PA invests $2M for community-based opioid prevention efforts

WILKES-BARRE— The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) this week announced the availability of $2 million in funding to implement community-based prevention services throughout Pennsylvania to prevent opioid use disorder (OUD).

Funding for these grants is provided from the Mallinckrodt Opioid Settlement, which was the result of a multistate investigation spearheaded by then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro that led to billions in settlement agreements with opioid manufacturers and distributors.

“Prevention really is our first line of defense in ensuring substance use disorder doesn’t develop,” said DDAP Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones. “The Shapiro Administration is committed to providing critical prevention supports and resources throughout Pennsylvania’s cities, neighborhoods, towns, and communities as a whole. With this $2 million investment, DDAP will award approximately 10 grants of up to $200,000 each to eligible community-based organizations.”

Applicants are required to propose activities that focus on the primary prevention of OUD. Primary prevention refers to programs or activities that prevent the initiation of substance use/misuse or prevent use beyond initial experimentation. In addition, all proposed activities must take place in community settings or post-secondary education settings including colleges or universities.

Examples of allowable prevention activities include:

• Community anti-drug coalitions that engage in drug use prevention efforts.

• Supporting community coalitions in implementing evidence-informed prevention, such as reduced social access and physical access, stigma reduction — including staffing, educational campaigns, support for individuals in treatment or recovery, or training of coalitions in evidence-informed implementation, including the Strategic Prevention Framework developed by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

• Engaging non-profits and faith-based communities as organizations to support prevention.

• Evidence-based or evidence-informed community education programs and campaigns for youth, families, and others.

• Youth-focused programs or strategies that have demonstrated effectiveness in preventing drug misuse and seem likely to be effective in preventing the uptake and use of opioids.

• Community-based education or intervention services for families, youth, and adolescents at risk for OUD and any co-occurring substance use disorder and mental health conditions.

• Evidence-informed programs or curricula to address mental health needs of young people who may be at risk of misusing opioids or other drugs, including emotional modulation and resilience skills.

State announces start of 2024-25 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program

Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh and Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) Chairman Stephen DeFrank this week announced the start of the annual Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) application process for the 2024-25 season.

LIHEAP is a federally funded program administered by DHS that helps qualified Pennsylvanians pay their home heating bills during the winter months. Assistance is available for both renters and homeowners. The LIHEAP application period for cash and crisis grants is open from Nov. 4, 2024, to April 4, 2025.

“Every Pennsylvanian deserves the dignity and peace of mind of knowing they can heat their homes and keep themselves and their families warm and safe during the darkest and coldest months of the year,” said Secretary Arkoosh. “LIHEAP helps hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians each year by providing cash or crisis grants to help them heat their homes.”

LIHEAP assistance is available in the form of cash or crisis grants which are distributed directly to a household’s utility company or home heating fuel provider. Individuals or households do not have to repay assistance. The minimum LIHEAP cash grant is $200, and the maximum cash grant is $1,000. Individuals and households may receive one cash grant per LIHEAP season.

Separately, Pennsylvanians who qualify for a LIHEAP crisis grant will be eligible for a minimum grant of $25 and a maximum grant of $1,000.

Households must apply for LIHEAP each year, so if an individual was approved or denied previously, DHS encourages them to apply again for the 2024-25 season. Individuals and families are financially eligible for LIHEAP if their incomes are at or below 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Limit. For an individual, that is a gross income of $22,590 per year, and for a family of four, that is a gross income of $46,800 per year.

“With the onset of the colder months, our priority remains clear: ensuring that all Pennsylvanians have the resources they need to stay warm and safe,” said PUC Chairman DeFrank.

During the 2023-24 LIHEAP season, 302,356 households statewide received $113,068,913 in LIHEAP cash benefits, and these households received an average season benefit of $374. Approximately 115,614 households statewide received $63,355,913 in LIHEAP crisis benefits, and these households received an average payment of $548.

Treasurer Garrity thanks Gov. Shapiro for signing legislation to reform tax appeals process

Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity this week applauded Gov. Josh Shapiro for signing Senate Bill 1051 — pro-taxpayer legislation sponsored by Sen. Scott Hutchinson (R-21) and supported by overwhelming bipartisan majorities in the General Assembly.

A companion bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Tim Briggs (D-149).

The new law will streamline and improve the process of resolving tax disputes with the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue (DOR) by allowing the Board of Finance and Revenue (BF&R) to accept late-filed personal income tax appeals in certain circumstances and to create a new independent settlement process for taxpayers as an alternative to the formal and lengthy court appeals process.

“This law will make tax appeals more fair for Pennsylvania families and businesses by removing silly bureaucratic obstacles and implementing a strong settlement process,” Treasurer Garrity said.

SB 1051, now Act 123 of 2024, was supported by numerous organizations, including the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, the NFIB, and the Pennsylvania Society of Enrolled Agents.

Act 123, which goes into effect in 90 days, will allow BF&R to accept late-filed personal income tax appeals if cause is shown by the taxpayer. When the new law becomes effective, taxpayers who disagree with a final decision made by DOR involving personal income tax assessments have a 90-day deadline to appeal the decision to BF&R. It was previously only 60 days. That strict timeline led to cases being dismissed on a technicality rather than being decided on their merits.

On average, of the approximately 4,200 appeals BF&R receives annually, only about 13 percent of eligible appeals are resolved through settlement prior to an appeal being filed before the Commonwealth Court. The new law also empowers BF&R for the first time to direct parties through an independent settlement process, which is intended to facilitate the amicable resolution of more tax disputes, thus reducing litigation costs for taxpayers. Treasury estimates that up to 500 cases annually could be eligible for this new process.

Rep. Haddock details efforts to save volunteer firefighting

State lawmakers on Wednesday held a House Majority Policy Committee hearing in Old Forge and noted that volunteer firefighting has changed dramatically in the last 50 years, and local companies are facing financial and logistical challenges to continue serving their communities.

Officials and firefighters detailed their concerns — from decreased membership to an increase in calls — and asked the state to help find a solution to many of these challenges.

“I have the utmost respect for the men and women who willfully answer the call in the middle of the night to race into a dangerous situation to save the lives of complete strangers,” said Rep. Jim Haddock, who hosted the hearing and represents portions of Lackawanna and Luzerne counties. “If we cannot find a remedy to save our volunteer fire companies, our hometowns will be at a tremendous loss.”

Officials detailed a series of considerable challenges, including:

• Increased time demands for training and fundraising for volunteers.

• Skyrocketing costs for volunteers’ personal equipment.

• Increased calls as well as an increase in the type of fires and emergencies.

Testifiers detailed how time commitments are limiting the number of residents who can volunteer. Jim Williams, who has been a member of Old Forge Fire Department since 1978, detailed how he took a 36-hour essential training course at the start of his career. Essential training has now increased by more than five times that amount to 188 hours, but local companies also still need volunteer firefighters to help fund raise to help offset the cost of personal fire equipment — creating a time crunch. Adding to the concern, calls requiring the fire department to respond have doubled.

Another troubling aspect is the variety of fires facing volunteer companies. Williams noted they are no longer just dumping water on fires. Firefighters need to know how to extinguish fires for electric cars, e-bikes, electric scooters and solar panels. Williams stated his company recently purchased fire blankets for electric car fires, but the county does not have policies in place nor the infrastructure — like a clear concrete pad to house electric vehicles after they have been tarped and the fire extinguished.

“A lot of things are happening quickly in the United States, and in the state of Pennsylvania, but it’s put us on the back burners,” Williams said.

Thomas Cook, the Pennsylvania Fire Commissioner, noted in the last eight months the commission has reduced 100 outstanding loans to zero over eight months. It has also experienced increased participation in grant funding, and it has decreased the number of grant applications that were started but not completed to 12 — a figure that typically includes 50 or more unfinished applications.