Title of Regulation: 12VAC35-105. Rules and Regulations for Licensing Providers by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (amending 12VAC35-105-20).

Statutory Authority: § 37.2-203 of the Code of Virginia.

Public Hearing Information: No public hearings are scheduled.

Public Comment Deadline: February 6, 2019.

Effective Date: February 21, 2019.

Agency Contact: Emily Bowles, Legal Coordinator, Office of Licensing, Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, 1220 Bank Street, P.O. Box 1797, Richmond, VA 23218, telephone (804) 225-3281, FAX (804) 692-0066, TTY (804) 371-8977, or email emily.bowles@dbhds.virginia.gov.

Basis: Sections 37.2-203 and 37.2-304 of the Code of Virginia authorize the Board of Behavioral Health and Development Services to adopt regulations that may be necessary to carry out the provisions of Title 37.2 of the Code of Virginia and other laws of the Commonwealth administered by the Commissioner and the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services.

Purpose: This change is made at the request of the Department of Medical Assistance Services to create alignment between that agency's regulations and 12VAC35-105 for all staff qualifications for reimbursement purposes.

Psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioners work with mental health patients of all ages and may specialize in a specific age population. A licensed psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) can practice in a variety of locations including, but not limited to, in-patient psychiatric facilities, state psychiatric facilities, correctional facilities, mental health centers, home health locations, and schools. By adding this profession to the definition of who can be considered a licensed mental health practitioner, it facilitates more trained professionals to be available to provide services.

Rationale for Using Fast-Track Rulemaking Process: The amendments are noncontroversial. One nursing category is already included in the definition (certified psychiatric clinical nurse specialist); this newly added category is similar but distinct from the clinical nurse specialist. The Medicaid funding stream for reimbursement of services is available to both categories.

Substance: The current licensing regulations are amended to read as follows:

"Licensed mental health professional (LMHP)" means a physician, licensed clinical psychologist, licensed professional counselor, licensed clinical social worker, licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner, licensed marriage and family therapist, certified psychiatric clinical nurse specialist, licensed behavioral analyst, or licensed psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner.

Issues: There are no identified disadvantages to the public or the Commonwealth in making this change. By adding this profession to the definition of who can be considered an LMHP, more trained professionals are available to provide services. This is an advantage to PMHNPs and individuals in need of services because it opens the Medicaid funding stream for reimbursement of services.

Department of Planning and Budget's Economic Impact Analysis:

Summary of the Proposed Amendments to Regulation. Pursuant to a request from the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS), the State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (Board) proposes to add "licensed psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner" to the list of professions within the definition of licensed mental health professional (LMHP).

Result of Analysis. The benefits likely exceed the costs for all proposed changes.

Estimated Economic Impact. Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) regulations require supervision of mental health, substance abuse, or co-occurring services that are of an acute or clinical nature such as outpatient, inpatient, intensive in-home, or day treatment to be provided by an LMHP or a mental health professional who is license-eligible and registered with a board of the Department of Health Professions. DBHDS regulations currently include the following professions as LMHPs: physician, licensed clinical psychologist, licensed professional counselor, licensed clinical social worker, licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner, licensed marriage and family therapist, or certified psychiatric clinical nurse specialist.

Adding licensed psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) to the definition of licensed mental health professionals would allow PMHNPs to supervise and shape services and to effectively include their practice methods into the services provided to individuals. PMHNPs would be able to supervise and direct courses of treatment for individuals receiving mental health, substance abuse, or concurring services that are of an acute or clinical nature. This would enable service providers more options for staff that can supervise direct courses of treatment. PMHNPs may only supervise work that falls within their scope of practice.

Allowing providers more options for staff who can supervise direct courses of treatment would be beneficial for providers. Enabling PMHNPs to perform work that the current regulation does not permit would be beneficial for these professionals. Since PMHNPs may only supervise work that falls within their scope of practice, there is no increased risk to patients. Thus, the proposed amendment would likely produce a net benefit.

Businesses and Entities Affected. The proposed amendment potentially affects the approximate 1,300 licensed service providers,¹ 363 PMHNPs, and patients served by the service providers. The majority of the service providers would qualify as a small business.²

Localities Particularly Affected. The proposed amendment does not disproportionately affect particular localities.

Projected Impact on Employment. The proposed amendment may increase employment opportunities for PMHNPs.

Effects on the Use and Value of Private Property. The proposed amendment may increase demand for services from PMHNPs. Consequently, the value of firms that employ PMHNPs may moderately increase.

Real Estate Development Costs. The proposed amendment does not affect real estate development costs.

Small Businesses:

Definition. Pursuant to § 2.2-4007.04 of the Code of Virginia, small business is defined as "a business entity, including its affiliates, that (i) is independently owned and operated and (ii) employs fewer than 500 full-time employees or has gross annual sales of less than $6 million."

Costs and Other Effects. By allowing providers more options for staff who can supervise direct courses of treatment, the proposed amendment may reduce costs for some small service providers.

Alternative Method that Minimizes Adverse Impact. The proposed amendment does not adversely affect small businesses.

Adverse Impacts:

Businesses. The proposed amendment does not adversely affect businesses.

Localities. The proposed amendment does not adversely affect localities.

Other Entities. The proposed amendment does not adversely affect other entities.

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¹Provider is defined as "any person, entity, or organization, excluding an agency of the federal government by whatever name or designation, that delivers (i) services to individuals with mental illness, mental retardation (intellectual disability), or substance abuse (substance use disorders), (ii) services to individuals who receive day support, in-home support, or crisis stabilization services funded through the IFDDS Waiver, or (iii) residential services for individuals with brain injury…" See https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title12/agency35/chapter105/section
20/. Not all providers use LMHPs.

²Data Source: Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services

Agency's Response to Economic Impact Analysis: The agency concurs with the Department of Planning and Budget's economic impact analysis.

Summary:

The amendment adds licensed psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner to the definition of "licensed mental health professional."

Article 2
Definitions

12VAC35-105-20. Definitions.

The following words and terms when used in this chapter shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Abuse" (§ 37.2-100 of the Code of Virginia) means any act or failure to act by an employee or other person responsible for the care of an individual in a facility or program operated, licensed, or funded by the department, excluding those operated by the Virginia Department of Corrections, that was performed or was failed to be performed knowingly, recklessly, or intentionally, and that caused or might have caused physical or psychological harm, injury, or death to a person receiving care or treatment for mental illness, mental retardation (intellectual disability), or substance abuse (substance use disorders). Examples of abuse include acts such as:

1. Rape, sexual assault, or other criminal sexual behavior;

2. Assault or battery;

3. Use of language that demeans, threatens, intimidates, or humiliates the person;

4. Misuse or misappropriation of the person's assets, goods, or property;

5. Use of excessive force when placing a person in physical or mechanical restraint;

6. Use of physical or mechanical restraints on a person that is not in compliance with federal and state laws, regulations, and policies, professional accepted standards of practice, or the person's individualized services plan;

7. Use of more restrictive or intensive services or denial of services to punish the person or that is not consistent with his individualized services plan.

"Activities of daily living" or "ADLs" means personal care activities and includes bathing, dressing, transferring, toileting, grooming, hygiene, feeding, and eating. An individual's degree of independence in performing these activities is part of determining the appropriate level of care and services.

"Admission" means the process of acceptance into a service as defined by the provider's policies.

"Authorized representative" means a person permitted by law or 12VAC35-115 to authorize the disclosure of information or consent to treatment and services or participation in human research.

"Behavior intervention" means those principles and methods employed by a provider to help an individual receiving services to achieve a positive outcome and to address challenging behavior in a constructive and safe manner. Behavior intervention principles and methods must be employed in accordance with the individualized services plan and written policies and procedures governing service expectations, treatment goals, safety, and security.

"Behavioral treatment plan," "functional plan," or "behavioral support plan" means any set of documented procedures that are an integral part of the individualized services plan and are developed on the basis of a systematic data collection, such as a functional assessment, for the purpose of assisting individuals to achieve the following:

1. Improved behavioral functioning and effectiveness;

2. Alleviation of symptoms of psychopathology; or

3. Reduction of challenging behaviors.

"Brain injury" means any injury to the brain that occurs after birth, but before age 65, that is acquired through traumatic or nontraumatic insults. Nontraumatic insults may include anoxia, hypoxia, aneurysm, toxic exposure, encephalopathy, surgical interventions, tumor, and stroke. Brain injury does not include hereditary, congenital, or degenerative brain disorders or injuries induced by birth trauma.

"Care" or "treatment" means the individually planned therapeutic interventions that conform to current acceptable professional practice and that are intended to improve or maintain functioning of an individual receiving services delivered by a provider.

"Case management service" means services that can include assistance to individuals and their family members in assessing needed services that are responsive to the person's individual needs. Case management services include: identifying potential users of the service; assessing needs and planning services; linking the individual to services and supports; assisting the individual directly to locate, develop, or obtain needed services and resources; coordinating services with other providers; enhancing community integration; making collateral contacts; monitoring service delivery; discharge planning; and advocating for individuals in response to their changing needs. "Case management service" does not include maintaining service waiting lists or periodically contacting or tracking individuals to determine potential service needs.

"Clinical experience" means providing direct services to individuals with mental illness or the provision of direct geriatric services or special education services. Experience may include supervised internships, practicums, and field experience.

"Commissioner" means the Commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.

"Community gero-psychiatric residential services" means 24-hour care provided to individuals with mental illness, behavioral problems, and concomitant health problems who are usually age 65 or older in a geriatric setting that is less intensive than a psychiatric hospital but more intensive than a nursing home or group home. Services include assessment and individualized services planning by an interdisciplinary services team, intense supervision, psychiatric care, behavioral treatment planning and behavior interventions, nursing, and other health related services.

"Community intermediate care facility/mental retardation (ICF/MR)" means a residential facility in which care is provided to individuals who have mental retardation (intellectual disability) or a developmental disability who need more intensive training and supervision than may be available in an assisted living facility or group home. Such facilities shall comply with Title XIX of the Social Security Act standards and federal certification requirements, provide health or rehabilitative services, and provide active treatment to individuals receiving services toward the achievement of a more independent level of functioning or an improved quality of life.

"Complaint" means an allegation of a violation of these regulations or a provider's policies and procedures related to these regulations.

"Co-occurring disorders" means the presence of more than one and often several of the following disorders that are identified independently of one another and are not simply a cluster of symptoms resulting from a single disorder: mental illness, mental retardation (intellectual disability), or substance abuse (substance use disorders); brain injury; or developmental disability.

"Co-occurring services" means individually planned therapeutic treatment that addresses in an integrated concurrent manner the service needs of individuals who have co-occurring disorders.

"Corrective action plan" means the provider's pledged corrective action in response to cited areas of noncompliance documented by the regulatory authority. A corrective action plan must be completed within a specified time.

"Correctional facility" means a facility operated under the management and control of the Virginia Department of Corrections.

"Crisis" means a deteriorating or unstable situation often developing suddenly or rapidly that produces acute, heightened, emotional, mental, physical, medical, or behavioral distress; or any situation or circumstance in which the individual perceives or experiences a sudden loss of his ability to use effective problem-solving and coping skills.

"Crisis stabilization" means direct, intensive nonresidential or residential direct care and treatment to nonhospitalized individuals experiencing an acute crisis that may jeopardize their current community living situation. Crisis stabilization is intended to avert hospitalization or rehospitalization; provide normative environments with a high assurance of safety and security for crisis intervention; stabilize individuals in crisis; and mobilize the resources of the community support system, family members, and others for ongoing rehabilitation and recovery.

"Day support service" means structured programs of activity or training services for adults with an intellectual disability or a developmental disability, generally in clusters of two or more continuous hours per day provided to groups or individuals in nonresidential community-based settings. Day support services may provide opportunities for peer interaction and community integration and are designed to enhance the following: self-care and hygiene, eating, toileting, task learning, community resource utilization, environmental and behavioral skills, social skills, medication management, prevocational skills, and transportation skills. The term "day support service" does not include services in which the primary function is to provide employment-related services, general educational services, or general recreational services.

"Department" means the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.

"Developmental disabilities" means autism or a severe, chronic disability that meets all of the following conditions identified in 42 CFR 435.1009:

1. Attributable to cerebral palsy, epilepsy, or any other condition, other than mental illness, that is found to be closely related to mental retardation (intellectual disability) because this condition results in impairment of general intellectual functioning or adaptive behavior similar to behavior of individuals with mental retardation (intellectual disability) and requires treatment or services similar to those required for these individuals;

2. Manifested before the individual reaches age 18;

3. Likely to continue indefinitely; and

4. Results in substantial functional limitations in three or more of the following areas of major life activity:

a. Self-care;

b. Understanding and use of language;

c. Learning;

d. Mobility;

e. Self-direction; or

f. Capacity for independent living.

"Discharge" means the process by which the individual's active involvement with a service is terminated by the provider, individual, or authorized representative.

"Discharge plan" means the written plan that establishes the criteria for an individual's discharge from a service and identifies and coordinates delivery of any services needed after discharge.

"Dispense" means to deliver a drug to an ultimate user by or pursuant to the lawful order of a practitioner, including the prescribing and administering, packaging, labeling or compounding necessary to prepare the substance for that delivery. (§ 54.1-3400 et seq. of the Code of Virginia.)

"Emergency service" means unscheduled and sometimes scheduled crisis intervention, stabilization, and referral assistance provided over the telephone or face-to-face, if indicated, available 24 hours a day and seven days per week. Emergency services also may include walk-ins, home visits, jail interventions, and preadmission screening activities associated with the judicial process.

"Group home or community residential service" means a congregate service providing 24-hour supervision in a community-based home having eight or fewer residents. Services include supervision, supports, counseling, and training in activities of daily living for individuals whose individualized services plan identifies the need for the specific types of services available in this setting.

"Home and noncenter based" means that a service is provided in the individual's home or other noncenter-based setting. This includes noncenter-based day support, supportive in-home, and intensive in-home services.

"IFDDS Waiver" means the Individual and Family Developmental Disabilities Support Waiver.

"Individual" or "individual receiving services" means a person receiving services that are licensed under this chapter whether that person is referred to as a patient, consumer, client, resident, student, individual, recipient, family member, relative, or other term. When the term is used, the requirement applies to every individual receiving licensed services from the provider.

"Individualized services plan" or "ISP" means a comprehensive and regularly updated written plan that describes the individual's needs, the measurable goals and objectives to address those needs, and strategies to reach the individual's goals. An ISP is person-centered, empowers the individual, and is designed to meet the needs and preferences of the individual. The ISP is developed through a partnership between the individual and the provider and includes an individual's treatment plan, habilitation plan, person-centered plan, or plan of care, which are all considered individualized service plans.

"Initial assessment" means an assessment conducted prior to or at admission to determine whether the individual meets the service's admission criteria; what the individual's immediate service, health, and safety needs are; and whether the provider has the capability and staffing to provide the needed services.

"Inpatient psychiatric service" means intensive 24-hour medical, nursing, and treatment services provided to individuals with mental illness or substance abuse (substance use disorders) in a hospital as defined in § 32.1-123 of the Code of Virginia or in a special unit of such a hospital.

"Instrumental activities of daily living" or "IADLs" means meal preparation, housekeeping, laundry, and managing money. A person's degree of independence in performing these activities is part of determining appropriate level of care and services.

"Intensive Community Treatment (ICT) service" means a self-contained interdisciplinary team of at least five full-time equivalent clinical staff, a program assistant, and a full-time psychiatrist that:

1. Assumes responsibility for directly providing needed treatment, rehabilitation, and support services to identified individuals with severe and persistent mental illness especially those who have severe symptoms that are not effectively remedied by available treatments or who because of reasons related to their mental illness resist or avoid involvement with mental health services;

2. Minimally refers individuals to outside service providers;

3. Provides services on a long-term care basis with continuity of caregivers over time;

4. Delivers 75% or more of the services outside program offices; and

5. Emphasizes outreach, relationship building, and individualization of services.

"Intensive in-home service" means family preservation interventions for children and adolescents who have or are at-risk of serious emotional disturbance, including individuals who also have a diagnosis of mental retardation (intellectual disability). Intensive in-home service is usually time-limited and is provided typically in the residence of an individual who is at risk of being moved to out-of-home placement or who is being transitioned back home from an out-of-home placement. The service includes 24-hour per day emergency response; crisis treatment; individual and family counseling; life, parenting, and communication skills; and case management and coordination with other services.

"Investigation" means a detailed inquiry or systematic examination of the operations of a provider or its services regarding an alleged violation of regulations or law. An investigation may be undertaken as a result of a complaint, an incident report, or other information that comes to the attention of the department.

"Licensed mental health professional" or "LMHP" means a physician, licensed clinical psychologist, licensed professional counselor, licensed clinical social worker, licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner, licensed marriage and family therapist, certified psychiatric clinical nurse specialist, or licensed behavior analyst, or licensed psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner.

"Location" means a place where services are or could be provided.

"Medically managed withdrawal services" means detoxification services to eliminate or reduce the effects of alcohol or other drugs in the individual's body.

"Mandatory outpatient treatment order" means an order issued by a court pursuant to § 37.2-817 of the Code of Virginia.

"Medical detoxification" means a service provided in a hospital or other 24-hour care facility under the supervision of medical personnel using medication to systematically eliminate or reduce effects of alcohol or other drugs in the individual's body.

"Medical evaluation" means the process of assessing an individual's health status that includes a medical history and a physical examination of an individual conducted by a licensed medical practitioner operating within the scope of his license.

"Medication" means prescribed or over-the-counter drugs or both.

"Medication administration" means the direct application of medications by injection, inhalation, ingestion, or any other means to an individual receiving services by (i) persons legally permitted to administer medications or (ii) the individual at the direction and in the presence of persons legally permitted to administer medications.

"Medication assisted treatment (Opioid treatment service)" means an intervention strategy that combines outpatient treatment with the administering or dispensing of synthetic narcotics, such as methadone or buprenorphine (suboxone), approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration for the purpose of replacing the use of and reducing the craving for opioid substances, such as heroin or other narcotic drugs.

"Medication error" means an error in administering a medication to an individual and includes when any of the following occur: (i) the wrong medication is given to an individual, (ii) the wrong individual is given the medication, (iii) the wrong dosage is given to an individual, (iv) medication is given to an individual at the wrong time or not at all, or (v) the wrong method is used to give the medication to the individual.

"Medication storage" means any area where medications are maintained by the provider, including a locked cabinet, locked room, or locked box.

"Mental Health Community Support Service (MHCSS)" means the provision of recovery-oriented services to individuals with long-term, severe mental illness. MHCSS includes skills training and assistance in accessing and effectively utilizing services and supports that are essential to meeting the needs identified in the individualized services plan and development of environmental supports necessary to sustain active community living as independently as possible. MHCSS may be provided in any setting in which the individual's needs can be addressed, skills training applied, and recovery experienced.

"Mental illness" means a disorder of thought, mood, emotion, perception, or orientation that significantly impairs judgment, behavior, capacity to recognize reality, or ability to address basic life necessities and requires care and treatment for the health, safety, or recovery of the individual or for the safety of others.

"Mental retardation (intellectual disability)" means a disability originating before the age of 18 years characterized concurrently by (i) significantly subaverage intellectual functioning as demonstrated by performance on a standardized measure of intellectual functioning administered in conformity with accepted professional practice that is at least two standard deviations below the mean; and (ii) significant limitations in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills (§ 37.2-100 of the Code of Virginia).

"Neglect" means the failure by an individual or a program or facility operated, licensed, or funded by the department, excluding those operated by the Department of Corrections, responsible for providing services to do so, including nourishment, treatment, care, goods, or services necessary to the health, safety, or welfare of a person receiving care or treatment for mental illness, mental retardation (intellectual disability), or substance abuse (substance use disorders).

"Neurobehavioral services" means the assessment, evaluation, and treatment of cognitive, perceptual, behavioral, and other impairments caused by brain injury that affect an individual's ability to function successfully in the community.

"Outpatient service" means treatment provided to individuals on an hourly schedule, on an individual, group, or family basis, and usually in a clinic or similar facility or in another location. Outpatient services may include diagnosis and evaluation, screening and intake, counseling, psychotherapy, behavior management, psychological testing and assessment, laboratory and other ancillary services, medical services, and medication services. "Outpatient service" specifically includes:

1. Services operated by a community services board or a behavioral health authority established pursuant to Chapter 5 (§ 37.2-500 et seq.) or Chapter 6 (§ 37.2-600 et seq.) of Title 37.2 of the Code of Virginia;

2. Services contracted by a community services board or a behavioral health authority established pursuant to Chapter 5 (§ 37.2-500 et seq.) or Chapter 6 (§ 37.2-600 et seq.) of Title 37.2 of the Code of Virginia; or

3. Services that are owned, operated, or controlled by a corporation organized pursuant to the provisions of either Chapter 9 (§ 13.1-601 et seq.) or Chapter 10 (§ 13.1-801 et seq.) of Title 13.1 of the Code of Virginia.

"Partial hospitalization service" means time-limited active treatment interventions that are more intensive than outpatient services, designed to stabilize and ameliorate acute symptoms, and serve as an alternative to inpatient hospitalization or to reduce the length of a hospital stay. Partial hospitalization is focused on individuals with serious mental illness, substance abuse (substance use disorders), or co-occurring disorders at risk of hospitalization or who have been recently discharged from an inpatient setting.

"Person-centered" means focusing on the needs and preferences of the individual; empowering and supporting the individual in defining the direction for his life; and promoting self-determination, community involvement, and recovery.

"Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) service" means a self-contained interdisciplinary team of at least 10 full-time equivalent clinical staff, a program assistant, and a full- or part-time psychiatrist that:

1. Assumes responsibility for directly providing needed treatment, rehabilitation, and support services to identified individuals with severe and persistent mental illnesses, including those who have severe symptoms that are not effectively remedied by available treatments or who because of reasons related to their mental illness resist or avoid involvement with mental health services;

2. Minimally refers individuals to outside service providers;

3. Provides services on a long-term care basis with continuity of caregivers over time;

4. Delivers 75% or more of the services outside program offices; and

5. Emphasizes outreach, relationship building, and individualization of services.

"Provider" means any person, entity, or organization, excluding an agency of the federal government by whatever name or designation, that delivers (i) services to individuals with mental illness, mental retardation (intellectual disability), or substance abuse (substance use disorders), (ii) services to individuals who receive day support, in-home support, or crisis stabilization services funded through the IFDDS Waiver, or (iii) residential services for individuals with brain injury. The person, entity, or organization shall include a hospital as defined in § 32.1-123 of the Code of Virginia, community services board, behavioral health authority, private provider, and any other similar or related person, entity, or organization. It shall not include any individual practitioner who holds a license issued by a health regulatory board of the Department of Health Professions or who is exempt from licensing pursuant to §§ 54.1-2901, 54.1-3001, 54.1-3501, 54.1-3601 and 54.1-3701 of the Code of Virginia.

"Psychosocial rehabilitation service" means a program of two or more consecutive hours per day provided to groups of adults in a nonresidential setting. Individuals must demonstrate a clinical need for the service arising from a condition due to mental, behavioral, or emotional illness that results in significant functional impairments in major life activities. This service provides education to teach the individual about mental illness, substance abuse, and appropriate medication to avoid complication and relapse and opportunities to learn and use independent skills and to enhance social and interpersonal skills within a consistent program structure and environment. Psychosocial rehabilitation includes skills training, peer support, vocational rehabilitation, and community resource development oriented toward empowerment, recovery, and competency.

"Qualified Mental Health Professional-Adult (QMHP-A)" means a person in the human services field who is trained and experienced in providing psychiatric or mental health services to individuals who have a mental illness; including (i) a doctor of medicine or osteopathy licensed in Virginia; (ii) a doctor of medicine or osteopathy, specializing in psychiatry and licensed in Virginia; (iii) an individual with a master's degree in psychology from an accredited college or university with at least one year of clinical experience; (iv) a social worker: an individual with at least a bachelor's degree in human services or related field (social work, psychology, psychiatric rehabilitation, sociology, counseling, vocational rehabilitation, human services counseling or other degree deemed equivalent to those described) from an accredited college and with at least one year of clinical experience providing direct services to individuals with a diagnosis of mental illness; (v) a person with at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited college in an unrelated field that includes at least 15 semester credits (or equivalent) in a human services field and who has at least three years of clinical experience; (vi) a Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Provider (CPRP) registered with the United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (USPRA); (vii) a registered nurse licensed in Virginia with at least one year of clinical experience; or (viii) any other licensed mental health professional.

"Qualified Mental Health Professional-Child (QMHP-C)" means a person in the human services field who is trained and experienced in providing psychiatric or mental health services to children who have a mental illness. To qualify as a QMHP-C, the individual must have the designated clinical experience and must either (i) be a doctor of medicine or osteopathy licensed in Virginia; (ii) have a master's degree in psychology from an accredited college or university with at least one year of clinical experience with children and adolescents; (iii) have a social work bachelor's or master's degree from an accredited college or university with at least one year of documented clinical experience with children or adolescents; (iv) be a registered nurse with at least one year of clinical experience with children and adolescents; (v) have at least a bachelor's degree in a human services field or in special education from an accredited college with at least one year of clinical experience with children and adolescents, or (vi) be a licensed mental health professional.

"Qualified Mental Health Professional-Eligible (QMHP-E)" means a person who has: (i) at least a bachelor's degree in a human service field or special education from an accredited college without one year of clinical experience or (ii) at least a bachelor's degree in a nonrelated field and is enrolled in a master's or doctoral clinical program, taking the equivalent of at least three credit hours per semester and is employed by a provider that has a triennial license issued by the department and has a department and DMAS-approved supervision training program.

"Qualified Mental Retardation Professional (QMRP)" means a person who possesses at least one year of documented experience working directly with individuals who have mental retardation (intellectual disability) or other developmental disabilities and one of the following credentials: (i) a doctor of medicine or osteopathy licensed in Virginia, (ii) a registered nurse licensed in Virginia, or (iii) completion of at least a bachelor's degree in a human services field, including, but not limited to sociology, social work, special education, rehabilitation counseling, or psychology.

"Qualified Paraprofessional in Mental Health (QPPMH)" means a person who must, at a minimum, meet one of the following criteria: (i) registered with the United States Psychiatric Association (USPRA) as an Associate Psychiatric Rehabilitation Provider (APRP); (ii) has an associate's degree in a related field (social work, psychology, psychiatric rehabilitation, sociology, counseling, vocational rehabilitation, human services counseling) and at least one year of experience providing direct services to individuals with a diagnosis of mental illness; or (iii) has a minimum of 90 hours classroom training and 12 weeks of experience under the direct personal supervision of a QMHP-Adult providing services to individuals with mental illness and at least one year of experience (including the 12 weeks of supervised experience).

"Recovery" means a journey of healing and transformation enabling an individual with a mental illness to live a meaningful life in a community of his choice while striving to achieve his full potential. For individuals with substance abuse (substance use disorders), recovery is an incremental process leading to positive social change and a full return to biological, psychological, and social functioning. For individuals with mental retardation (intellectual disability), the concept of recovery does not apply in the sense that individuals with mental retardation (intellectual disability) will need supports throughout their entire lives although these may change over time. With supports, individuals with mental retardation (intellectual disability) are capable of living lives that are fulfilling and satisfying and that bring meaning to themselves and others whom they know.

"Referral" means the process of directing an applicant or an individual to a provider or service that is designed to provide the assistance needed.

"Residential crisis stabilization service" means (i) providing short-term, intensive treatment to nonhospitalized individuals who require multidisciplinary treatment in order to stabilize acute psychiatric symptoms and prevent admission to a psychiatric inpatient unit; (ii) providing normative environments with a high assurance of safety and security for crisis intervention; and (iii) mobilizing the resources of the community support system, family members, and others for ongoing rehabilitation and recovery.

"Residential service" means providing 24-hour support in conjunction with care and treatment or a training program in a setting other than a hospital or training center. Residential services provide a range of living arrangements from highly structured and intensively supervised to relatively independent requiring a modest amount of staff support and monitoring. Residential services include residential treatment, group or community homes, supervised living, residential crisis stabilization, community gero-psychiatric residential, community intermediate care facility-MR, sponsored residential homes, medical and social detoxification, neurobehavioral services, and substance abuse residential treatment for women and children.

"Residential treatment service" means providing an intensive and highly structured mental health, substance abuse, or neurobehavioral service, or services for co-occurring disorders in a residential setting, other than an inpatient service.

"Respite care service" means providing for a short-term, time limited period of care of an individual for the purpose of providing relief to the individual's family, guardian, or regular care giver. Persons providing respite care are recruited, trained, and supervised by a licensed provider. These services may be provided in a variety of settings including residential, day support, in-home, or a sponsored residential home.

"Restraint" means the use of a mechanical device, medication, physical intervention, or hands-on hold to prevent an individual receiving services from moving his body to engage in a behavior that places him or others at imminent risk. There are three kinds of restraints:

1. Mechanical restraint means the use of a mechanical device that cannot be removed by the individual to restrict the individual's freedom of movement or functioning of a limb or portion of an individual's body when that behavior places him or others at imminent risk.

2. Pharmacological restraint means the use of a medication that is administered involuntarily for the emergency control of an individual's behavior when that individual's behavior places him or others at imminent risk and the administered medication is not a standard treatment for the individual's medical or psychiatric condition.

3. Physical restraint, also referred to as manual hold, means the use of a physical intervention or hands-on hold to prevent an individual from moving his body when that individual's behavior places him or others at imminent risk.

"Restraints for behavioral purposes" means using a physical hold, medication, or a mechanical device to control behavior or involuntary restrict the freedom of movement of an individual in an instance when all of the following conditions are met: (i) there is an emergency; (ii) nonphysical interventions are not viable; and (iii) safety issues require an immediate response.

"Restraints for medical purposes" means using a physical hold, medication, or mechanical device to limit the mobility of an individual for medical, diagnostic, or surgical purposes, such as routine dental care or radiological procedures and related post-procedure care processes, when use of the restraint is not the accepted clinical practice for treating the individual's condition.

"Restraints for protective purposes" means using a mechanical device to compensate for a physical or cognitive deficit when the individual does not have the option to remove the device. The device may limit an individual's movement, for example, bed rails or a gerichair, and prevent possible harm to the individual or it may create a passive barrier, such as a helmet to protect the individual.

"Restriction" means anything that limits or prevents an individual from freely exercising his rights and privileges.

"Screening" means the process or procedure for determining whether the individual meets the minimum criteria for admission.

"Seclusion" means the involuntary placement of an individual alone in an area secured by a door that is locked or held shut by a staff person, by physically blocking the door, or by any other physical means so that the individual cannot leave it.

"Serious injury" means any injury resulting in bodily damage, harm, or loss that requires medical attention by a licensed physician, doctor of osteopathic medicine, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner while the individual is supervised by or involved in services, such as attempted suicides, medication overdoses, or reactions from medications administered or prescribed by the service.

"Service" or "services" means (i) planned individualized interventions intended to reduce or ameliorate mental illness, mental retardation (intellectual disability), or substance abuse (substance use disorders) through care, treatment, training, habilitation, or other supports that are delivered by a provider to individuals with mental illness, mental retardation (intellectual disability), or substance abuse (substance use disorders). Services include outpatient services, intensive in-home services, opioid treatment services, inpatient psychiatric hospitalization, community gero-psychiatric residential services, assertive community treatment and other clinical services; day support, day treatment, partial hospitalization, psychosocial rehabilitation, and habilitation services; case management services; and supportive residential, halfway house, and other residential services; (ii) day support, in-home support, and crisis stabilization services provided to individuals under the IFDDS Waiver; and (iii) planned individualized interventions intended to reduce or ameliorate the effects of brain injury through care, treatment, or other supports or in residential services for persons with brain injury.

"Shall" means an obligation to act is imposed.

"Shall not" means an obligation not to act is imposed.

"Skills training" means systematic skill building through curriculum-based psychoeducational and cognitive-behavioral interventions. These interventions break down complex objectives for role performance into simpler components, including basic cognitive skills such as attention, to facilitate learning and competency.

"Social detoxification service" means providing nonmedical supervised care for the individual's natural process of withdrawal from use of alcohol or other drugs.

"Sponsored residential home" means a service where providers arrange for, supervise, and provide programmatic, financial, and service support to families or persons (sponsors) providing care or treatment in their own homes for individuals receiving services.

"State board" means the State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. The board has statutory responsibility for adopting regulations that may be necessary to carry out the provisions of Title 37.2 of the Code of Virginia and other laws of the Commonwealth administered by the commissioner or the department.

"State methadone authority" means the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services that is authorized by the federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment to exercise the responsibility and authority for governing the treatment of opiate addiction with an opioid drug.

"Substance abuse (substance use disorders)" means the use of drugs enumerated in the Virginia Drug Control Act (§ 54.1-3400 et seq.) without a compelling medical reason or alcohol that (i) results in psychological or physiological dependence or danger to self or others as a function of continued and compulsive use or (ii) results in mental, emotional, or physical impairment that causes socially dysfunctional or socially disordering behavior; and (iii), because of such substance abuse, requires care and treatment for the health of the individual. This care and treatment may include counseling, rehabilitation, or medical or psychiatric care.

"Substance abuse intensive outpatient service" means treatment provided in a concentrated manner for two or more consecutive hours per day to groups of individuals in a nonresidential setting. This service is provided over a period of time for individuals requiring more intensive services than an outpatient service can provide. Substance abuse intensive outpatient services include multiple group therapy sessions during the week, individual and family therapy, individual monitoring, and case management.

"Substance abuse residential treatment for women with children service" means a 24-hour residential service providing an intensive and highly structured substance abuse service for women with children who live in the same facility.

"Supervised living residential service" means the provision of significant direct supervision and community support services to individuals living in apartments or other residential settings. These services differ from supportive in-home service because the provider assumes responsibility for management of the physical environment of the residence, and staff supervision and monitoring are daily and available on a 24-hour basis. Services are provided based on the needs of the individual in areas such as food preparation, housekeeping, medication administration, personal hygiene, treatment, counseling, and budgeting.

"Supportive in-home service" (formerly supportive residential) means the provision of community support services and other structured services to assist individuals, to strengthen individual skills, and that provide environmental supports necessary to attain and sustain independent community residential living. Services include drop-in or friendly-visitor support and counseling to more intensive support, monitoring, training, in-home support, respite care, and family support services. Services are based on the needs of the individual and include training and assistance. These services normally do not involve overnight care by the provider; however, due to the flexible nature of these services, overnight care may be provided on an occasional basis.

"Therapeutic day treatment for children and adolescents" means a treatment program that serves (i) children and adolescents from birth through age 17 and under certain circumstances up to 21 with serious emotional disturbances, substance use, or co-occurring disorders or (ii) children from birth through age seven who are at risk of serious emotional disturbance, in order to combine psychotherapeutic interventions with education and mental health or substance abuse treatment. Services include: evaluation; medication education and management; opportunities to learn and use daily living skills and to enhance social and interpersonal skills; and individual, group, and family counseling.

"Time out" means the involuntary removal of an individual by a staff person from a source of reinforcement to a different, open location for a specified period of time or until the problem behavior has subsided to discontinue or reduce the frequency of problematic behavior.

"Volunteer" means a person who, without financial remuneration, provides services to individuals on behalf of the provider.