GPRA has never stopped rearing its ugly head quietly

Abstract

The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) as used by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to monitor grants has always been detested. Who wants to have to prove that taxpayer money used to prevent and treat substance use disorders (SUDs) is successful all of the time? But the problems with the GPRA tool, a questionnaire to be filled out by patients, have only magnified in an era in which abstinence has been seen as less important in the success of recovery, an ongoing process. This is also a time in which everyone recognizes that SUDs are chronic and relapsing disorders — not a new fact.