top priority since he began as CEO last year and that needed reforms had begun to be implemented. He noted that the American Rescue Plan and recent annual appropriations had provided resources the CNCS needs to address some of these long-standing issues. 

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COA Accreditation, a service of Social Current, is proposing enhancements to its standards that will be released in early 2023.

The Residential Treatment (RTX) standards have been revised to better address important topics in the field, including resident voice and choice, family involvement, trauma-informed care, strategies for reducing the use of restrictive interventions, and how to help residents develop the skills to manage challenges and live successfully at home and in the community.

These recommended updates are now open for review and comment from the field. Download and review the proposed standards. The deadline to make comments is Jan. 11, 2023.

COA Accreditation has also proposed equity, diversity, and inclusion enhancements to its standards to better promote the delivery of equitable services for all people through physically and psychologically safe, welcoming, and trauma-informed environments. Submit feedback on these revisions by Jan. 3, 2023.

These proposed updates reflect an in-depth review and synthesis of prominent published research and professional literature as well as collaboration with a diverse group of subject matter experts from this field. The field comment period is a critical step in our process because it ensures our standards are field informed by including input from provider organizations in the development process.

This critical pairing of research and practice ensures that the COA Accreditation standards remain rigorous, practical, and reflective of current trends and evolving practices and continue to promote improved outcomes for individuals, families, and communities.

Negotiations over the fiscal year 2023 budget are heating up during the lame-duck session as the self-imposed deadline of Dec. 16 draws ever closer. In the fall, Congress passed a continuing resolution to fund the federal government until mid-December, giving elected officials time to negotiate until after the midterm elections. One of the main sticking points is the debt limit. Republicans want to tie raising the debt limit to entitlement reform, which President Joe Biden vehemently opposes. Another pressure point is a potential bipartisan tax deal to include certain tax breaks for businesses while extending tax breaks for working families, like the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and the Earned Income Tax Credit. The potential deal would not include the version of the CTC from the American Rescue Plan, which provided monthly installments to families with children. However, it would provide expanded tax relief to families come tax time.

The social sector is also pushing for the inclusion of the Universal Charitable Deduction (UCD) in the end-of-year tax bill. The UCD, implemented for the first time in 2020 and expired last year, provided a $300 above-the-line deduction that encouraged more giving to charitable organizations. After a full year of bipartisan talks and hearings, Senate negotiators are also putting forward mental health proposals in light of the increase of suicides and drug overdoses in recent years. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Shelley Capito (R-W.Va.) have endorsed the Resilience, Investment, Support, and Expansion (RISE) from Trauma Act, which would connect different entities in communities to increase awareness of trauma and generate strategies around prevention, intervention, and treatment for children and families. Social Current has publicly supported both the UCD extension and the RISE from Trauma Act, and we will keep you updated as the negotiations progress.

Midterms Create New Balance of Power in Congress

The vote counting continues following the midterm elections last month, but the balance of power in Congress is decided. As of the end of November, Republicans had won 222 seats to the Democrats 213 in the House of Representatives, with two seats still waiting to be called. In the Senate, Democrats had won 50 hearts and the Republicans 49, with the runoff in Georgia still to come on Dec. 6. With Republicans gaining control of the House and Democrats retaining power in the Senate, many commentators predict two years of bickering and political brinksmanship. While leadership in the parties will remain the same in the Senate, both parties in the House have been undergoing internal debates about who will lead their caucuses. Democrats voted for a generational change in leadership by appointing Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) as party leader, replacing Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) after 20 years as leader of the House Democrats. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), current House Minority Leader, is angling for Speaker of the House in the new Congress, though it is unclear at this moment whether he will earn enough votes in his caucus to gain that title. To set a productive tone for the new Congress, President Biden met with the leaders of both parties last week to hash out priorities for the lame-duck session.

Pause on Student Loan Payments Extended Again

After a U.S. District Judge rendered President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program unconstitutional, the Department of Education (DOE) requested a federal appeals court to lift the hold on the program, which was denied on Thursday. The administration says almost half of eligible borrowers have applied, and over 16 million applications have been approved. Nevertheless, the program’s fate will have to wait for a decision by the Supreme Court, which could take months. In response to these setbacks in court, the DOE has extended the pause on student loan payments, which has been in effect since the beginning of the pandemic and extended multiple times after that. The administration argues it is unfair to make borrowers make payments on loans that will ultimately be forgiven, partially or in full. The DOE says it will end the pause 60 days after the Supreme Court makes a decision, or by Sept. 1 of next year, whichever comes first.

USDA Proposes New Rules for WIC Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced proposed changes to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). WIC food packages supplement the diets of mothers and newborns with healthy foods and beverages that benefit maternal and childhood health. The new changes would increase the size of the food packages, give state agencies more flexibility to accommodate cultural preferences and dietary needs, and provide increased choice to the 6 million moms, babies, and young children enrolled in WIC. Some changes include increased allowance for fruits and vegetables (four times more than previously) and new items, like quinoa, soy-based yogurts, canned fish, and canned beans. National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, informed USDA’s decision to propose these science-driven changes to the WIC program.

Subcommittee Hearing on the Student Mental Health Crisis

The Subcommittee on Children and Families on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, hosted a hearing last Wednesday called “Caring for Our Kids: Supporting Mental Health in the Transition from High School to College.” The hearing stressed the often-overlooked effectiveness of mental health services and the importance of providing these services to young adolescents, especially considering the national mental health crisis affecting teens. The first witness, Sharon Hoover of the National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, told policymakers to focus on three ideas: Investing in prevention by creating safe environments in families and schools, establishing comprehensive school mental health systems, and providing students with high school-to-college transition skills. Curtis Wright, vice president of student affairs at Xavier University of Louisiana, a historically black and Catholic institution, spoke about the importance of creating a sense of safety on campus, especially in light of the bomb threats that have impacted historically black colleges and universities this year. Ashley Weiss, director of medical student education in psychiatry at Tulane University, discussed the hidden pandemic of severe psychiatric disorders like psychosis. Citing national statistics to shed light on a local university, she explained 800 students at George Washington University likely experience psychosis annually and do not receive care for over a year. The final witness, Brooklyn Williams, a high school senior in Pittsburgh, described her mental health struggles after her mother passed away from breast cancer. These powerful testimonies build momentum toward Congress enacting policies to address the mental health crisis affecting America’s teenagers, hopefully as soon as possible.

New AFCARS Data Shows Fewer Children in Foster Care in 2021

A new report from the Administration of Children and Families (ACF) says the number of children in foster care decreased for the fourth year, and the number of children adopted from foster care decreased for the second consecutive year. The data was pulled from the annual Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), which showed that the foster care population declined from 407,000 at the end of fiscal year 2020 to 391,000 at the end of fiscal year 2021. ACF says these decreases correspond with the department’s focus on keeping families together and promoting kinship care. As ACF discusses policy options with states, family preservation and kinship care have been priorities.

New Grants for Mental Health from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced over $100 million in funding from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) for emergency preparedness, crisis response, and expansion of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The BSCA passed earlier this year following the school shooting tragedy in Uvalde, Texas. $59.4 million will be disbursed to states through the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant program. SAMHSA recommended to the states that these funds be used for mental health emergency preparedness and response plans, creating mobile crisis teams, and providing mental health training to providers, among other things. Another $50 million will go toward standing up the 988 hotline, developing response capacity, diversifying accessible languages, and increasing marketing and awareness around the hotline.

Subscribe to the Policy and Advocacy Radar to receive our biweekly policy roundup, which includes commentary on issues in Social Current’s federal policy agenda, opportunities to take action, and curated news and opportunities.

COA Accreditation, a service of Social Current, is proposing enhancements to its standards to better promote the delivery of equitable services for all people through physically and psychologically safe, welcoming, and trauma-informed environments. These recommended updates that support equity and inclusivity, are now open for review and comment from the field.

Review the proposed standards online and make comments by Jan. 3, 2023. Detailed instructions for submitting comments are included in the standards document.

These proposed revisions reflect an in-depth review and synthesis of prominent published research and professional literature as well as collaboration with a diverse group of subject matter experts from this field. The field comment period is a critical step in our process because it ensures our standards are field informed by including input from provider organizations in the development process.

This critical pairing of research and practice ensures that COA Accreditation standards remain rigorous, practical, and reflective of current trends and evolving practices and continue to promote improved outcomes for individuals, families, and communities.

These standards will be released in early 2023.

Strategic organizations are transformative organizations. They look beyond current experience to anticipate future trends and opportunities. They ask, “Why?” and evaluate answers within a future-oriented context. They expect to change.

Trendspotting and trend analysis can be powerful for strategic planning by creating credible illustrations of what the future might look like. Based on that, community-based organizations and their cross-sector partners can align community priorities and resources to help all people reach their full potential.

Incorporating a diversity of trends topics is particularly useful for creating a strategy where the end product is a long-term plan to be implemented over multiple years. Such plans aren’t just about identifying broad goals to be realized, but also key strategies for how the organization will meet those goals. 

Designing Useful Trend Inquiry

Core to trendspotting is research, and two types of research—primary and secondary—are best for identifying data that can inform activities like strategic planning, risk assessment, and opportunity mapping.

Primary research is firsthand research using methods like interviews with consumers and program participants, employees, community leaders and advocates, academic subject matter experts, regulators, policymakers, funders, and other stakeholders.

Secondary research uses available data and information found in reports and databases from diverse industries, which can be used as sources for trend determination. Examples can include demographics and other census tract information, local asset mapping, state and federal data (e.g., Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System [AFCARS]), and more.

The essential process of trend investigation is about asking the right questions about the right things. These can roughly be divided into three areas, with examples of questions below:

Getting the Most Out of Scenario Planning

Since no one can tell the future with 100% certainty all the time, developing robust scenarios can help bridge present circumstances with future requirements. The range and value of organizational opportunities based on trend analysis depend on scenarios that should include most of these criteria:

By evaluating relevant trends compiled through primary and secondary research and using the analysis to explore governance and operational scenarios, the ability to optimize programs and services and create achievable pathways to child and family well-being is strengthened.

Harnessing Trends

The Social Current Knowledge and Insights Center, available through our Impact Partnerships, helps professionals in human/social services to learn, improve, and innovate by providing timely, useful, and relevant information and resources. This is done by:

Professional librarians in the Knowledge and Insights Center routinely gather trends data on a variety of organizational topics, such as workforce resilience and service innovation, as well as meta trends that encompass demographics, systemic and environmental factors, technology, and more.

Hot Topics from 2022

Below are some of the key topics that have been monitored in 2022, with an insight summary, brief source examples, and related resources and offerings from Social Current:

Integration of Workforce Resilience as a Key Organizational Sustainability Strategy

Resilience is a buzzword and seen as necessary for workplaces. But can organizations improve employee resilience? Some think yes, others think no. “A resilience-oriented workforce spans many disciplines and training programs will need to reflect that. It requires a collaborative organizational model that promotes information sharing structures.”

Sources:

See Also:

Providers Increasingly Incorporating Social Determinants of Health in Service Delivery  

Social determinants of health (SDOH) and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) profoundly impact lives of individuals. Both SDOH and ACEs are risk factors for childhood mental health disorders, health, and social outcomes. These factors include housing instability, food insecurity, poverty, community violence, and discrimination. There are ways to help address these risk factors, and this includes things like quality education, safe neighborhoods, and positive parent-child relationships.

Sources:  

See Also:

Biggest Public Health Threats to Teens Are Mental Health Disorders

Teenage pregnancy, smoking, binge drinking, drunken driving and smoking are no longer the biggest public health threats to teens. It is now rising rates of mental health disorders. With up to one in five children having a mental, emotional, development, or behavioral disorder, and rising rates of mental health visits in emergency rooms and depression symptoms rising during the pandemic, it is critical to pay attention to the mental health crisis in young people today.

Sources:  

See Also:

Post-Pandemic Mental Health Crises Driving Change to Suicide Prevention Strategies   

With rising rates of depression and anxiety compared to prior to the pandemic, the new U.S. suicide hotline 988 comes at a critical time. Suicide is a leading cause of death for people ages 10-34 years old, and 90% of those who died by suicide had a “diagnosable mental health condition at the time of their death.”

Sources:  

See Also:

Successful Mental Health Interventions Are More Dependent on Cultural Responsiveness     

Cultural competencies and cultural responsiveness for mental health providers is now seen as critical, even “a matter of life and death.”

Source:  

See Also:

Integrated Community and Systems Response Counteract School-to-Prison Pipeline  

The school-to-prison pipeline is a “disturbing national trend wherein youth are funneled out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal legal systems. Many of these youth are Black or Brown, have disabilities, or histories of poverty, abuse, or neglect, and would benefit from additional supports and resources. Instead, they are isolated, punished, and pushed out.” 

Source:  

See Also:

Other top trends recently updated by the Knowledge and Insights Center:

How to Access Our Specialized Researchers & Tools

As you plan for 2023 and beyond, make sure you’re utilizing all the tools in your toolbox. Join our Dec. 7 webinar for an in-depth overview of the Knowledge and Insights Center. For more information on the resources portal, including the Ask-a-Librarian reference request service, visit the Social Current Hub or contact the Knowledge and Insights Center.

About the Knowledge and Insights Center

The Knowledge and Insights Center offers a robust resources portal through the Social Current Hub, which includes a digital library with over 22,000 records; aggregated research and business databases; diverse topic collections and library guides; original content summarizing complex information; and coaching that helps users maximize these resources. Our team includes professional librarians with wide-ranging skillsets and extensive experience in collection development specific to the nonprofit social services sector.

Though the final vote counts in many close races will take days, if not weeks, to tally, Election Day has provided surprising results that go against the historical norm for midterm elections. Virtually all midterms are referendums on the president’s party, often resulting in massive gains for the party out of power. However, Democrats aggressively messaged this election as a “choice” rather than a referendum and managed to win some races that many pundits thought would be easy wins for Republicans. Inflation, the economy, abortion, crime, and immigration topped the issues driving voters to the polls.

Though Republicans gained seats in the House of Representatives and are likely to have a slight majority when it’s all said and done, Democrats avoided an expected thumping and held on to critical seats in suburban areas across the country. In the Senate, Democrats picked up a seat in Pennsylvania and successfully defended seats in Nevada and Arizona, clinching control of the Senate. A runoff election in Georgia next month will decide whether Democrats increase their margin in the chamber to 51-49. Democrats maintained control of critical statehouses across the country, while Republicans had only a handful of state-level surprises, including Ron DeSantis’ win in Florida by a margin that was larger than expected.

Impact of the Midterms on Nonprofits

The “Federal Mid-Term Elections: Impact on Charitable Nonprofits” webinar featured perspectives from leaders of national nonprofits including Social Current President and CEO Jody Levison-Johnson. Watch now!

A divided Congress is likely to have a direct impact on the social sector and our communities. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who may be the Speaker of the House, and other Republicans have promised to refuse to raise the debt ceiling without forcing cuts to social services, clean energy, and Social Security and Medicare. President Joe Biden has resolutely opposed these measures. This standoff could lead to a government shutdown that would send the country into default and temporarily pause needed federal funds for nonprofits until lawmakers figure out a solution. Without a federal budget for next year, many of the funding streams the social sector relies on would be in danger. In the background of this potential showdown, the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates, and the economy would be teetering on the edge of a recession. Nonprofits must redouble their efforts to help their communities grapple with these challenges. The social sector must act now to temper the passions of both sides and support bipartisan pathways forward.

Voter Turnout Soars in Midterm Elections

Votes are still being tallied, but initial counts and projections suggest that voter turnout will land around 46% of eligible voters. Though this estimate falls short of the massive turnout in the 2018 midterms of approximately 49%, it still surpasses every other midterm election this century. In a handful of states, like Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan, Utah, and Oregon, voter turnout exceeded 2018 levels. One of the surprises of the night was the turnout among young voters. In this midterm, 27% of voters between the ages of 18-29 cast a ballot—the second-highest turnout rate of that age group in 30 years. Youth voter turnout averages about 20% in midterm elections. In key states like Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, this demographic averaged 31%. Youth activists credited the increased turnout in these states to increased engagement with young people through targeted outreach and voter registration efforts.

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Gettysburg, PA (October 30, 2022) OPEN MINDS and Social Current announced a new collaboration focused on preparing community-based organizations for performance-based contracting with health plans and other payers.

To launch the initiative, OPEN MINDS and Social Current have created an executive learning series to provide Social Current network organizations with the opportunity to improve their value-based reimbursement preparedness and help identify what tools and solutions are needed. The series includes an informational webinar, which is now available for on-demand viewing, and access to OPEN MINDS Value-Based Reimbursement Readiness Assessment, which provides a review of the organization’s infrastructure and preparedness for working with health plans. At the completion of the assessment, organizations will receive a report that summarizes organizational readiness across a number of domains and a list of recommendations to guide an action plan for service line development and infrastructure improvement. The series also includes in-person and virtual technical assistance sessions on the changing role of health plans in the health and human service system.

“The fact is that the majority of health and human services provider organizations will need to work with health plans—either through direct contracting or through referrals—as more complex populations are moving to managed care plans,” said OPEN MINDS Chief Executive Officer Monica E. Oss. “It is critical that executive teams of these organizations are prepared for successful and sustainable health plan relationships as the market continues to shift.”

In addition to the assessments and tools, OPEN MINDS and Social Current will jointly provide technical assistance and consultation to individual organizations. The OPEN MINDS team brings expertise in strategy, health plan contracting, technology infrastructure development, and value-based services line development. The Social Current consultants offer consultation in equity, diversity, and inclusion; workforce resilience; brain science; and leadership development.

“As organizations continue to focus on effectiveness and impact, we want to offer access to our combined areas of expertise. Together, Social Current and OPEN MINDS offer organizations a diverse array of supports that help organizations build capacity to meet market demands and improve quality,” said Social Current President and Chief Executive Officer Jody Levison-Johnson.

For more information about the initiative, or to access the custom resources, contact Ashly Sterner at or Tim Kobussen.

About OPEN MINDS

OPEN MINDS is a national market intelligence, management consulting, and marketing services firm specializing exclusively in the markets of the health and human service field that serve consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs. OPEN MINDS mission is to provide payers, service provider organizations, and technology and scientific firms that serve these consumers with the market and management knowledge needed to improve their organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

Federal student loans continue to make news in Washington, DC. On Oct. 25, 2022, the Department of Education, led by Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, announced an executive action to change and streamline the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program permanently. This executive action is designed to work in tandem with regulatory changes, set to go into effect in July 2023.

Starting on Nov. 1, 2022, the Department of Education will allow borrowers with 20 years (240 months) or 25 years (300 months) of payments to start receiving loan discharges through these changes. Borrowers who applied for PSLF before Oct. 31, 2022, and reached 120 payments due to the deferment and forbearance changes, will also receive loan discharges. The Department of Education will continue implementing federal loan discharges for borrowers who reach the forgiveness threshold in the months after November 2022.

In July 2023, the Department of Education will automatically apply the same payment count treatment to all Direct and Department-managed Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) for borrowers who do not otherwise reach the number of months necessary for forgiveness.

A complete list of the improvements can be found in this fact sheet. The regulations will be published in the coming days and will go into effect on July 1, 2023.

Coverage for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program Expanded (CHIP) Expanded

On Oct. 27, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that more than half of all U.S. states had taken steps to expand the coverage period for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage to 12 months after pregnancy. This announcement comes after the states of Pennsylvania and Georgia took the necessary steps to expand Medicaid and CHIP coverage this Fall, a move that will make an additional 57,000 individuals in those two states eligible for expanded healthcare. A signature plank of the Biden Administration’s domestic policy agenda has revolved around Maternal & Fetal Health, as outlined more fully in the Administration’s Maternal Health Blueprint. The ability for individual states to expand eligibility criteria for their Medicaid and CHIP programs is a direct result of provisions found in the American Rescue Plan, signed into law by President Biden in March of 2021. An estimated 418,000 Americans across 26 states and the District of Columbia now have expanded access to postpartum coverage due to the 2021 American Rescue Plan.

IRS Warns Nonprofits of Tax Savings Schemes

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), on Oct. 19,  advised businesses, including nonprofits, to be careful of individuals or groups who erroneously advise organizations to improperly claim the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) on their organization tax return. Some third parties are taking improper positions related to taxpayer eligibility for and computation of the credit. The groups and individuals providing the fraudulent advice have been known to charge non-profits costly upfront fees. The IRS advises non-profit organizations and businesses to remain cautious about tax savings schemes and plans. The organization is always responsible for the information reported on its tax returns. Improperly claiming the ERC could result in taxpayers being required to repay the credit along with penalties and interest.

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To mark the beginning of the school year, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education on the House Committee on Education and Labor hosted the hearing, “Back to School: Meeting Students’ Social and Emotional Needs.” Chairman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-Northern Mariana Islands) opened the hearing by citing evidence-based interventions, like intensive tutoring, summer learning, and social and emotional learning (SEL) programs, that help reverse learning loss experienced during the pandemic. He noted several school districts that have used American Rescue Plan funds to address students’ needs through parent academies, family resource centers, and mental health counselors.

One of the witnesses, Dr. Aaliyah Samuel, president and CEO of Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, stressed the importance of SEL, which, “creates the conditions necessary for academic recovery.” Citing a meta-analysis of 213 studies on SEL initiatives, she said that these programs decreased anxiety and behavior issues among students, improved attitudes toward fellow students and school, and enhanced academic performance. Samuel warned against recent efforts to politicize SEL through misinformation and bans and encouraged lawmakers to continue supporting SEL programming as a critical component of addressing learning loss.

HHS Awards Grants to Address Black Youth Mental Health

The Office of Minority Health awarded $3 million in grants as part of an initiative to improve Black youth mental health. The three-year project, carried out by eight organizations, will identify policies that address mental health challenges for Black youth. Awardees will test these approaches in different settings, including schools, community centers, and religious organizations. The initiative grew from a Health and Human Services report on Black youth suicide, which analyzed demographics, risk factors, and potential interventions to prevent suicide. The eight organizations are located in Arizona, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, and Rhode Island, and the project officially began Sept. 30, 2022.

New Social Determinants of Health Initiatives in Massachusetts and Oregon

Massachusetts and Oregon received approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to cover specific nutrition and housing assistance with Medicaid funds. These section 1115 demonstration initiatives recognize that social needs, as well as medical needs, drive health outcomes. Through these projects, Massachusetts can provide housing support, nutrition education, and food assistance to Medicaid enrollees, including postpartum individuals, for up to 12 months. Oregon will be able to expand these types of social services to individuals during life transitions, including those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. In both states, Medicaid beneficiaries can continue accessing medical services alongside these new services.

New Ratings in the Family First Prevention Services Clearinghouse

The Family First Prevention Clearinghouse has posted new ratings for 12 prevention services. Two were found to be “well-supported,” one “supported,” one “promising,” and eight rated as “does not currently meet criteria.” The programs included mental health, in-home parent skill-based, kinship navigator, and substance abuse services. So far, 121 programs and services have been reviewed, and 62 have been rated as promising, supported, or well-supported.

The new ratings are as follows:

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By: Susana Mariscal and Bryan Victor

There is a shift taking place across the nation regarding child abuse and neglect fatalities. These heartbreaking tragedies make headlines across every community, with a focus on why systems failed our children and how these children fell through the cracks.

As the U.S. Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities notes, child welfare systems have historically been focused on addressing harm only after it has occurred. Fortunately, federal and state agencies along with local nonprofits and community leaders are beginning to work collaboratively and create a multi-system service continuum to provide the resources that families need beforehand, preventing abuse and neglect before it occurs. We can see evidence of that shift, with demonstration projects across the U.S., including Indiana, that are identifying risk factors (e.g., contributing factors) for child fatalities, moving resources upstream to support families, and building on protective factors with an emphasis on prevention.

The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) is one of five sites nationwide participating in a Department of Justice demonstration initiative known as Child Safety Forward (CSF). With support from technical assistance providers and multidisciplinary child fatality review teams, IDOH has conducted research focusing on Clark, Delaware, Grant, and Madison counties that identified unsafe sleep-related deaths as the leading cause of death due to external causes (e.g., sleep-related, drowning) for children ages 0-18 years old, excluding medical reasons. The findings from IDOH – based on a 5-year retrospective review – highlighted that Black infants are at a heightened risk for sleep-related deaths (55.9%t; 19 of 34 deaths) and that sleep-related deaths have been underreported throughout the state due to inconsistent and incomplete documentation of Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUIDs). High quality, accurate fatality data enables jurisdictions to better understand and address risk factors, improving the effectiveness and actionability of recommendations.

Based on these findings, IDOH took several steps to expand the state’s ability to prevent child fatalities. They developed Community Action Teams to implement prevention initiatives, and are working collaboratively with Prevent Child Abuse Indiana chapters and Family Resource Centers run by the Strengthening Indiana Families project to educate the public about safe sleep practices. Family Resource Centers are a one-stop-shop for families, providing tailored resources to address their needs and build on their strengths. IDOH has also developed videos providing safe sleep information and stories of parents who lost a child in unsafe sleep environments. (For more information on safe sleep, visit the IDOH website.)

Informed by findings from the CSF initiative, Indiana legislators passed House Enrolled Act 1169 — which went into effect on July 1, 2022 — establishing consistent standards for SUID investigations and data collection, aligning with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention best practices, including pathology and toxicology.


It is important to note that, in 2020, in 95 of 168 cases identified (56.5 percent), children were unknown to Child Protective Services before the fatality, indicating that government agencies like the Indiana Department of Child Services alone cannot prevent these deaths. The work of fatality prevention lies with all of us: neighbors, community members, and the full range of professionals that serve children and families. To increase our effectiveness at preventing these fatalities and reducing racial disparities, the multiple systems that serve families must collaborate and share information to provide coordinated, holistic services. Communities also need to increase their formal and informal supports for families, so that all parents in the community have equitable access to the resources they need to be connected and safe. Every parent needs help at some point and -as the Family Resource Centers’ motto says- “Kids don’t come with instructions. We’re here to help.” Let’s all join in the nationwide shift toward prevention by supporting families in our communities so that children can develop their full potential. Imagine what a difference we all can make in the lives of children in our community when we work together proactively to keep the most vulnerable among us safe.

A version of this article appeared previously in the Indianapolis Star on October 6, 2022.

Disclaimer: This product was supported by cooperative agreement number 2019-V3-GX-K005 Reducing Child Fatalities and Recurring Injuries Caused by Crime Victimization, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice and by the Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children, Youth and Families, Administration for Children and Families, USDHHS, under grant 90CA1864. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this product are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Children’s Bureau.