Corrections_Today_Spring_2026_Vol.88_No.1

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– Sets an April 6, 2026 compli ance date. – Retires prior 2021 IPCS pric ing rules once the interim caps take effect.

whether the additive should vary by facility size or type. – Whether to maintain the current ban on ancillary fees, or allow limited reinstatement of automated payment fees and third-party transac tion fees. What comes next The Final Rule sets the interim rates and compliance expectations now governing IPCS providers and facilities. The Proposed Rule opens the next phase of the rulemaking: determining permanent nationwide rates and refining cost-reporting requirements under the Martha Wright-Reed Act. Stakeholders — including correc tions agencies, providers, consumer advocates, and state and local gov ernments — are encouraged to participate in the comment process as the FCC moves toward a perma nent framework. President Trump signs SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act into law President Donald Trump signed into law the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthoriza tion Act (H.R. 2483), renewing and updating federal opioid and addic tion-response programs that had expired in 2023. The law reauthorizes and updates Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) programs focused on substance use disorders, overdoses, and mental and behavioral health for

FY2026–FY2030. It restores funding for: – Substance use treatment for pregnant and postpartum women – Youth prevention and recovery programs – Housing and community-based supports for individuals in recovery – Loan repayment for provid ers treating substance use disorders – Overdose prevention programs – Treatment for children experiencing psychological trauma – Mental and behavioral health training for medical and allied health students resources to include drugs/de vices for non-opioid overdoses – Expanding employment ser vices for people in recovery, including transportation – Temporarily authorizing a regional technical assistance center to support the National Peer-Run Training and Tech nical Assistance Center for Addiction Recovery Support New HHS directives – Protect the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline from cyber security threats – Create a federal interagency work group on fentanyl con tamination of illegal drugs – Review and potentially revise scheduling of certain buprenor phine/naloxone products under the Controlled Substances Act → Key revisions included in the law – Expanding first responder

Stakeholders — including corrections agencies, providers, consumer advocates, and state and local governments — are encouraged to participate in the comment process as the FCC moves toward a permanent framework. Proposed Rule: FCC Seeks Comment on Permanent Rates Proposed Rule (90 FR 56115) Alongside the Final Rule, the FCC issued a Proposed Rule seeking additional comment and data to es tablish permanent audio and video rate caps. Key issues for comment – How to structure permanent

IPCS rate caps that are fair, reasonable, and reflective of actual costs.

– Whether the FCC should refine future IPCS data collections to ensure complete cost reporting. – How to design a permanent facility-cost additive, including

Spring 2026 | Corrections Today

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