Opioid Abatement Authority tightens award timelines, adds compliance reviews for FY27 grants

The Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (OAA) on a technical webinar announced updates to its terms and conditions that will apply to grants starting on or after July 1, 2026, including new timelines to accept awards, clearer fiscal-agent responsibilities, and expanded compliance reviews.

Director of Operations Charlie Lindecombe said the updates consolidate prior guidance into a single document and set specific deadlines intended to speed award acceptance and fund transmission. "For a new award approved for the upcoming fiscal year, you have 90 days to formally accept the award, and 120 days to complete and submit all required documentation," Lindecombe said. He added that awards approved during the year will generally have a 60-day acceptance window and 90 days to submit documentation, while renewals will have 90/120-day windows.

Why it matters: the timelines give local governments a clear period to sign award packages and provide contingency documents needed for fund transfers, while giving OAA a mechanism to rescind unaccepted awards. Lindecombe said failure to adhere to the timelines could result in rescission, though jurisdictions may request extensions "that includes the details of the circumstances requiring that extension, for the OAA's executive director to consider." He also said the executive director may amend an award’s performance period or reduce the award amount to zero in narrow circumstances to allow continuity of a project.

The new terms formalize a compliance regime OAA plans to begin this calendar year. "We're going to start doing operational reviews, compliance reviews, where we come out and not only do a site visit to see the project and see how it's going, but we'll be doing things like validating things that are in the annual report," Lindecombe said. OAA listed potential review activities as outreach surveys, questionnaires, site visits, financial reviews, and performance reviews. Lindecombe warned that noncompliance may lead to project termination, restriction, modification, or a required performance-improvement plan.

Fiscal-agent roles and signature requirements were clarified. Lindecombe said OAA requires award documents be signed by the city or county executive or a designee; if the designee is below deputy level, applicants must provide documentation showing delegated authority. He said one partner in a cooperative partnership must serve as fiscal agent and maintain that role; if a fiscal agent withdraws, the grant ends and a new fiscal-agent application is required.

Carry-forward rules and accounting were reiterated: carry forward is available only through the renewal process, must be projected by budget line items, trued up after the performance period with a ledger that reconciles to the general ledger, and must be expended or encumbered to at least 80% before the next year's funds will be transmitted. "Carry forward cannot be used to expand a project," Lindecombe said.

Annual reports will continue to include narrative status updates, final expenditures, performance measures achieved, and general-ledger documentation. OAA said annual reports are normally due Oct. 1 for the prior fiscal-period forbearance; for FY26 awards, the annual report and the carry-forward true-up will be combined into a single report this summer to reduce administrative burden.

What’s next: the updated terms-and-conditions documents are posted on OAA’s website and will be included in award packages going forward. Lindecombe said OAA will publish updates and host a separate webinar for state agencies on related MOUs.

Sources: Remarks and slide content presented by Charlie Lindecombe, Director of Operations, during the OAA technical support webinar.