Omni Kudos to CSBs and Agencies Already Tackling Follow-up GPRAs for SOR IV Year 1

With SOR IV Year 1 Follow-Up windows now open, we’d like to take a moment to recognize the CSBs and Agencies that have already completed GPRA Follow-Ups — thank you for your commitment to this important work!

Congratulations to the following CSBs and Agencies for your early achievement:

  • Alexandria

  • Caritas

  • Chesterfield

  • Highlands

  • Horizon

  • Middle Peninsula Northern Neck

  • Northwestern

  • Planning District 1

  • Portsmouth

  • Southside

  • Valley

Big shoutout to Horizon and Southside for achieving a 100% interview follow-up rate! This is a major accomplishment, especially since interview follow-ups are a key metric for SAMHSA reporting. The interview follow-up rate = the number of interview follow-up GPRAs / the number of closed or open follow-up windows. For context, SAMHSA requires 80% or more of follow-ups to be completed as interviews within the designated windows — and these teams went above and beyond. Great work!

We know the effort it takes to complete GRPA intakes and follow-ups, and we appreciate all you do to support individuals in their treatment journeys. To help you stay on track, don’t forget to check your agency’s weekly tracking sheets in Dropbox for information on your follow-up windows.

If you have questions about GPRA Follow-Up surveys, check out the materials from the recent Follow-up and Discharge training:

Or feel free to reach out to SORSupport@omni.org.

SOR IV Follow-up & Discharge GPRA Training - Recording and Materials Now Available!

Thanks to all who were able to join the OMNI Team for our SOR IV Follow-up & Discharge GPRA Training on April 18th!

If you couldn’t attend or want to review the content, the following materials are now available for you on our website (here). Here are the direct links:

FAQs

Q: When working through the online GPRA survey, can I leave it open and return to it later?

A: You have 24 hours to complete the survey before it closes. Please reach out to the OMNI SOR Support Team for a retake link if you cannot access it.


Q: Can a client still have services be funded by SOR if they decline to take the GPRA?

A: Yes. Clients are not required to complete the GPRA to receive SOR-funded services.

Q: Who should complete the GPRA?

A: For SOR funding to cover someone's services (i.e., pay for their services because they do not have insurance or cannot afford to pay) they must have either a stimulant use disorder or an opioid use disorder (OUD) diagnosis. All clients with a stimulant use disorder or OUD whose services are being paid for with SOR funds should complete a GPRA. These clients can still receive SOR funding for services without being active in the GPRA process.

In addition, any clients receiving services from a SOR-funded staff (salary paid by SOR) is eligible to complete the GPRA regardless of whether or not they have a stimulant use disorder or OUD diagnosis. In those cases, the patient's bill for services still cannot be covered by SOR funds because they do not have the appropriate diagnoses.

Q: When should the GPRA be completed?

A: All clients should be administered the GPRA survey at three timepoints: at intake to services, approximately six months after intake, and at discharge from services. The weekly tracking sheet in your Dropbox folder can help you manage these timepoints.

  • The Intake GPRA is the first GPRA survey, completed when the client begins receiving SOR-funded services.

  • The Follow-up GPRA is completed approximately 6 months after the intake GPRA, even if the client has already been discharged from services and completed a discharge GPRA. The follow-up window is open between 5 to 8 months after the intake GPRA.

  • The Discharge GPRA is conducted when the client is discharged from treatment/recovery services. This can occur before or after a follow-up GPRA.


Q: How many times should I attempt to reach the client to complete the Follow-Up GPRA?

A: SAMHSA recommends reaching out early and often in the follow-up window, up to 10 times.

For further clarification or if you have questions about the training or the GPRA, please reach out to us at SORSupport@omni.org.

SOR IV Year 1 Halfway Point, Follow-up GPRA Windows Now Opening!

In April, we officially passed the halfway point for the first year of SOR IV! This means that GPRA follow-up windows have begun to open for clients who were completed intakes at the beginning of SOR IV (i.e. October, November, or early December). As a reminder, windows are open from 5 to 8 months after the intake interview date.

There are two resources OMNI offers to help keep track your follow-up progress:

  • Weekly Tracking Sheets: These are updated every Monday and can be found in your CSB/agency’s Dropbox folder. Be sure to check your agency’s weekly tracking sheets regularly to stay informed about which follow-up windows are currently open. If a client’s follow-up window is open, Column F will be highlighted in green and marked as “Open.” Other alerts you will see there include “Upcoming” open windows, windows that will be “Closing Soon” (pink), and windows that have “Closed” completely. The sheet will also show you when you completed a Follow-up.

  • Monthly Progress Report: These reports are generated at the beginning of each month and are also located in your agency’s Dropbox. As shown in Figure 2, the follow-up rate is calculated by dividing the total number of completed interview follow-up GPRAs by the total number of open or closed follow-up windows. Please note: only interview follow-ups completed within the window are counted toward your agency’s overall follow-up rate. SAMHSA requires this follow-up interview rate to reach at least 80% by the end of the three-year grant period.

Upcoming Training: We will be hosting a 90-minute Follow-up/Discharge GPRA Training on Thursday, April 17, 2024, from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM ET. This session will provide a comprehensive overview of the Follow-up and Discharge GPRA process, along with best practices for survey administration. Click here to visit our SOR Support website for more details.

Please reach out to SORSupport@omni.org if you need access to your agency’s Dropbox folder or any question about how to track or administer Follow-up GPRAs.

REMINDER:OMNI SOR IV Follow-up/Discharge GPRA Training on 4/17 at 12:30 pm ET

This is a reminder that OMNI will host a 90-minute Follow-up/Discharge GPRA Training on Thursday, April 17, 2024, from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM ET. This session will provide a detailed overview of the Follow-up and Discharge GPRA, including best practices for survey administration. We will also review GPRA requirements, clarify timelines, and highlight available TA resources. This Follow-up/Discharge GPRA training is ideal for both new staff learning the GPRA administration process and experienced staff seeking a refresher.

Register in advance here:

https://omni-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/aPURVGXrReqKELBhuJRGeQ.

After registering, you’ll receive a confirmation email with details on how to join the training.

We look forward to seeing you there and as always please reach out to SORsupport@omni.org for GPRA guidance and questions or visit Virginia SOR Support for resources.

OMNI Kudos to CSBs/Agencies for Completing Over 50 SOR IV Intake GPRAs

As we approach the six-month mark of the SOR IV Year 1 grant cycle, we want to recognize the CSBs and Agencies that have completed over 50 SOR IV Intake GPRAs! This milestone reflects your dedication to client engagement and exemplifies your organization's commitment to inquiry, client connection, and quality care.

Congratulations to the following CSBs/Agencies for reaching this achievement:

  • CARITAS

  • Cumberland Mountain

  • Eastern Shore

  • Highlands

  • Northwestern

  • Portsmouth

  • Valley

We recognize everyone's hard work that goes into conducting GPRA intakes, and we appreciate your efforts in supporting individuals on their treatment journeys. OMNI is here to assist you—whether you need technical guidance or additional resources to streamline your GPRA administration.

Helpful Resources

If you're new to the GPRA process or looking for a refresher, check out these resources:

If you have any questions or need support, reach out to our team at OMNI: SORsupport@omni.org.

Thank you for your dedication and hard work!

Register for OMNI SOR IV Follow-up/Discharge GPRA Training on 4/17 at 12:30 PM ET

OMNI will host a 90-minute Follow-up/Discharge GPRA Training on Thursday, April 17, 2024, from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM ET. This session will provide a detailed overview of the Follow-up and Discharge GPRA, including best practices for survey administration. We will also review GPRA requirements, clarify timelines, and highlight available TA resources. The training is ideal for both new staff learning the GPRA administration process and experienced staff seeking a refresher. Given that follow-up windows have begun opening, the timing of this session is especially relevant to ensure your team is fully prepared.

Register in advance here:

https://omni-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/aPURVGXrReqKELBhuJRGeQ

After registering, you’ll receive a confirmation email with details on how to join the training.

Additionally, the recording and slides from the Fall 2024 Intake GPRA training are available on our website: SOR IV Full Intake Training Recording (Dec. 2024). This is recommended for all staff completing GPRAs.

We look forward to seeing you! If you have any questions or need GPRA guidance, please contact SORsupport@omni.org or visit Virginia SOR Support for additional resources.

SOR III Year 2 CSB/Agency-level GPRA Intake Reports Now Available

Greetings!

OMNI is pleased to share customized GPRA Annual report(s) for your CSB/Agency. Similar to the full SOR statewide report your agency report contains compiled GPRA data specific to your CSBs/Agency from the SOR III Year 2 time period (October 2023 through September 2024). This reflects Year 6 of the SOR Grant.

  • All CSBs/Agencies are provided with an Intake report. This report contains demographic and baseline characteristics of your clientele cohort.

  • Some CSBs/Agencies also receive an Outcomes report to that includes demographic and baseline characteristics and matched “outcomes” based on follow-up or discharge data. Only those who have more that 10 matched pairs of Intake and Outcome reports will receive this particular report.

  • Each Intake Report summarizes the data collected through the GPRA intake surveys to understand characteristics and reported behaviors of respondents at time of intake during SOR III Year 2.

  • The Outcomes Report compares individuals’ responses from the Intake GPRA with their latest assessment GPRA survey for a select number of outcomes. “Latest assessment GPRA” encompasses the most recent GPRA survey, which could be a follow-up or a discharge GPRA.

  • To protect the privacy of respondents, results with fewer than 10 responses are suppressed and marked with “N/A” in both reports.

  • In the Outcomes report, statistical methods were applied to ensure accurate interpretation of the data. A statistically significant difference (marked by *) indicates that the observed change between intake and the latest assessment is unlikely due to chance, with a p-value less than 0.05.

  • In the Outcomes report, the “confidence interval (CI)” represents the range within which the true population value is expected to fall based on the sample data. A narrower confidence interval suggests a more precise estimate, while a wider range indicates greater uncertainty. In the bar charts, orange I-beam markers depict the upper and lower boundaries of these intervals to illustrate the potential variation in results.

You may wish to compare your CSB/Agency report data with the full SOR III Year 2 Annual Report Treatment findings which will soon be available here on the website.

If you have any questions or feedback regarding the report, or want to chat about the results, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at SORSupport@omni.org.

Thanks so much,

The OMNI SOR team

SOR IV News Updates and GPRA Basics

Now that we are a couple of months into 2025 and have welcomed several new CSBs/Agencies to the GPRA data collection process, we wanted to go over some GPRA basics and SOR IV News Updates!

  • The first SOR IV Monthly Progress Reports have been created and added to CSB/Agency folders. Progress reports are uploaded to Dropbox folders on a monthly basis and provide useful information around the number of intakes and discharges completed so far in SOR IV and – once follow-up windows begin opening – the number and types of follow-ups completed.

  • Note: OMNI will not be providing CSBs/Agencies with intake GPRA goals for this year. If you have questions, please contact DBHDS.

SOR IV Trainings/Onboarding

  • In case you missed it! Our team conducted the SOR IV Intake GPRA Training on December 9th. The slides and video recording from this training can be found here: New to the GPRA/GPRA Refresher — Virginia SOR Support. If you are new or want to refresh your GPRA knowledge, please review!

  • Save the date! The SOR IV Follow-Up and Discharge Training will be on April 17th, 2025. We will send out the registration link with more details soon.

  • 1-on-1 TA support! OMNI can provide 1-on-1 TA to any CSB/Agency that needs it. Please reach out to us for GPRA administration questions, to receive a list of GPRA administrator onboarding resources from our website, or to request a Zoom call with one of our TA team members for further GPRA support. Here are the best ways to reach us:

GPRA Basics

  • We are in Year 1 of the SOR IV grant period. The SOR IV grant period will span three years.

  • How to receive a GPRA submission confirmation email:

    • Confirmation email: To receive a confirmation email, type your email address in when prompted at the end of the online survey, then be sure to click through to the end of the survey and click “Submit” (see image below).

      • Clicking “Submit” prompts a confirmation email to be sent. Otherwise, you will not receive a confirmation email.

        The email will include the survey type and client ID and confirms that we have received your survey; the email will NOT include individual survey responses to protect personally identifiable information (PII).

  • How to download a PDF of responses:

    • PDF of Responses: After clicking “Submit”, you will be brought to a summary page of the survey’s responses, similar to the screenshot below.

    • To download a PDF of responses, select “Download PDF” in the upper right-hand corner (see the second image below).

Click “Submit” on the final window of the survey to receive the confirmation email.

Clicking “Submit” prompts a confirmation email to be sent. Otherwise, you will not receive a confirmation email.

Select “Download” the PDF in the upper right-hand corner.

As shown in the circled red in the image.

We deeply appreciate your commitment to data-driven inquiry and the impactful work you do in your communities. We look forward to supporting you with your GPRA processing needs!

OMNI Closed for the Holidays!

Greetings,

The OMNI team wishes all CSBs and Agencies a happy holiday!

This is to alert you that OMNI will be closed from December 24th through January 1st reopening on Thursday, January 2nd. We are taking some time to enjoy the end of the year and re-energize for 2025. We hope you can find some time to do the same!

Our entire team will be unavailable for project-related support during these dates. Any emails or voicemail messages will be reviewed and responded to as soon as possible starting January 2nd.

Please let the OMNI Team know if you have any questions about our closure or anticipate any concerns, and we encourage you to reach out to our team for any anticipated TA-related requests in advance of these dates.

Sincerely,

OMNI SOR Support Team

SOR IV Full Intake GPRA Training - Recording and Materials Now Available!

Thank you to all who were able to join the OMNI Team for our Full Intake GPRA Training on December 9th! If you were unable to attend, or if you want to review the content, the following materials are now available for you on our website (here). Here are the direct links:

FAQs

Q: Can a client still have services be funded by SOR if they decline to take the GPRA?

A: Yes. Clients are not required to complete the GPRA to receive SOR-funded services.


Q: Who should complete the GPRA?

A: For SOR funding to cover someone's services (i.e., pay for their services because they do not have insurance or cannot afford to pay) they must have either a stimulant use disorder or an opioid use disorder (OUD) diagnosis. All clients with a stimulant use disorder or OUD whose services are being paid for with SOR funds should complete a GPRA. These clients can still receive SOR funding for services without being active in the GPRA process.

In addition, any clients receiving services from a SOR-funded staff (salary paid by SOR) are eligible to complete the GPRA regardless of whether or not they have a stimulant use disorder or OUD diagnosis. In those cases, the patient's bill for services still cannot be covered by SOR funds because they do not have the appropriate diagnoses.


Q: When should the GPRA be completed?

A: All clients should be administered the GPRA survey at three timepoints: at intake to services, approximately six months after intake, and at discharge from services. The weekly tracking sheet in your Dropbox folder can help you manage these timepoints.

  • The Intake GPRA is the first GPRA survey, completed when the client begins receiving SOR-funded services.

  • The Follow-up GPRA is completed approximately 6 months after the intake GPRA, even if the client has already been discharged from services and completed a discharge GPRA. The follow-up window is open between 5 to 8 months after the intake GPRA.

  • The Discharge GPRA is conducted when the client is discharged from treatment/recovery services. This can occur before or after a follow-up GPRA.


Q: How many times should I attempt to reach the client to complete the Follow-Up GPRA?

A: SAMHSA recommends reaching out early and often in the follow-up window, up to 10 times.

For further clarification or if you have questions about the training or the GPRA, please reach out to us at SORSupport@omni.org



https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#200.112 Per 2 C.F.R. § 200.112-1113 The Federal awarding agency must establish conflict of interest policies for Federal awards. The non-Federal entity must disclose in writing any potential conflict of interest to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity in accordance with applicable Federal awarding agency policy. Failure to adhere to these statues will result in immediate termination of funding.

Virginia’s State Opioid Response (SOR) grant is awarded at the discretion of DBHDS and SAMHSA. All recipients of SOR funding supports evidence-based prevention, treatment and recovery services to address opioid and stimulant misuse and use disorders, including for cocaine and methamphetamine. The SOR grant is not intended to be utilized as a long-term or permanent funding source. All SOR proposals must include a realistic plan for financial sustainability beyond the grant period.