Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) Respite Services

The Mississippi State Department of Health, Office of Child and Adolescent Health, is seeking applications for service providers to provide respite care service for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) and their families. These services are intended to provide temporary relief to caregivers while promoting family stability, caregiver well-being, and improved health outcomes for CYSHCN. Applicants must deliver family-centered, culturally responsive, and community-based services that align with Mississippi’s Title V priorities and National Performance Measure 11 (care coordination), with a strong emphasis on reaching rural and underserved populations. Selected providers will be expected to coordinate with the MSDH CYSHCN Program and community partners, ensure compliance with state requirements, and track service utilization, outcomes, and caregiver satisfaction to support accountability and continuous quality improvement.

Background

Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) often require ongoing care that places significant demands on families and caregivers. In Mississippi, access to respite services remains limited, particularly for families not eligible for Medicaid waiver programs or experiencing delays in accessing long-term supports.

Through the Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant, the CYSHCN Program, is establishing Service Provider Agreements (SPAs) to expand access to respite services. These agreements will allow qualified providers to deliver person-centered, family-driven respite care that offers temporary relief to caregivers.

This initiative supports improved family stability, reduces caregiver burden, and strengthens the system of care for CYSHCN across Mississippi while ensuring services are delivered in accordance with state and federal requirements.

Project Details

• Reference ID: 2026-RFA-105
• Department: Procurement
• Department Head: Dorthy Young (-)

Evaluation Criteria

• Applicant's Organizational Overview (1 pts) —

  Applicants will receive higher scores if they demonstrate a clearly defined organizational structure, experience managing federal grants, and qualified personnel with relevant federal grant experience or equivalent credentials.

• Applicant's Work Plan (1 pts) —

  Applicants will receive a passing score if their work plan responds to the Project Description and meets the goals or objectives of the federal funding and SPA, as well as evidencing the ability to meet expected outcomes, adhere to reporting deadlines or other deadlines, and complete any required evaluation activities. Applicants not meeting this will be scored as failing. MSDH exercises sole discretion as to whether the Application adequately addresses the purposes and objectives of the federal funding MSDH has received.

• Performance Outcomes (10 pts) —
  1. 1. 1. Subgrantees Seeking Renewal - Applicants will receive higher scores if their agency met the performance requirements outlined in the previous subgrant agreement. If any of those applicants did not meet the required performance metrics during the previous program year, applicants will receive higher scores if a clear and reasonable justification for not meeting the performance requirements is provided.
        2. New Applicants - Applicants that have not previously received this funding will receive higher scores if a strong description of experience and quality outcomes relevant to this project is provided.
• Quality of Application (10 pts) —

  Applications will receive higher scores if the information presented is accurate, complete, well-presented, and free of spelling, grammatical, and mathematical mistakes. Additionally, all acronyms must be spelled out at their first mention, indicating their abbreviation in parenthesis.

• Applicant Geographical Coverage (1 pts) —

  The proposed service area includes rural, underserved, or high-need regions within Mississippi. Applicants who demonstrate the ability to serve these areas will receive a passing score.

• Applicant Service Delivery Quality (1 pts) —

  Applicants that demonstrate commitment to quality service delivery, including ensuring participant safety, caregiver support, and reliable communication with program staff will receive a passing score.

Submission Requirements

• Applicant Organization Information
• Applicant Organization Name (required) —

  Please provide the full legal name of the Applicant Organization that should be listed on an agreement or contract. Be sure to include any other "doing business as" names, or any previous names the organization used.

  NOTE: Name must match the UEI Number

• Applicant Organization UEI Number (required) —

  Please enter the full EUI Number of the Applicant Organization here.

• UEI Number Upload (required) —

  Please upload a copy or printout of your registration from SAM.gov.

• Applicant Organization Address (required) —

  What is the full physical/mailing address of the Application Organization?

  Please be sure to include the full street name and address (including floor or room number if applicable), City, State, and Zip Code.

• Applicant Contact Information - Name (required) —

  Please provide the full name of the Applicant's Point of Contact for this Application.

• Applicant Contact Information - Title (required) —

  Please provide the full title of the Applicant's Point of Contact for this Application.

• Applicant Contact Information - Telephone Number (required) —

  Please provide the full telephone number (including area code) of the Applicant's Point of Contact for this Application.

• Applicant Contact Information - Email Address (required) —

  Please provide the full email address of the Applicant's Point of Contact for this Application.

• Eligible Entity (required) —

  Party submitting this application certifies that Applicant Organization is an eligible entity as defined by this RFA.

• Debarment or Suspension Confirmation (required) —

  Party submitting this application certifies that Applicant Organization is not presently debarred or suspended.

• W9 (required) —

  Upload a copy of your current W9 here.

• Applicant's Organizational Overview —

  The Applicant’s Organization Overview section shall contain the following information about the Applicant. If the Application is a cooperative or joint venture between two or more entities, all information required in this section shall be provided for all entities, even if a new legal entity has been created or is planned to be created for the purposes of the Subgrant.

• Federal Grants Experience (required) —

  Upload a description of Applicant’s previous experience with receiving federal funds. This shall include, but not be limited to, experience receiving federal funds as a direct recipient or a subgrantee. Applicant should describe and demonstrate knowledge of the Uniform Grant Guidance / HHS Grants Guidance (as applicable), as well as any specific experience with the particular federal program and funding source that funds this RFA.

• Programmatic Experience (required) —

  Upload a description of Applicant’s experience with the type of programming or work contained in the Project Description, or other relevant work.

• Program Management and Organizational Experience (required) —

  Please provide a description of Applicant’s experience with the type of programming or work contained in the Project Description, or other relevant work.

• Agreements Terminated or Costs Disallowed (required) —

  Applicant must provide a summary of any agreements executed within the last five (5) years with federal awarding agencies or pass-through entities (either as grant agreements, cooperative agreements, subawards, or contracts) that:

  • Were terminated for cause; or
  • Where Specific Conditions were placed on Applicant (see 2 CFR § 200.208 or 45 CFR § 75.207).
• Applicant's Work Plan
• Work Plan (required) —

  The Applicant’s Work Plan must respond in detail to the Project Description. It must contain a description of the work activities the Applicant is proposing to complete under the RFA. It should contain an understanding of the requirements for the project under the applicable federal or state funding sources (or both), and, as applicable, descriptions of timelines, outcome/process measures, reporting requirements, and program evaluation activities.

• Conflicts of Interest
• Other Current MSDH Contracts (required) —

  List all other current agreements/contracts with MSDH, including the dollar amount associated with the agreement/contract and the beginning and ending dates. If no other funds are received, please mark N/A.

  Please provide each entry in the following format:

  MSDH Program or Agreement/Contract Name #1

  • Dollar Amount
  • Contract Beginning Date
  • Contract Ending Date
• Organization Governing Body (required) —

  Please list the name of each member of your organization’s Board of Directors or other governing body (i.e., trustee, alderman, partner, owner).

• Governing Body or Project Staff Affiliations (required) —

  Are any members of the governing body or project staff also MSDH employees, MSDH Board Members, or spouses, parents, or children of MSDH employees?

• Governing Body or Staff Affiliations - Explanation (required) —

  You have indicated that one or more members of your governing body or project staff are also MSDH employees, MSDH Board Members, or spouses, parents, or children of MSDH employees.

  Please provide the following for all such individuals:

  • Name of Individual
  • Indicate if individual is an MSDH Employee, MSDH Board Member, or relative type of MSDH employee.
  • Applicable position held with MSDH
• Income From Business (required) —

  Does the MSDH Board Member, Employee, or Relative receive more than $2,500.00 per year in income from the business?

• Ownership Status - Percentage (required) —

  Does the MSDH Board Member, Employee, or Relative own ten (10%) percent or more of the fair market value in the business, either directly or indirectly through another business?

• Ownership Status - Amount —

  Does the MSDH Board Member, Employee, or Relative have ownership interest in the business, in which the fair market value exceeds $5,000.00?

• Position Within Business (required) —

  Is the MSDH Board Member, Employee, or Relative a director, officer, or employee of the business?

• Conflict of Interest Certification (required) —

  I hereby certify that the information set forth above is true and complete to the best of my knowledge and that no MSDH employee, spouse, parent, or child of an MSDH employee, serves as a member of the governing body, project staff, or has an ownership or pecuniary interest in the agreement/contract or organization. I agree to notify MSDH within thirty (30) days if any of these conditions change during the agreement/contract.

• Other
• Debarment, Suspension, and Eligibility (required) —

  The applicant certifies that they or any of its principals _____ presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, or declared ineligible for award of federal or state contracts.

  Select the answer which best fills in the blank for the applicant.

• Charges From A Government Agency (required) —

  The applicant certifies that they or any of its principals _____ presently indicted for, or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a government entity.

  Select the answer which best fills in the blank for the applicant.

• Conviction or Acknowledgment of Fault (required) —

  The applicant certifies that they or any of its principals _____ within the last five (5) years, been the subject of a federal or state criminal proceeding resulting in a conviction or other acknowledgment of fault, been the subject of a federal or state civil or administrative proceeding resulting in a finding of fault with a monetary fine, penalty, reimbursement, restitution, and/or damages greater than $5,000 or other acknowledgment of fault;  convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them for commission of fraud or criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (federal, state or local) contract or subcontract; violation of Federal or State antitrust statues relating to the submission of offers; or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements or receiving stolen property.

  Select the answer which best fills in the blank for the applicant.

• Contract Termination By Default (required) —

  The applicant certifies that they or any of its principals _____ within the last five (5) years preceding this offer, had one or more contracts terminated for default by any federal agency.

  Select the answer which best fills in the blank for the applicant.

• Felony Criminal Violations (required) —

  The applicant certifies that they or any of its principals _____ within the last five (5) years, been convicted of a felony criminal violation under federal or state law.

  Select the answer which best fills in the blank for the applicant.

• Financial Records (required) —

  Does the applicant have a financial management system that provides records that can identify the source and award-supported activities and provides control and accountability of project funds, property, and other assets?

• Audit Status / Fiscal Responsibility (required) —

  Does the applicant receive an annual audit in accordance with Uniform Guidance §200.514 (formerly A-133)?

• Most Recent Audit (required) —

  What is the most recent fiscal year for which this audit was completed?

• Report Findings (required) —

  Were there any audit findings in the most recent report?

  If "Yes", please be sure to provide an explanation in the applicable upcoming question. Failure to provide an explanation may cause your submittal to be deemed non-responsive.

• Recent Audit Report —

  Please upload a copy of your most recent Uniform Guidance §200.514 (formerly A-133) Audit Report.

• Explanation or Other Information (required) —

  Please provide any additional information around your Audit Status that you feel is necessary here. This includes an explanation regarding any audit findings in your most recent audit.

  If you have nothing to add here, please state that you have no additional information to provide.

• No Annual Audit (required) —

  You have stated that the applicant does not receive an annual audit in accordance with Uniform Guidance §200.514 (formerly A-133).

  Please select the option which best fits the reason why.

• No Annual Audit - Other (required) —

  If you selected "Other" in the previous question regarding why you do not receive an annual audit in accordance with Uniform Guidance §200.514 (formerly A-133) please specify here.

  If your answer to the previous question was not "Other", please respond here with "N/A".

• Supplemental Information —

  Applicant will provide any required supplemental information as outlined in this Request to be submitted with the Application. 

• Please acknowledge that any work performed prior to execution is done at the vendor’s own risk and may not be eligible for payment. MSDH reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to determine on a case-by-case basis whether payment is allowable based on the particular circumstances. (required)
• Competition/Joint Efforts Verbiage (required) —

  Should the language for Competition/Joint Efforts be used in this RFA?

• Statement of Need (required) —

  Is there a Statement of Need required with submittals for this RFA?

• Estimated Dollar Amount (required) —

  What is the estimated dollar amount budgeted for this request?

• Funding Information —

  Be sure that the following three financial info pieces add up to 100% or this will not be approved.

• Internal Order (required) —

  Please specify the internal order information. Be sure to include the % of each internal order. If there are multiple internal orders, please separate each with a comma and be sure they add up to 100% or your posting will not be approved.

  EXAMPLE 1
  30000035771  100%

• Functional Area (required) —

  Please specify the functional area information. Be sure to include the % of each functional area. If there are multiple functional areas, please separate each with a comma and be sure they add up to 100% or your posting will not be approved.

  EXAMPLE 1
  13010101000000DV  100%

• Cost Center (required) —

  Please specify the cost center information. Be sure to include the % of each cost center. If there are multiple cost centers, please separate each with a comma and be sure they add up to 100% or your posting will not be approved.

  EXAMPLE 1
  1301010707  100%