Office of Licensing

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OUR MISSION: To be the regulatory authority for DBHDS licensed service delivery system through effective oversight.

OUR VISION: The Office of Licensing will provide consistent, responsive, and reliable regulatory oversight to DBHDS licensed providers by supporting high quality services to meet the diverse needs of its clients.

CONNECT Provider Portal Resources and Information

Click below for help using the CONNECT Provider Portal or to report an issue.

CONNECT Help Instructions

If you are having trouble accessing or using the CONNECT Provider Portal, please click the Report an Issue button below.

Please allow up to two business days for the Help Desk staff to respond to your issue. 

Thank you for contacting the DBHDS Office of Licensing’s CONNECT Help Desk.

OL & CONNECT Spotlight

CONNECT Blast Newsletters

CONNECT Live Demonstrations

Job Aids

Training Videos

Help Desk Protocols

Exciting News:  The DBHDS Office of Licensing is dedicated to reducing any undue administrative burden to potential licensure applicants. Therefore, as of December 21, 2022, the OL has streamlined the licensing process for all “Priority” Services to ensure the services with the greatest need can be licensed within 90 days of the submission of a completed application. 

The Provider Portal Dashboard provides access to applicant information online and allows direct communication with the Office of Licensing staff regarding your application.

Click here to access the DBHDS CONNECT Provider Portal System

Resources related to health inspections conducted by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH):

*Please contact VDH directly with any questions related to the resources*

These resources are intended for use by those applicants who serve food and need to determine if they should contact VDH for a health inspection. 

Home and Community Based Services (HCBS)

Home and community-based services (HCBS) provide opportunities for individuals to receive Medicaid waiver services in their own home or community rather than in institutions or other isolated settings.  Providers of group home, sponsored residential, supervised living, and group day services available in a Developmental Disabilities (DD) waiver must demonstrate full compliance with HCBS settings requirement in ALL settings in order to receive reimbursement for services. (42 CFR Part 430, 431).   

New providers are required to visit the HCBS Toolkit on the DMAS website to view resources and other information to help develop your HCBS policies.  Providers must also submit their HCBS policies to: hcbscomments@dmas.virginia.gov for internal review prior to enrolling with Medicaid as a DD waiver provider and in order to receive reimbursement for services. 

For additional information, please visit the Department of Medical Assistance Services or click on the links below: 

 New Providers HCBS Overview: Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Settings Rule (virginia.gov) 

New Settings Guidance: CMS Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Regulations: Developmental Disability (DD) Waivers (virginia.gov) 

If you have additional questions related to HCBS please contact:  hcbscomments@dmas.virginia.gov

 

Use the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services Provider Search System to locate licensed providers by a variety of criteria.

Sign up to get news and updates delivered to your inbox from Office Of Licensing at the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.

In order to view the waitlist – please click the DBHDS CONNECT PROVIDER PORTAL and choose VIEW APPLICATION WAITLIST.

Please note that the waitlist may not be processed in chronological order as state initiatives
may cause prioritization changes in the order applications are reviewed.

 **Note: In order to download the waitlist, please allow pop ups.**

The OL Website Index is a tool that can be used to search for documents/resources located on the OL website. Users can download the index and filter by topic area, diagnosis group and/or date then click on the hyperlink to view each document/resource. An updated version of the OL Website Index is published at least semi-annually.

CORRESPONDENCE

    REGULATIONS & GUIDANCE

    Office of Licensing regulations 8

    Pending Exempt Action

    The State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services approved this Exempt Action to amend 12VAC35-105 to incorporate federal mobile Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) requirements into Virginia regulations.  

    For more information about exempt regulatory actions, please visit the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall website.  

    Public Comment Requested

    NEW Opportunity for Public Comment on Proposed DRAFT Amendments for Medication for Opioid Use Disorder

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), revised the regulations that guide opioid treatment programs (OTPs) regulations and released the final rule in February 2024 and went into effect on April 2, 2024. The draft amendments are intended to update Virginia’s regulations with changes regarding medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD).

    This is a notice of a comment forum from Tuesday, September 24, 2024, through Thursday, October 24, 2024. The forum contains a DRAFT regulatory action with draft amendments regarding MOUD services: 

    Rules and Regulations for Licensing Providers by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (12VAC35-105) (the “Licensing Regulations”): 

    Regulations

    Guidance

    Policy and Form Templates Coming Soon!

    These are not required templates; however, utilization of these templates will assist providers in achieving compliance with the regulatory requirements.

    TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

    CRISIS SERVICES

    BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ENHANCEMENT AND ASAM

    QUALITY IMPROVEMENT-RISK MANAGEMENT RESOURCES FOR LICENSED PROVIDERS  

    Recorded Trainings
    • Risk Management & Quality Improvement Strategies Training by the Center for Developmental Disabilities Evaluation & Research – Recorded Webinar (December 2020)
    • QI-RM-RCA Webinar Recording December 2021 (February 2022)

    Root Cause Analysis – 12VAC35-105-160.E.1 and 160.E.2
    • Sample(s)

    • Training(s)

    • FAQs

    Risk Management – 12VAC35-105-520
    • Attestation

    • Sample(s)

    •Tools and Templates

    • Training(s)

    • Care Concerns

    • FAQ

    Monitoring and Evaluating Service Quality – Quality Improvement – 12VAC35-105-620
    • Memo(s)

    • Sample(s)

    • Training(s)

    • FAQs

    Additional Trainings

    Other Resources

    A collection of guides, toolkits and training resources to help build quality improvement (QI) knowledge and skills has been posted to the DBHDS Office of Clinical Quality Management webpage: Office of Clinical Quality Management

    SERIOUS INCIDENT REPORTING AND CHRIS TRAINING

    MORTALITY REVIEW COMMITTEE

    ARCHIVED DOCUMENTS

    Archived Documents

    OFFICE OF LICENSING CONTACT INFORMATION

    P.O. Box 1797
    Richmond, VA 23218
    Office (804) 786-1747

    Fax (804) 692-0066

    Office of Licensing Staff Contact Information

    Licensing Regional Contacts

    Incident Management Unit Regional Contacts

    Specialized Investigation Unit Regional Contacts

    FOIA

    The Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), located § 2.2-3700 et. seq. of the Code of Virginia, guarantees citizens of the Commonwealth and representatives of the media access to public records held by public bodies, public officials, and public employees.

    Complaints

    The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) values the citizens of Virginia and the feedback from the community at large and service providers. As such, DBHDS is dedicated to providing the best service possible to all stake holders. Information provided by citizens and employees helps with fulfilling DBHDS’ mission. If you choose to make a complaint, we will use a formal process to ensure that your complaint is addressed in a timely manner.

    Please note, that the Office of Licensing will only investigate complaints that allege a violation of the Rules and Regulations for Licensed Providers by DBHDS or the Standards for the Regulation of Children’s Residential Facilities. While we will not investigate, the Office of Licensing may refer your allegation to the appropriate enforcement agency if the complaint does not allege a violation of the Licensing Regulations, but we believe that you have alleged a violation within their jurisdiction.

    To file a complaint related to a licensed provider with the Office of Licensing, submit through the  CONNECT portal.

    To report allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation or other potential human rights violations involving a licensed provider,
    please contact the Office of Human Rights directly. Please click here.

    Department of Social Services (DSS)

    The Department of Health Professions (DHP)

    Virginia Department of Health (VDH)

    The Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS)

    Virginia Department of Education (VDOE)

    The Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS)