Ensuring a Bridge to MH Systems for People with I/DD, brain injury, other 

cognitive impairments, and individuals who cannot rely on speech alone for 

communication

Supporting Crisis Services to Ensure Optimal Coordination

for Children and Adults with Co-Occurring Cognitive Disabilities and Behavioral 

Health Conditions

Policy Academy

Request for Application (RFA) for State Participation

Application Due Date: January 19, 2024
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KEY INFORMATION

Purpose The Link Center’s Policy Academy aims to support participating state , territories 

and/or tribes to ensure capacity and relationships sufficient to support children and 

adults with I/DD, brain injury (BI), and other cognitive and/or communication 

differences who are in need of 988 or other crisis response. The Policy Academy will 

assist as many as 5 states, territories or tribes in the development of resources and 

standard operating strategies to assure an inclusive, accessible 988/Lifeline and 

Crisis Response system while also cultivating necessary in-state, cross system 

strategies for needed ongoing support for individuals.

RFA Release December 8, 2023

Informational Calls for Potential 

Applicants

• Monday, December 18, 2023: 2-3pm ET

Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAsdChrDorGtQk4v4YoOWfnqO8XfBaJmh8

• Thursday, January 4, 2024: 2-3pm ET

Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAqc--

qqz4iHtJ4m9AhETJNAId8TsbGF84q

Please contact thelinkcenter@nasddds.org for any accessibility accommodations 

needed

Applications Due January 19, 2024, at 11:59 pm ET

All applications should be submitted by 11:59pm ET on January 19, 2024.

Submissions should be emailed to TheLinkCenter@NASDDDS.org

Selection Notification February 2024

Program Period February – September 2024, with follow-along support for 12 months post inperson symposium

First All-Participants Meetings Virtual Kick-Off Meeting, February 22, 2024, 2-3:30 pm ET

Eligibility State governments with required participation of leaders from Intellectual and 

Developmental Disabilities Agencies, 988/Lifeline, State Mental Health and 

Substance Use Agencies, Brain Injury Administrations, Medicaid, Peers/Family 

Members, DD Act Partners,.. (Up to 8 members of required representation). States 

may also include other key state leaders, such as those from Child Welfare or 

Department of Education (Exceptional Education), essential to their efforts to build 

an inclusive and proactive 988/Lifeline system that can effectively support 

individuals with disabilities during a period of crisis. (Up to 2 additional partners for 

onsite meeting in September). 

The Link Center Contacts Director: Mary Sowers, NASDDDS Executive Director 
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Purpose and Background

As states are building robust 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline systems, as well as shoring up and enhancing 

crisis response capabilities more broadly, there is a growing recognition of the need to ensure that these 

services are available to everyone, including children and adults with both a mental health challenge and 

intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, brain injury, other cognitive impairments, and individuals 

who cannot rely on speech alone for communication. Siloed service delivery systems have often 

contributed to a lack of access to trauma-informed clinical and support services for these populations, 

resulting in adverse outcomes, including long-term boarding in hospital emergency departments or 

other settings that may exacerbate already difficult circumstances. 

Partnerships are essential to building optimal state-level responses that meet the holistic needs of 

individuals with cognitive disabilities and co-occurring mental health support needs. 

In September 2022, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) funded a Technical Assistance and 

Resource Center for Individuals with I/DD and Mental Health support needs, now known as The Link 

Center. The core partnership leading this work is the National Association of State Directors of 

Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS), the National Association of State Mental Health 

Program Directors (NASMHPD) and NADD, the national organization focused on individuals with 

intellectual disabilities and mental health needs. Together, these organizations propose to augment the 

work of The Link Center through the development of a State Policy Academy aimed at building strong, 

collaborative service systems that enable states to effectively support individuals in crisis regardless of 

disability and/or communication differences. The work of the Policy Academy will be closely calibrated 

and aligned with the work of The Link Center, enabling the leverage of that considerable effort.

As states mature their 988 and crisis response systems, they are seeking to ensure a depth in their 

capacity to serve all citizens needing assistance. This Policy Academy will provide a framework for 

leadership at the state level to both initiate and sustain needed strategies to both meet the immediate 

needs of children and adults requiring interventions available through 988 and crisis response, but also 

to forge cross system strategies to enable longer-term supports and services, if needed, for people with 

I/DD, brain injury (BI), and other disabilities. 

Curriculum

The curriculum will reflect individual state needs identified during early engagement efforts initiated at 

the outset of the academy. Additionally, it will reflect the growing body of best practices in supporting 

children and adults with disabilities who are experiencing a mental health crisis, including successful 

accommodation procedures, the adaptation of certain evidenced based mental health treatments, 

cross-system collaborative approaches, and others. Furthermore, because the goal of the Policy 

Academy is to foster long-term improvements and capacity building among state leaders, the curriculum 

will also leverage the Framework for Public Sector Leadership1 as developed by the National Association 

1 https://www.chcs.org/media/LCB-Consortium-Framework-Fact-Sheet_9.14.20_Final.pdf
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of Medicaid Directors in collaboration with the Milbank Memorial Fund and the Center for Health Care 

Strategies. This framework spotlights that members of the public sector can be key leaders, regardless of 

their formal position. Given the inter-agency nature of this Policy Academy and the ongoing need for 

collaboration, this framework is especially apropos, highlighting key domains critical to success in public 

leadership: Personal leadership and self-management; Setting and managing strategic direction; 

Engaging and motivating people; Practicing good public administration; and; Driving and delivering 

results. 

Topically, the Policy Academy will feature faculty for group learning opportunities with expertise in 

supporting children and adults with I/DD, brain injury, and other cognitive disabilities and co-occurring 

mental health and/or substance use support needs. The Policy Academy will provide access to expertise

and resources both during the academy and in the months following to meet the specific needs of the 

states as identified during the onboarding process. 

The Policy Academy will feature: 

• State Specific Environmental Assessment, leveraging leadership framework and analysis of 

existing crisis models within the state

• State Specific Goal Identification for Policy Academy, culminating in a long range workplan

• Group Learning Sessions Structured with State-Specific Needs and Goals in Mind

• State Specific Technical Assistance and Team Building, informed by team of SMEs as needed 

• In-Person Symposium with Long-Range Workplan Development

• Accountability Cohorts for 12 months post-symposium

Academy Structure

Membership

The Policy Academy will be open to 5-6 states, with each state bringing a team of partners that includes: 

Required (up to 9 individuals, recognizing that a person may fill more than one category):

- 988 Lifeline leadership and/or key staff

- State mental health authority leadership and core staff involved in 988 and Crisis Response

- State I/DD authority leadership and core staff involved in supporting children and adults

with complex support needs

- State Medicaid leader(s) with knowledge and oversight of MH and/or LTSS

- State Brain Injury Administrators, core staff, and/or partner organizations involved in 

supporting individuals with traumatic or non-traumatic brain injuries

- People with lived experience

- Family member

- One or more State DD Act Partner organizations (DD Councils, University Centers for 

Excellence in DD (UCEDD), Protection and Advocacy Organizations) 

- States are also strongly encouraged to include a partner from Child welfare, given their 

support of children and adolescents with complex support needs

Optional:
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- Department of Education, i.e. staff involved in policy and practices in Exceptional Education

services and supports that are provided to students with disabilities, including school-based 

mental health programs where the need for crisis services is often identified

- Title V partners

- Law enforcement

- County or local partners (including County Behavioral health authorities)

- Service delivery partners such as managed care entities

- Other partners as determined by the state

Each team will be led by 2-3 individuals from State Mental Health, 988/Lifeline and I/DD or BI Agencies. 

Each state team may consist of 8-11 individuals total (including team leads). Team composition should 

reflect a lens toward ensuring that the state-level solutions will be informed by principles of diversity, 

equity, and inclusion. The aims of ensuring an inclusive crisis response system will not only span 

disability but cultural and linguistic appropriateness and socioeconomic considerations. We encourage 

all states to consider applying, regardless of the status of existing partnerships. The Academy can assist 

states along all steps in the continuum to an effective, inclusive system. 

Approach

Exploratory survey

• An effort to collect information prior to state participant selection related to general areas of 

need that will inform and give an aggregate scope of focus for successful academy activities 

State Tailored Interventions:

• State specific planning meetings with state leads

• State-level (virtual) town hall discussions to provide landscape information on areas of need

• Strategic plan of target areas for each state team

Virtual Learning Opportunities:

• Based on state target areas, develop a series of six (6) virtual learning engagements for crossstate participation (identifying peers for both elevation of good practice and group solution 

identification)

In Person Academy:

• A two-day symposium in the Washington DC area focused on cultivating sustainable networks 

and ongoing information sharing. In-person participation is prioritized with virtual 

accommodations provided to address extenuating circumstances. The symposium will include:

o Pre-planning with each state (two meetings)

o Group learning and state-specific breakout sessions to optimize learning, sharing, and 

action plan development. 

o Post-meeting follow-up activities with each state, including development of a plan for 

implementation, sustainability and quality improvement activities (including success 

metrics)
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Post Meeting Activities and Follow-Along Technical Assistance:

• TA Collaborative will meet with state teams to finalize action steps developed from the inperson meeting; 

• TA Collaborative will meet monthly with state teams to provide follow-along support of 

implementation and sustainability activities. 

State Selection Criteria

Agencies/Individuals within States, Territories and/or Tribes leading State I/DD, Mental Health, 988 

Lifeline/Crisis response are eligible to apply, including leaders from child welfare, long-term support 

services, Medicaid, mental health, substance use treatment, public health, juvenile and adult justice and 

broader health and human services (See required and optional team makeup above). Each State should 

submit one application with leads/co-leads and team members clearly identified. 

The Link Center is committed to ensuring that state teams are poised to address the equitable access of 

strong crisis response efforts. The submissions will be reviewed in consideration of the following 

criteria: 

1. Strength of statement of interest and vision for the academy. Applicants should describe the 

reasons for their state’s interest in the academy, including a long-range vision for the goals of 

the state in building an inclusive, sustainable crisis response system.

2. Leadership commitment, including senior-level key decision-maker(s) to serve as lead(s)

3. Demonstrated commitment to cross-agency collaboration and partnerships with key 

organizations within the state

4. Diversity of Perspectives and Aims for Policy Academy. Focus on the following is highly valued: 

a. Geographic reach of efforts (including rural, frontier, urban)

b. Interest in reaching underserved, marginalized communities 

c. Interest in reaching individuals with varying strategies for communication (including 

those who do not use spoken word to communicate)

Applications should include:

1. Cover sheet. Applications must include a cover sheet with the lead’s and/or co-lead’s name and 

contact information (including title, mailing address, phone number, and email address), as well 

as the name and contact information of an administrative assistant, as applicable. 

2. Application narrative. Applicants must submit a narrative that addresses each of the above 

selection criteria. Applications should not exceed three single-spaced pages with standard oneinch margins and 12-point font (the cover sheet, letter of support, and requested attachments 

do not count against page limits). Applications should describe the state’s experiences in 

working across agencies and preliminary vision for success metrics for academy participation. 
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3. Letter(s) of support. Applicants should gather letters of support from each of the participating 

executive branch agencies and other partners included on the team. The applicants should also 

aim to gather support letters from other key partners in service to the population. 

4. Participant resumes for team leads, including current roles and responsibilities and listing of 

other team members

All applications should be submitted by 11:59pm ET on January 19, 2024. Submissions should be 

emailed to TheLinkCenter@NASDDDS.org