Expanding Opportunities for Recovery Act of 2026

This legislation authorizes the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use to award grants to states, acting through the Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. These grants are specifically designed to expand access to clinically appropriate services for individuals suffering from opioid abuse, dependence, or addiction. To receive funding, states must agree that services provided will be evidence-based , such as medication-assisted treatment, and delivered according to a physician's or clinician's recommendation for optimal, medically necessary care. These services are exclusively for individuals who either lack health insurance or whose existing insurance does not cover such services, or imposes significant barriers like time limits or stringent nonquantitative treatment limitations. However, grant funds cannot be used to subsidize more than 60 consecutive days of treatment for any single individual. States may use lawfully marketed and clinically indicated medications in conjunction with other treatments, provided they are offered consistent with consumer choice. The Assistant Secretary is also tasked with coordinating this program with existing substance abuse prevention and treatment initiatives, and with evaluating grant activities, requiring states to report on key outcome measures such as decreases in substance use and retention in care.