A Guide for Law Enforcement Wellness Directors 

Overview of the LEMHWA Program 

The Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA) Implementation Projects grant program, administered by the COPS Office, provides critical funding to support officer wellness initiatives. For FY 2025, the program will distribute a total of $9.8 million in awards to help agencies deliver and improve access to mental health and wellness services for law enforcement officers and their families. 

Key Grant Details: 

• Award Length: 24 months (October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2027)
• Maximum Award: $200,000 total ($100,000 per year)
• Local Match: Not required
• Application Deadline: The SF-424 must be submitted by Tuesday, June 24, 2025, with the full application due by June 30, 2025.
• Eligibility: State, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies with primary law enforcement authority
• Restrictions: Agencies that received LEMHWA funding in FY23 or FY24 are not eligible

Grant Program Focus Areas 

LEMHWA funding must be used for new programming or to expand existing mental health and wellness efforts in areas including: 

• Peer support services/training
• Counseling/clinical services
• Suicide prevention services
• Stress management and resilience training
• Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM)
• Family support services
• Mental health technology and software 

The program especially values proposals demonstrating multi-jurisdictional partnerships, services for both sworn and non-sworn personnel, family support, participant confidentiality, leadership buy-in, and measurable evaluation plans. 

Important Links 

• Grant Homepage
• PDF: Notice of Funding Opportunity Guide
• PDF: Pre-Award Fact Sheet
• PDF: Frequently Asked Questions
• PDF: Required Application Questions
• PDF: Allowable/Unallowable Cost List
• PDF: Resource Guide

How First Sign^® Precision Wellness Aligns with LEMHWA Funding 

First Sign Precision Wellness offers a comprehensive, research-based officer wellness platform that directly aligns with the LEMHWA grant objectives and allowable costs.  The COPS Office specifically includes ‘mental health and wellness applications/platforms’ as an eligible expense under the ‘Other Costs’ category.

1) Identify Those in Need

First Sign uses advanced data science to proactively identify officers who may need additional wellness support:  

• Trauma Indicators: Analyzes CAD/RMS data to detect exposure to critical incidents and trauma
• Anniversary Alerts: Notifies supervisors of significant event anniversaries that may affect officers
• Fatigue Analysis: Monitors time log data to identify officers experiencing exhaustion
• Research-Based Approach: Leverages over 70 million data points and research partnerships with academic institutions.

LEMHWA Alignment: Supports implementation of peer support networks and enables targeted mental health interventions 

2) Build the Wellness Plan

First Sign facilitates structured wellness planning to ensure officers receive appropriate support:  

• Guided Supervisor Check-ins: Provides scripts and step-by-step guidance for wellness conversations
• Confidential Case Management: Tracks follow-through on wellness plans while maintaining privacy
• 24/7 Clinical Support: Connects supervisors and officers with trauma-informed, culturally competent clinicians
   

LEMHWA Alignment: Enhances mental health programming with structured support systems

3) Support Resilience

First Sign delivers research-proven interventions to build officer resilience: 

• Benchmark Wellness Academy™: Provides comprehensive online training proven through randomized control trials to
  • Improve sleep by 18 minutes per night
  • Reduce depression scores by 2 points
  • Decrease PTSD symptoms by 50%
  • Lower anxiety symptoms by 33%
  • Reduce episodes of falling asleep while driving by 45%
• Scheduled Counseling: Connects officers to culturally competent clinicians for up to three sessions
• Crisis Support: Provides 24/7 access to mental health professionals during emergencies

 LEMHWA Alignment: Delivers stress management, resilience training, and suicide prevention resources 

Making the Case for First Sign Precision Wellness in Your LEMHWA Application 

Emphasize Research-Based Outcomes 

LEMHWA applications are strengthened by demonstrating measurable outcomes. First Sign’s research partnerships with Washington State University and other academic institutions provide strong evidence of effectiveness to include in your application. 

Focus on Comprehensive Support 

Highlight how First Sign addresses multiple LEMHWA priorities in a single platform: 

• Peer support facilitation 
• Mental health accessibility 
• Suicide prevention 
• Stress management 
• Family support integration 

Showcase Confidentiality Protection 

LEMHWA values programs that ensure participant confidentiality. Benchmark’s secure, role-based access controls and privacy-focused approach protect officer information while enabling necessary support. 

Evaluation Planning 

Benchmark’s analytics capabilities provide built-in program evaluation metrics, strengthening your application’s evaluation plan by demonstrating how you’ll track the impact of your wellness initiatives.  

Budget Considerations 

Support the implementation of Benchmark’s First Sign Precision Wellness in part through grant funding. When preparing your LEMHWA budget narrative, consider: 

• First Sign Precision Wellness falls under “Mental health and wellness applications/platforms” in the “Other Costs” category 
• Demonstrate how the platform delivers multiple wellness objectives in a single package 
• Explain how the software represents a sustainable investment extending beyond the grant period

Next Steps 

To learn more about First Sign Precision Wellness and how it can strengthen your LEMHWA application, contact Benchmark Analytics. Our team will provide detailed information about implementation timelines, pricing, and grant compatibility to support your application process. 

For more information about the LEMHWA Program, visit: https://cops.usdoj.gov/lemhwa 

*This blog post was generated with the help of artificial intelligence.