March 16, 2018 Trauma Recovery Center Grant Questions and Answers

1) The Performance Measures Estimate chart is asking for data covering the most recent 12 months. Is it okay to use the last calendar year (i.e., January 2017-December 2017) of data as our more recent data is still being compiled?

Yes, data from the most recent calendar year will be sufficient for the Performance Measures Estimate chart.

2) The guidelines specify that we must have one social worker, psychologist, and psychiatrist on staff. It says that the psychiatrist could be contracted. Is this also true for the social worker and psychologist?

No, at least one Licensed Clincial Social Worker and one Clinical Psychologist must be on staff and not contracted.

3) Must the social worker, psychologist, and psychiatrist already be on staff or can they be can we use funds from this grant to fund one or more of those positions?

It is not required for an applicant to already have the social worker, psychologist, and psychiatrist positions on staff. Using the grant to fund these positions is an eligible expense.

4) Does the social worker need to be someone with an MSW or can it be someone that performs the work of a social worker? (ie, case manager, advocate, etc.)

There must be at least one Licensed Clinical Social Worker on staff.  An MSW could work as a case manager or advocate but only licensed clinicians and closely supervised Associate Clinical Social Workers (ASW), Associate Marriage and Family Therapists (AMFT), or a Psychological Assistants can provide mental health treatment to TRC clients.

5) Our clinic currently serves a majority of the population this grant is wanting to address. However, our clinic specializes in providing psychological evaluations for immigration purposes. Particularly, we provide evaluations for Visa U and VAWA; clients that have been victims of crimes and domestic abuse who are undocumented and are attempting to receive U.S. legal residency. Will this grant allow us to use the funds for these types of psychological evaluations for immigration purposes?

Yes, providing psychological evaluations for immigration purposes for crime victims is an eligible CalVCB TRC grant expense.

6) The NOFA states “Upon appropriation by the Legislature, CalVCB may award grants totaling up to two million dollars ($2,000,000) per year from the Restitution Fund.” Does this mean that there is a total of $2 million available for all awards or up to $2 million for each award?

This means that if sufficient funds exist in the Restitution Fund, up to a total of $2,000,000 per year may be awarded to organizations for TRC grants from that funding source.  The primary funding source for grants awarded in 2018 will be the Safe Neighborhood and Schools Act Fund which is estimated to provide a total of $6,200,000 for CalVCB TRC grants.

7) Is the $2,000,000 amount available each year of the grant or is $2,000,000 available for the duration of the grant 24-month period?

The amount awarded to an organization is the total amount to be expended over the two-year grant cycle.

8) The Grant Review and Award Process indicates that applications will be scored according to a 100-point scale. However, the point allocations add up to 95 points. Can you clarify what the final 5 points are or whether the total is 95 points?

The point totals listed in section 13 of the NOFA are incorrect.  The total points for the program narrative should read 75 and the total points for the Performance Measures Estimates Chart and Flow Chart should read five (5). Please see the Application Scoring Guide for a complete breakdown of points totaling a 100-point scale.

9) Does this grant allow an organization to work with an individual who was a victim of crime over three years prior to coming to the TRC?

Yes, there are no restrictions on the time period of victimization for TRC clients.

10) Does this grant allow an organization to work with an individual who was a victim of crime in another country?

Yes, TRCs may treat clients regardless of where the victimization occurred.

11) Regarding the Performance Measures Estimate chart, would a newly proposed provider use our data as a non-TRC service provider or just projections for the 2 years?

Yes, The Performance Measures Estimates Chart should include the most recent 12 months as a non-TRC service provider for the requested categories in addition to projections for two years of the TRC grant cycle.

12) Can the staff psychologist be part-time and, if so, is there a requirement for the minimum number they must work weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly?

The staff psychologist must be sufficiently funded to cover the needs of the TRC’s clients.

13) The NOFA states there must be a “clinical director AND the following clinicians”, does that mean there must be at least three (3) licensed individuals on staff; one clinical director, one social worker, and one psychologist? Or is it possible that the clinical director can also be the social worker?

The staff must contain at least three of the following licensed individuals, one social worker, one psychologist and one psychiatrist, one of which may be designated as the clinical director for the TRC, or an additional licensed clinician may be utilized as the clinical director.

14) Can we add resumes to the application?

Yes, however; brief bios of staff within the program narrative are recommended as resumes will be counted in the total application page limit.

15) Does the cover letter need to be double-spaced?

No, formatting instructions only apply to the program narrative.

16) Can/should we FedEx the hard copy of the application?

The hard copy can be sent or delivered by any method.

17) Regarding new staff referenced on the budget, do existing TRCs need to have specific individuals identified or will job descriptions suffice?

It is ideal to have specific individuals identified, however job descriptions will suffice if positions are not yet filled.

18) Are costs for certifications for staff considered eligible expenses (for example, for staff to be hired)?

The costs of criminal history background checks for new hires and training and certifaction in evidence-based practices are eligible expenses. The cost for new and renewed licenses are not elegible expenses.

19) Can we account for increases in the costs of goods and services in year two of the Operating Expenses section of the budget as we would for cost of living increases in the Personnel section of the budget?

Yes, year two cost increases can be included in the budget and should be fully described in the budget narrative.

20) Will there be adjustments (increases) in the amount of emergency funding available to keep pace with cost of living increases?

No, emergency funds are limited to 1% of the total grant amount.

21) Regarding the Integrated Trauma Recovery Services (ITRS) model, do clients get 16 sessions, or 16 weeks, before they need to exit or re-enroll?

“Clients are offered up to 16 sessions of trauma-informed individual clinical services; an extension of treatment is offered to clients with continued symptoms and primary focus on recent trauma.” –The UC San Francisco Trauma Recovery Center Manual pg. 18

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