Opioid Abatement Authority details new state-agency grants portal, sets May 27 deadline

The Opioid Abatement Authority on a May webinar walked state agencies through a new online grants portal and reiterated that agency proposals must be submitted through the portal by 11:59 p.m. on May 27, 2025.

Charlie Lenticum, director of operations for the Opioid Abatement Authority, said the portal replaces the prior email-based submission process and that this is the first year state-agency proposals must be uploaded into OAA’s system. "All proposals must be submitted through the portal, and they're due, by the end of the day, 05/27/2025," Lenticum said.

The change matters because each agency may submit only one signed agency proposal but may include any number of separate project proposals inside that submission. Lenticum explained agencies must rank project proposals internally and produce a single summary (the agency proposal) that an agency executive signs. "An agency may only submit 1 agency proposal, but the proposal may include multiple projects," he said.

Key portal and submission rules

- Registration and user roles: Agencies must designate a primary user to register in the portal; that primary user may add up to four secondary users. Executives do not need portal accounts to sign; the system sends an external esign link for the executive signature. Lenticum noted training materials and a quick-start guide are available on the OAA site and referenced a state-agency portal training held March 5 with a slide deck and recording.

- Project vs. agency proposal: Each project requires its own project-proposal entry in the portal (a project-level application). Agencies then select which project proposals to include in the single agency proposal, assign priorities, and route the single summary to the agency signatory for esignature. Matt, a portal support staff member who demonstrated the dashboard, showed how to create new or renewal project entries and how checked projects are rolled into the single summary for esign.

- Renewals and compliance: Agencies with active awards must submit renewal proposals to continue awards into the next performance period, even if no additional OAA funds are requested. The OAA grants committee reviews projects and approves awards for one year at a time.

Budget and carry-forward guidance

Lenticum and the portal demonstration covered the portal’s budget workflow and reconciliation rules. Key points agencies were told to follow:

- Budget screens and reconciliation: The portal asks for personnel expenses, an operating/capital screen, and then a budget overview that includes matching funds and the OAA funding request. The system will not allow advance past the budget overview until all fields reconcile.

- Personnel vs. operating: Personnel lines should list only direct employees of the applicant agency. Contractors, vendors or subrecipients should be recorded in operating expenses with each subrecipient listed as a separate line item and, for awarded projects, an attached agreement showing use of funds.

- Capital vs. operating: Most state-agency proposals do not include capital costs, but capital is intended for large purchases (facility purchase/renovation, vehicles, architectural/engineering). Shorter‑life items such as laptops or phones should be entered as operating expenses.

- Carry forward and true-up: If an agency requests carry forward of current-year award funds into 2026, those amounts must be included in the budget reconciliation so the 2025–26 request reflects both carry forward and any new funding requested. OAA staff said an end-of-period true-up will reconcile estimates after the performance period closes (likely mid- to late October).

Performance measures and reporting

Renewal entries should include year-to-date progress on performance measures selected for the project and explain delays (for example, MOUs, contracting, or hiring delays) when progress is limited. Lenticum noted the portal now has space for nonstandard performance measures used by some state agencies.

Technical and administrative notes

- Editing after esign-ready: Once a project summary is marked "ready for esign," agencies must contact OAA staff to move the item back into draft for edits. Matt demonstrated using the application's communication thread and an @-tag to notify portal staff for assistance.

- Download and review: Agencies can download PDFs of an application at any stage to share with people who are not portal users.

- Support and contacts: Lenticum directed agencies with questions about liaisons or new awards to email info@boaa.us; in a portal demonstration Matt also referenced info@doa.US for technical fixes if a project expected for renewal does not appear in the renewal dropdown.

Questions and next steps

Multiple attendees asked about specific situations: increasing funding on a renewal (treated as an amendment), combining a renewal and a new project (submit separate project entries and include both in the agency summary), and adding team members as portal users (primary or secondary users can add and edit applications). Kathy, who identified herself as with Virginia Tech’s Virginia Cooperative Extension, said she intends to add team members as users so subproject leads can enter their own project data.

Lenticum said OAA staff will prioritize vendor fixes encountered during the submission period and that additional training sessions would be held in late May to help agencies before the deadline. "If you have any questions, working on your proposals ... please feel free to email info@boaa.us, and we'll get right to assisting you," he said.

Ending

OAA staff urged agencies to begin early, check populated renewal fields carefully, and confirm which entries are new versus renewal to avoid rework. The portal demonstration and Q&A materials, Lenticum said, will be posted on the OAA website and circulated via the agency email list when updated.