General Trust Information
Use our Contact Us Form to submit a question.
See the court order creating the trust and Exhibit E documents.
See the Meeting Information and Resources page for more information.
For questions regarding conflicts of interest, please see the Order at paragraph VIII.D., which refers to the Public Official and Employee Ethics Act, 65 Pa. C.S. §§ 1101-1113.
The Trust intends to comply with the Sunshine Act, 65 Pa. C.S. §§ 701-716, as required under the Order establishing the Trust at paragraph VIII.C.
Payments, Distribution, Reporting and Extensions
A summary of payments received by the Trust and payments made and anticipated to be made by the Trust is available here.
This information is available on the Trust website here.
The timing for payment disbursements is laid out in Section V.D.6 of the Trust Order and detailed on the Trust homepage here.
The funds will be distributed using the same formula. The court order will be amended to reflect the additional settlements.
It is the preference of the Trust and the intent of the settlements that the funds be put to use as quickly as possible, in order to help remediate the opioid epidemic in Pennsylvania. During the allocation discussions which resulted in the Trust order there was consensus that those funds would be paid and spent as promptly as possible, to accomplish this objective. Therefore, while the Trust would entertain specific uses that would be spread out over a longer period of time, it is anticipated that the funds would be spent as quickly as possible.
The Trust receives and disburses settlement funds to the Commonwealth, counties, and subdivisions. The Trust will also receive and compile reports on fund use from the counties. That information will be posted on the Trust website in 2024. Specific concerns regarding fund use can be shared with the Trust once that process is complete. In the meantime, concerns regarding county spending may be directed to the individual counties.
The Trust does not have a requirement for a bid process. That is a county/subdivision decision.
If the PCCD grant is for a substance use disorder program, settlement funds may be used as a match for this grant as long they are to be spent according to the uses authorized in the settlement agreements and in accordance with Exhibit E.
The Trust receives and disburses settlement funds to the Commonwealth, counties, and subdivisions. While the Trust has made every effort to keep administrative costs to a minimum, the Trust has engaged the expertise of Penn State University, University of Pittsburgh, and Temple University to review and compile annual reports on fund usage as well as support for administrative services from the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.
There is currently no settlement agreement with Endo International because the company declared bankruptcy. Settlement proceeds (if any) will be distributed according to the bankruptcy plan.
Recovery Resources
The Trust is not able to provide legal advice regarding individual claims or other non-Trust matters and suggests anyone with legal questions seek advice from their own legal counsel.
The Trust receives and disburses settlement funds to the Commonwealth, counties, and subdivisions. Pennsylvania counties have drug and alcohol offices called Single County Authorities. These programs utilize focus groups, which include individuals and families impacted by OUD, to oversee the delivery of treatment and prevention services in each county.
The Trust receives and disburses settlement funds to the Commonwealth, counties, and subdivisions. Resources for recovery programs are available on the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs website. County health and human services departments would be an additional resource.
Exhibit E
The Board of Trustees (“Board”) of the Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust (“Trust”) is not specifically authorized to provide advance input to recipients of distributions of Trust funds (or others) with respect to a proposed use of such funds other than to advise that only uses listed on Exhibit E to the Settlement Agreements are authorized by the Settlement Agreements and the Commonwealth Court Order (“Order”) establishing the Trust. Recognizing that recipients may need some level of guidance on such authorized uses and in an effort to maximize appropriate uses of such funds in compliance with the Settlement Agreements and Order, a technical advisory group provides responses to various submitted questions raised by recipients of Trust funds (or others). Such responses should be considered informational in nature and should not be considered to be deliberations, the results of deliberations or official action of the Board of Trustees or the technical advisory group.
Subject to the cautionary note above, the technical advisory group will recommend that the Board of Trustees accept a use of funds for administration of abatement activities and programs as outlined in Exhibit E. Funds shall not be used for general administrative expenses. Administrative funds should not exceed 3% of abatement funds received. Please note, any earned interest may be used for general administrative expenses.
Subject to the cautionary note above, the technical advisory group will recommend that the Board of Trustees accept a use of funds for a school resource officer but please note that only the percentage of time that the officer spends on OUD, as outlined in Exhibit E, would be considered allowable spending.
Subject to the cautionary note above, the technical advisory group will recommend that the Board of Trustees accept a use of funds for capital expenditures. The trust recommends securing a loan should the need exceed the 18-month period. Recipients who are undertaking capital expenditures may hold payments longer than 18 months if they have sought and received approval to do so from the Trust for a designated capital project. However, it is the Trust's strong preference that capital projects be undertaken with loans so that they can get up and running as soon as possible, with settlement funds paying for the cost of the line over time. If funds are held longer than 18 months without approval from the Trust, the recipient may be denied future funding by the Trust, consistent with the terms of the Trust Order.
Since the services of an assistant public defender are required to be provided by the counties, the costs associated with their position would not be considered an abatement strategy. Please note programs and services for treatment within the criminal justice system are included in Schedule B to Exhibit E.
Subject to the cautionary note above, the technical advisory group will recommend that the Board of Trustees accept the use of funds for the purchase of a body scanner as outlined in Exhibit E. As a general recommendation, please confirm the efficacy of the equipment and limit the use of funds to no more than 50% of funds received to purchase any one piece of equipment. The technical advisory group recommends that counties ensure funding is being provided to programs that support Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and any co-occurring Substance Use Disorder or Mental Health (SUD/MH) conditions through evidence-based or evidence-informed programs.
Unless there is additional information for a specific usage related to OUD, AEDs are not considered opioid remediation and the technical advisory group could not recommend to the Board of Trustees that it accept such use of funds pursuant to Exhibit E of the settlement agreements. The Trust recommends ensuring funding is being provided to programs that support Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and any co-occurring Substance Use Disorder or Mental Health (SUD/MH) conditions through evidence-based or evidence-informed programs.
Subject to the cautionary note above, the technical advisory group will recommend that the Board of Trustees accept a use of funds for fentanyl test strips as described in Exhibit E.
Subject to the cautionary note above, the technical advisory group will recommend that the Board of Trustees accept a use of funds for supplies being reimbursed. However, the EMS service costs and fees are not permissible. EMS can utilize the funding to receive supplies and training. This is the only permissible use of funds for that service.
Subject to the cautionary note above, the technical advisory group will recommend that the Board of Trustees accept a use of funds for supportive services with a for profit entity as long as the services provided are included in Exhibit E. The technical advisory group recommends ensuring that funding is being provided to programs that support Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and any co-occurring Substance Use Disorder or Mental Health (SUD/MH) conditions through evidence-based or evidence-informed programs.
Subject to the cautionary note above, the technical advisory group will recommend that the Board of Trustees accept the use of funds for these items, however, please note that only the percentage of time spent on OUD, as outlined in Exhibit E, would be considered allowable spending. Any other services provided, including services for a police task force, would reduce the amount of settlement funds that can be allocated to these items.
Subject to the cautionary note above, the technical advisory group will recommend that the Board of Trustees accept the use of funds for the establishment of a Mortality Review Team but please note that only the percentage of time spent on OUD, as outlined in Exhibit E, would be considered allowable spending.
Subject to the cautionary note above, the technical advisory group will recommend that the Board of Trustees accept the use of funds for these items, however, please note that only the percentage of time spent on OUD, as outlined in Exhibit E, would be considered allowable spending. Any other services provided, including services for a police task force, would reduce the amount of settlement funds that can be allocated to these items.
Subject to the cautionary note above, the technical advisory group will recommend that the Board of Trustees accept a use of funds for the Bridge device. The technical advisory group recommends ensuring that funding is being provided to programs that support Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and any co-occurring Substance Use Disorder or Mental Health (SUD/MH) conditions through evidence-based or evidence-informed programs.
Any settlement funds used for a county Drug Task Force must directly support the OUD community, any type of policing activity would not be considered allowable spending. Additionally, a county must be able to demonstrate that all fund use is in accordance with Exhibit E.
The Trust receives and disburses settlement funds to the Commonwealth, counties, and subdivisions. The Trust does not dictate how settlement funds are to be spent. As long as settlement funds are spent according to the uses authorized in the settlement agreements and in accordance with Exhibit E, program identification and spending decisions are the discretion of the counties and subdivisions.
The Trust receives and disburses settlement funds to the Commonwealth, counties, and subdivisions. The Trust does not dictate how settlement funds are to be spent. As long as settlement funds are spent according to the uses authorized in the settlement agreements and in accordance with Exhibit E, program identification and spending decisions are the discretion of the counties and subdivisions.
The use of funds for administrative expenses is restricted to abatement activities and programs as outlined in Exhibit E. Oversight and management of the funds would be considered an administrative expense. Whether it is a government entity or non-governmental entity, funds shall not be used for general administrative expenses, including oversight and management of the funds. The recipient of the funds is ultimately responsible for fund oversight. Please note, any earned interest on settlement funds may be used for general administrative expenses.
The use of funds for administrative expenses is restricted to abatement activities and programs as outlined in Exhibit E. Funds shall not be used for general administrative expenses, including bank fees. Please note, any earned interest on settlement funds may be used for general administrative expenses.