OAA Grants Committee approves updated terms, new awards and launches compliance reviews

The Opioid Abatement Authority Grants Committee on Sept. 26 approved a block of award amendments and FY26 city and county awards and signed off on revised grant and award terms that put new timelines and compliance tools in place for future awards.

Charlie Linacombe, OAA director of operations, told the committee that award packages for city and county recipients have been completed and distributed and that staff are tracking acceptances and required contingency documents; "thus far as of last week, 27% of the awards have completed the necessary steps to have funds transferred," he said. Linacombe said staff are reviewing carry‑forwards and annual reports and managing a small number of outstanding reports with approved extensions.

The committee also endorsed a newly developed grants compliance program. Linacombe described planned operational reviews—prescheduled site visits, questionnaires, light invoice checks and performance reviews—designed to substantiate reported programmatic progress rather than duplicate the State's financial audit process. "We're not investigators," he said, noting that potential criminal matters would be referred to appropriate authorities such as the auditor of public accounts, the inspector general, or the attorney general.

A central change in the updated terms and conditions is a formal acceptance timeline for new awards: for awards made for upcoming fiscal years, recipients will have 90 days to sign and formally accept an award and 120 days to submit all required documentation; shorter windows (60/90 days) apply to awards approved during the current year, and renewals have a 90/120 day acceptance/submission timetable. Linacombe said failure to meet those timelines may result in OAA rescinding the award, reducing the award amount to $0 for the current performance period, or asking the recipient to reapply; the executive director retains discretion to grant extensions when portal issues or other extenuating circumstances prevent timely compliance.

Committee members pressed staff on whether the deadlines are new and whether they would place an undue burden on grantees. Linacombe said the OAA had not previously had specific timelines in a digital system era and that the new rules are intended to reduce a growing backlog: "we're currently at 118 projects; if the two today are approved that'll put us at 120," he said, adding OAA staff plan coaching and earlier collection of draft operational agreements or MOUs so multi‑partner cooperative projects can move more quickly.

On awards, staff presented an executive director summary of administrative amendments (carry‑forwards and one‑time expenses such as naloxone purchases) and recommended approval of a set of amendments and new individual distributions. The committee heard project summaries including an Allegheny County Community Services Board one‑stop substance‑use continuum project (performance measures realigned, no award amount change), an Amherst County application to support an opioid abatement task force and mobile education activities for parents and youth (the transcript contains inconsistent numeric references for the requested amount; amount not specified), and a Pecosun City Heron Project to expand after‑school prevention programming in partnership with local schools and the Boys & Girls Club.

Miss Barber declared a conflict with the Allegheny Highlands Community Services item and was recused from that item. The committee moved and seconded the block motions presented by staff; voice votes were recorded approving the amendment block, the FY26 awards block and the updated terms and conditions. The transcript records voice votes and at least one abstention for the amendment block but does not provide a roll‑call or numeric tally.

The committee set the next Grants Committee meeting for Jan. 20 in Richmond at the General Assembly Building and adjourned. The OAA said the updated terms and conditions will apply to awards starting on or after July 1, 2026 and that staff will provide additional guidance and webinars for awardees ahead of that effective date.