CHAMP RFP for Western NY

Community Health Access to Addiction and Mental Healthcare Project (CHAMP):

New York State’s Independent Behavioral Health Ombudsman Program

Request for Proposals, Western NY

October 7, 2026

 

Introduction

 

Through this Request for Proposals (RFP), the Community Service Society of New York (CSS), seeks a non-profit community-based organization (CBO) that serves the Western New York area of the State to participate in New York’s independent health insurance ombudsman program for mental health and substance use disorder care. CSS operates the Community Health Access to Addiction and Mental Healthcare Project (CHAMP), on behalf of the New York State Behavioral Health Ombudsman Office. CHAMP educates and assists New Yorkers in overcoming health insurance barriers to substance use disorder and mental health treatment. Through this RFP, CSS anticipates awarding one contract to a local CBO to provide direct assistance with health insurance issues to individuals in its community as well as education and outreach about the availability of CHAMP services.

The grant award is approximately $80,000 for a 12-month period, but will be pro-rated during the 2026-2027 contract year, which is expected to run from January 1, 2027, to June 30, 2027, with an award of up to $40,000. In subsequent years, the grant award will be approximately $80,000 for a 12-month period running from July 1 to June 30 annually. CSS expects to announce the award on December 1, 2026, via the CHAMP website, www.champny.org. The contract is expected to begin on January 1, 2027, and end on June 30, 2027, with the expectation of renewal for a 12-month period subject to performance and New York State budget appropriations. Project grant and dates are contingent upon a State award to CSS and receipt of State funding.

 

In March 2018, Section 33.27 of the New York State Mental Hygiene Law established the independent substance use disorder and mental health ombudsman program, known as CHAMP. CHAMP is supervised by the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), in consultation with the Office of Mental Health (OMH). OASAS contracts with CSS to administer CHAMP and provide services to consumers through a helpline and a network of non-profit organizations.  CSS operates CHAMP in partnership with three specialist agencies that provide technical assistance, training, and/or assistance to consumers and health care providers. The CHAMP network currently consists of eight CBOs that provide direct assistance to people with mental health and substance use disorders, as well as their families, providers, and advocates, to help them overcome insurance barriers to treatment. In addition to this assistance, CHAMP CBOs provide education and outreach to the communities they serve.

 

CSS seeks to fund a CBO that serves diverse populations, such as consumers from culturally, geographically and linguistically isolated communities; people with mental and physical disabilities; people who are LGBTQ+; veterans; youth and young adults; pregnant and parenting persons; individuals who are or have been involved with the criminal legal system; and other vulnerable populations.  Organizations that have expertise doing outreach and providing healthcare information and assistance are also encouraged to apply.

 

 

Eligibility Criteria

 

Applicants must be non-profit organizations, membership associations, or other mission-driven organizations that have demonstrated experience serving healthcare consumers with mental health and substance use disorder needs in the Western Region of New York State.

 

CSS will not fund:

• organizations or individuals that have a conflict of interest, such as individuals or companies that sell insurance or insurance-like products, including discount plans; or
• the provision of direct healthcare services, including outpatient and specialty visits with a provider.

 

Applicants must be able to demonstrate financial viability to carry out services based on information required in this RFP. In addition, any information deemed confidential or proprietary shall be specified as such by applicants. Should a proposal be accepted, however, all claims to confidentiality are subject to the terms of any prime agreement that may be entered into with CSS and approved by OASAS governing the Ombuds.

 

Important Dates

 

EVENT	DATE
Release of RFP	October 7, 2026
Questions About This RFP Due	October 14, 2026
Answers Posted	October 19, 2026
Application Due	November 6, 2026
Award Announcements	December 1, 2026
Projected contract start date	January 1, 2026
Awardee Orientation and Two-day Intensive Training in Albany	May 2027 (exact date TBD)

 

Services To Be Provided Under This Contract:

The organization will provide the following services in an accessible, culturally and linguistically appropriate manner, including options for telephone, web, email, mail, and in-person assistance:

 

1. Individual assistance cases: Counsel and assist consumers individually on health insurance (e.g., Medicaid, Essential Plan, Child Health Plus, Medicare, employer- or union-sponsored or other commercial insurance) and healthcare access issues related to substance use disorder and mental health care.

Examples of cases include, but are not limited to:

1. • Helping consumers understand how to use and access their health insurance benefits.
   • Resolving medical billing and debt issues.
   • Identifying violations of state and federal mental health and substance use disorder parity laws and helping consumers and providers file appeals, complaints, and requests for information.
   • Helping secure prior authorizations, access to specialists and out-of-network services, and hospital and prescription financial assistance programs when needed.
   • The level of a network organization’s assistance and involvement in a case may vary depending on the circumstances.
2. Community Outreach and Presentations: The organization will be required to provide community presentations designed to educate consumers, family groups, advocates, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders about CHAMP, how to secure payment and authorization of mental health and substance use disorder health services from a health insurance plan, and/or mental health and substance use disorder parity laws and other laws that protect consumers’ rights to access those health services. Venues for these presentations may include but are not limited to: faith-based institutions, community centers or groups, health centers, community healthcare providers, social service organizations, schools, or the organization’s sites. Audiences may include mixed audiences of consumers, family groups, advocates, and/or healthcare providers.
3. Client Stories: The organization will identify consumers who have benefited from the Ombuds and are willing to share their stories with the public and will submit their stories to CSS following CSS protocols. Clients’ information may be de-identified.
4. Sentinel function: CSS expects that the organization will be ready, willing, and able to collaborate with other organizations in the network to identify trends and issues affecting individuals within the healthcare and health insurance arenas in New York State as they arise.

Organization Requirements

The organization selected will be provided with a subcontract and a Policies and Procedures Manual for the program. Generally, the agency should expect the following requirements:

 

1. Staffing and Responsibilities
   • The organization will agree to designate a Program Coordinator and will be responsible for:
   • attending program meetings;
   • overseeing other program staff at his/her organization, including reviewing cases and monitoring presentations;
   • collecting and reporting data as directed by CSS on a timely basis;
   • collecting client stories during the contract period with appropriate media releases;
   • remaining current on health policy as it pertains to the services provided; coordinating with CSS to create and implement corrective action plans, if required; and
   • cooperating with CSS to ensure that any program staff at their organization is adequately trained and competent to provide services.
2. Reporting
   • The organization will agree to:
   • collect and report data, via the cloud-based CSS database (Salesforce), about activities performed, consumers and employers served, health-related issues addressed, and services provided following CSS guidelines in the subcontract and Policies and Procedures Manual. Organizations must currently have computers with internet access, printers, telephone, and email;
   • adhere to appropriate confidentiality procedures for health consumer assistance, including any applicable heightened confidentiality procedures for substance use disorder and mental health information;
   • cooperate with monitoring by CSS, which may include site visits, observations of community presentations, and reviews of individual services reported through the database; and
   • encourage consumer participation in any program evaluations, as deemed necessary by CSS, including client satisfaction surveys, presentation participant evaluations, and surveys.
3. Performance Measures for Services
   • The organization must comply with the following:
   • provide high quality services;
   • ensure that data is entered accurately and completely reflects services provided;
   • ensure continuity and appropriateness of staff and organization competence in providing services;
   • timely compliance with contractual requirements;
   • timely data entry; and
   • cost-efficiency.
4. Training and Ongoing Education
   • The organization must complete:
   • Remote CHAMP certification trainings;
   • Mandatory two-day intensive training to take place in Albany; and
   • Receive regular monthly trainings from CSS and the Specialist organizations.
5. Feedback and Assessment
   • The organization will agree to:
   • provide feedback on consumer, small employer, and advocate materials, presentations, and other special projects to advance program goals upon CSS’s request; and
   • participate in evaluations and assessments of the program and its components on an as-needed basis.

 

Range of Award

The amount of the grant awarded to the organization is contingent upon an award to CSS and depends upon the scope of work and services proposed by applicants. CSS anticipates awarding a grant up to $40,000 for a 6-month period.

 

Grants consist of two components:

1. Baselines: This refers to the numbers of individual assistance cases and outreach/training events the organization is contractually obligated to achieve on an annual basis. Typical baselines for existing sub-contractors are 100-200 direct assistance cases and 10-30 outreach events annually. Applicants may pro-rate their proposed baselines for the 6-month 2026-2027 contract period.
2. Deliverables: This includes attendance at CSS meetings and presentations, timely reporting, and quality services.

 

The organization must meet both requirements to receive full payment. 

 

Proposal Submission

Please include the following in your proposal submission. Proposals missing any component will not be considered.

1. Proposal Checklist (Attached): Please fill out and submit the attached checklist to ensure that your application is complete.
2. Cover Form (Attached): Complete and submit the cover form, signed and dated by: (1) the organization’s Executive Director; or (2) the President or Leader of the organization’s Board of Directors or governing board (and of the organization’s fiscal sponsor, if applicable). Include the organization’s Employer Identification Number (EIN).
3. Letter of Commitment from the organization’s Executive Director or President of the Board of Directors 

4. Proposal Narrative (not to exceed 6 pages): Please include the following information in your proposal:
   1. Mission: Tell us about your organization’s mission and experience helping consumers, families, and/or providers with substance use disorders and/or mental illness navigate their health insurance and/or healthcare related issues.
   2. Diversity & Population Served: Tell us about the consumers you will serve, including but not limited to:
      1. income status;
      2. primary language(s) spoken;
      3. race/ethnicity;
      4. geographic location;
      5. unique populations served (e.g. individuals in recovery, people with substance use disorder and/or mental illness, rural populations, veterans, formerly incarcerated, LGBTQ+ populations), and;
      6. health coverage, insurance, or care (e.g. commercial insurance; public insurance such as Medicaid, Medicare, the Essential Plan or Child Health Plus, hospital financial assistance) they use.
   3. Staffing and Deliverables: We would like to know if your organization would be ready to begin provision of services at the contract start date of January 1, 2026. Please include information about the following:
      • Staffing Describe the staffing that will be dedicated to the grant to provide these services, including the background, experience, and current duties of any personnel already on staff who will deliver or supervise services under this project.
      • Deliverables:
        1. Describe the number of individual assistance cases the organization will handle per year.
        2. Provide the number of outreach/training events the organization will provide each year and the number of potential attendees at these events.
   4. Health Equity: Describe any experience the organization has in reducing health disparities and promoting health equity in the community you serve.
   5. Advocacy: Existe-t-il des restrictions à la capacité de l'organisation de défendre librement et activement les intérêts des consommateurs ? Si oui, veuillez les décrire. Décrivez toute expérience de l'organisation en matière de plaidoyer pour des changements systémiques au nom des personnes ou groupes bénéficiaires, ainsi que toute expérience d'utilisation des témoignages de clients à cette fin.
   6. Sensibilisation :
      • Parlez-nous de l'expérience de votre organisation en matière d'activités de sensibilisation, de marketing et/ou d'événements éducatifs.
      • Décrivez comment l'organisation compte promouvoir et informer les consommateurs et les prestataires sur les droits des consommateurs, le programme CHAMP et ses services. Précisez le public cible de ces événements. Décrivez l'expérience de votre organisation en matière de médias (y compris les réseaux sociaux).
   7. ConfidentialitéVeuillez décrire la politique de l'organisation en matière de confidentialité et de protection des informations de santé, conformément à la loi HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) et à la réglementation 42 CFR Part 2. Veuillez fournir des copies des politiques écrites, le cas échéant.
   8. AccessibilitéVeuillez fournir des informations sur les lieux où l'organisation fournira une aide individuelle et sur les modalités de cette aide, notamment :
      • Veuillez indiquer tous les bureaux et leurs horaires d'ouverture où des services d'assistance en personne seront offerts.
      • Décrivez si l'organisation est accessible par téléphone, courriel, application Web et en personne.
      • Décrivez le plan d'accès linguistique de votre organisation.
      • Les lieux où les services seront fournis sont-ils accessibles aux personnes handicapées ? Quels aménagements raisonnables sont prévus pour permettre aux personnes handicapées d’accéder aux services ? Veuillez fournir une copie des politiques écrites, le cas échéant.
   9. Durabilité: Veuillez nous décrire la capacité de votre organisation à participer à des activités de développement durable, comme la sensibilisation des dirigeants communautaires aux besoins des services CHAMP dans leur communauté.
5. Budget (1 page) et description du budget (1 à 2 pages) : Les informations demandées dans cette section serviront à évaluer le rapport coût-efficacité de votre proposition par rapport à celles des autres candidats. CSS se réserve le droit de négocier ces conditions avec le lauréat.
   • Propose a grant amount for the project period up to $40,000.
   • Provide a line-item budget for an 6-month term, describing how the amount proposed will be used for this project. The budget should include:
     • Frais de personnel (conformes à l'effectif indiqué ci-dessus) ;
     • Outre les frais de personnel ; et
     • Remarque : Les organismes peuvent être tenus de restituer à l'État de New York tout équipement acheté grâce à des fonds de subvention à la fin de la période contractuelle.
     • Contributions en nature ou autres contributions organisationnelles.
   • Veuillez fournir un descriptif budgétaire détaillé. Si le coût proposé est sensiblement supérieur ou inférieur à celui de la subvention habituelle pour les services proposés, veuillez expliquer cet écart.

6. Deux lettres de recommandation (ne dépassant pas une page, interligne simple) : Chaque candidat doit fournir deux lettres de référence de personnes ou d'organisations connaissant bien l'organisation, son travail et sa capacité à éduquer et à servir les usagers du système de santé ayant des besoins en matière de traitement des troubles mentaux et de toxicomanie.
7. États financiers et documents juridiques :
   1. Preuve du statut d’organisme sans but lucratif (le cas échéant) : (c.-à-d. vérification de l’exonération fiscale 501(c)) ;
   2. Une copie des états financiers audités les plus récents de l'organisation, accompagnée de la lettre de recommandation des auditeurs ;
   3. Un exemplaire du rapport CHAR500 le plus récent de l'organisation ;
   4. Une copie du formulaire 990 le plus récent de l'organisation auprès de l'IRS ;
   5. Attestation de non-discrimination ;
   6. Attestation de conflit d'intérêts.[1]

 

Conditions

CSS se réserve le droit de reporter ou d'annuler le présent appel d'offres ; de rejeter toutes les propositions ; de demander des informations complémentaires ; de négocier individuellement avec les candidats ; de modifier le nombre de lauréats et le montant des subventions ; de modifier le cahier des charges ; de supprimer des exigences ; de n'accepter que les propositions qui servent au mieux les intérêts du programme ; de résilier les contrats de sous-traitance en cas de mauvaise exécution ou dans l'intérêt supérieur du programme ; et de modifier les termes des contrats de sous-traitance afin de servir au mieux les intérêts du programme. L'organisme sélectionné devra fournir une attestation d'assurance responsabilité civile générale, d'assurance accidents du travail, d'assurance invalidité et d'assurance erreurs et omissions lors de la signature d'un contrat de sous-traitance avec CSS.

 

Les contrats de sous-traitance attribués par le biais de cet appel d'offres sont subordonnés à l'attribution et à la disponibilité des fonds fournis par l'État de New York.  

 

Questions

Les questions concernant cet appel d'offres devraient être posées. courriel by 5:00 pm on October 14, 2026, Veuillez envoyer votre demande à champRFP@cssny.org. L’objet du courriel doit être : “ Questions relatives à l’appel d’offres CHAMP ”. Les réponses aux questions fréquentes seront publiées sur le site web de CHAMP., http://www.champny.org, by 5:00 pm on October 19th, 2026.

 

Instructions pour la soumission

CSS demande à toutes les organisations de soumettre leur proposition électroniquement à CSS au plus tard à 17h00 sur November 6th, 2026. Les propositions doivent être envoyées par courriel à ChampRFP@cssny.org.

 

La proposition doit être signée par les personnes concernées (voir la section « Contenu de la proposition » et le formulaire de couverture). Les signatures électroniques sont acceptées. Veuillez utiliser une police de 12 points, des marges de 2,5 cm et un interligne double, sauf indication contraire.

[1] Comme indiqué précédemment, CSS ne peut financer les organismes qui vendent des assurances ou des produits assimilés, y compris les programmes de réduction, et/ou qui fournissent directement des services de santé. Cependant, si les services de santé offerts par un organisme sont accessoires à ses activités principales et ne créent pas de conflit d'intérêts, CSS peut, à sa discrétion, lui accorder un financement. Tout organisme répondant à ce critère doit remplir l'attestation ci-jointe.