What is the GPRA and Who Should Complete It?

As part of our ongoing TA support, we periodically share essential information about the GPRA (Government Performance and Results Act) Survey to help onboard new staff and refresh current team members.

What is the GPRA?

Virginia’s federally funded State Opioid Response (SOR) grant aims to improve access to and availability of treatment services for opioid use disorder (OUD) and stimulant use disorder. The GPRA is a required evaluation tool under this grant, administered by CSB and agency staff throughout the state. Through an interview-style survey, staff collect key client-level data—including demographics, substance use patterns, mental and physical health indicators, and more.

Please note: clients may not self-administer the survey—a staff member must conduct it through an interview with the client. Omni offers training and technical assistance to ensure staff are confident and well-prepared to administer the GPRA. Please scroll down for links to relevant resources and reach out to SOR Support at Omni if you have any questions!

Who Should Complete a GPRA?

Clients are eligible for GPRA if they fall into one of these categories:

  • They have a diagnosis of stimulant use disorder or OUD and are receiving services paid for by SOR funds (e.g., the client has no health insurance or cannot afford services). These clients must complete a GPRA in order for services to be covered.

  • They are receiving services from a SOR-funded staff member (i.e, someone whose salary is paid through SOR), even if they don’t have a qualifying diagnosis. These clients may complete a GPRA, but their service costs cannot be covered by SOR if they lack the appropriate diagnosis.

When are GPRAs Administered?

Each eligible client should complete the GPRA survey at three timepoints during the grant period (all of SOR IV):

  1. Intake GPRA – Completed at the start of SOR-funded services.

  2. Follow-Up GPRA – Administered 5–8 months after the intake, even if the client has already been discharged.

  3. Discharge GPRA – Completed at the end of services, regardless of whether/when a follow-up has occurred.

 

What are Omni’s Weekly Tracking Sheets?

Need help tracking these timepoints? Use the Weekly Tracking Sheets, uploaded each Monday, in your Dropbox folder!

Tracking sheets are a valuable resource that provide CSBs/Agencies with timely data about the GPRA surveys we have received. These tracking sheets should be used as the source of truth when you are unsure whether a survey has been entered into the online system.

If you cannot access your Dropbox folder, or have questions about your Tracking Sheet, please reach out to us at SOR Support.

Additional Resources

 

We’re here to help!

Reach out to SORSupport@omni.org for any questions around resources, processes, or GPRA data.

Additionally, we are offering direct 1-on-1 technical assistance (TA) via Zoom between your CSB/Agency and one of our TA Team members! These calls are at your request and not required. This will take the form of a 30-minute Zoom call.

For more information click here: Omni Offering 1:1 TA Meetings! Sign-up Soon! — Virginia SOR Support

Thanks for all that you do to support individuals and communities across Virginia!

Reminder - Omni Offering 1:1 TA Meetings Through July 11th!

This is a friendly reminder that the SOR Support Treatment TA team will be offering direct 1-on-1 technical assistance (TA) via Zoom between your CSB/Agency and one of our TA Team members! These calls are at your request and not required. This will take the form of a 30-minute Zoom call. We offer these yearly, and have received positive feedback on the usefulness of these brief sessions.

To schedule a 1:1 TA session, simply have one member of your team fill out the request form by July 7th. This will help us with scheduling and preparing resources ahead of time, and get some initial ideas of what you are wanting to discuss. You can specify who else on your team you will want to join, and we will include them in the Zoom invitation.

As noted, these check-ins are optional and can be used to discuss specific GPRA administration questions, concerns, challenges, or successes that you would like to share with Omni. Or, if you just want to connect a bit more directly with us, we are here! For instance, we can offer you GPRA completion and tracking tips and tricks, and we can review currently available resources. We are also willing to document any creative or helpful ideas you might have to better support the GPRA process that might be useful for others! You are welcome to include any staff as part of our Zoom meeting who you feel would benefit from our 30-minute conversation.

We will be scheduling sessions starting now through Friday July 11th, so please reply promptly to help ease the process of scheduling for our team.

If you have any questions or concerns, let us know at SORSupport@omni.org. We look forward to connecting!

Omni Offering 1:1 TA Meetings! Sign-up Soon!

The SOR Support Treatment TA team will once again be offering direct 1-on-1 technical assistance (TA) via Zoom between your CSB/Agency and one of our TA Team members! These calls are at your request and not required. This will take the form of a 30-minute Zoom call. We offer these yearly, and have received positive feedback on the usefulness of these brief sessions.

As noted, these check-ins are optional and can be used to discuss specific GPRA administration questions, concerns, challenges, or successes that you would like to share with Omni. Or, if you just want to connect a bit more directly with us, we are here! For instance, we can offer you GPRA completion and tracking tips and tricks, and we can review currently available resources. We are also willing to document any creative or helpful ideas you might have to better support the GPRA process that might be useful for others! You are welcome to include any staff as part of our Zoom meeting who you feel would benefit from our 30-minute conversation.

To schedule a 1:1 TA session, simply have one member of your team fill out the following form by July 7th. This will help us with scheduling and preparing resources ahead of time, and get some initial ideas of what you are wanting to discuss. You can specify who else on your team you will want to join, and we will include them in the Zoom invitation.

We will be scheduling sessions starting now through Friday July 11th, so please reply promptly to help ease the process of scheduling for our team.

If you have any questions or concerns, let us know at SORSupport@omni.org. We look forward to connecting!

Omni Kudos to Mount Rogers CSB and Follow-Up GPRA Window Reminder

Each month, Omni seeks to recognize the CSBs and agencies that stand out in fulfilling their SOR GPRA intake and follow-up completion requirements. This month, we want to give a special shout-out to the Mount Rogers CSB team! They have continued to consistently enter intake GPRAs from month to month during SOR IV, with a sizeable increase in the number of intakes completed in April. Great job!

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. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or need support: SORSupport@omni.org Thank you for your dedication and hard work!

Reminder to complete follow-ups only within the open window

As a reminder, SAMHSA requires at least 80% of follow-up GPRAs to be interviews completed within the specified follow-up window (5 to 8 months after intake GPRA completion). Interview follow-ups outside of the follow-up window will not count towards the interview follow-up rate. Please refer to your tracking sheets that we share with you in Dropbox each week for the most accurate calculation of each client’s follow-up window and the status of each.

The actual start and end dates for each follow-up window are shown in column D (6m - Open Date) and column E (6m - Close Date), as illustrated in the image below in the red rectangle. A client’s open follow-up window status is then highlighted on the tracking sheet in column F (6m - Status) with a green “Open” cell or a pink “Closing Soon” cell. Also, if you have completed a Follow-up GPRA outside of this open window, you will see a yellow-highlighted message, saying “Error: outside window”, to call your attention to this oversight. We encourage you to communicate with our TA team with questions or clarification if you see this error.

Helpful Resources

Below are links to supporting TA documents on our website, relating to the completion of Follow-up GPRAs. We hope you find them helpful:

If you have questions, need support with any aspect of GPRA administration, or have your own helpful tips/processes to share, please get in touch with our Omni team at SORsupport@omni.org.

New Alert Message on SOR IV GPRA Tracking Sheet!

Thank you to everyone who has been completing GPRA Follow-ups for your clients.

To make sure we collect good data and follow SAMHSA rules, please remember to do the follow-up with each client during their follow-up window, between 5 and 8 months after their intake. As a reminder, interview follow-ups will not count towards the interview follow-up rate if they are outside of the window.

  • We’ve added a new alert on your agency’s tracking sheet to help address follow-ups outside of the window.

    • In Column 4, you’ll now see a yellow header that says, “Number of follow-ups completed outside window:” This shows how many follow-ups were done too early or too late.

    • In Column 6, you’ll see a related message highlighted in yellow that says “Error: outside window” next to any client ID with this issue.

What to do:

If you see this message, please check the client ID to make sure the date was entered correctly. If there’s a mistake, contact the SOR Support TA team to help fix the issue.

If the survey was entered too EARLY, please reinterview the client during the follow-up window.

Surveys completed too LATE cannot be recompleted during the window and therefore will not count towards your CSB’s/Agency’s follow-up rate.

To support in your GPRA data collection please remember to utilize the following resources:

Again, thank you for all your hard work and dedication to GPRA collection, please reach out to our TA Team at SORsupport@omni.org for any questions.

SOR Year 6 Annual Report Now Available!

We are excited to share that the SOR Year 6 Annual Report is now available on the SOR Support website. This report covers evaluations from the sixth year of SOR funding for prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery, and examines multiple data sources, including GPRAs and quarterly surveys. You can find the full report here, on the SOR Support website. A short executive summary is available here.

We thank everyone for your data collection efforts, collaboration, and most of all the incredible amount of work accomplished by agencies and their communities under this grant!

If you have any questions about either report, feel free to reach out to us at SORSupport@omni.org.

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.

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.