The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has made $60 million in Affordable Care Act grants available to states and communities to help people better understand and navigate their health and long-term care options.
HHS’ Administration on Aging (AoA) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will work collaboratively to award funds for an integrated approach that focuses on the unique needs of seniors, disabled Americans, and their caregivers as they seek healthcare and long-term care. “These new grants, authorized under the new law, will help seniors, individuals with disabilities, and their families get better quality care and more control. We’ve also streamlined the process for states and people who rely on these funds,” said HHS Secretary Sebelius.
The purpose of this new grant program is to create streamlined, coordinated statewide systems of information, counseling, and access that will help people find consumer-friendly answers they seek to meet their healthcare needs. AoA and CMS will administer the funding through separate announcements, but will coordinate implementation and monitoring through a single process.
Some specific areas of focus will include: assisting individuals who are under-served and hard to reach with information about their Medicare and Medicaid benefits, helping older adults and individuals with disabilities live at home or in settings of their choosing with the right supports, assisting people transition from hospital or nursing home stays back into the community, and strengthening linkages between the medical and social service systems. Funds will be available to states, area agencies on aging, State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs), and Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs). Through the grant program, states and local aging and disability programs will receive funds to:
▪ provide outreach and assistance to Medicare beneficiaries on their Medicare benefits including prevention;
▪use additional funds through a competitive process to provide options counseling on health and long-term care through ADRCs;
▪ use additional funds through a c competitive process to strengthen the ADRCs role in Money follows the Person program and support state Medicaid agencies as they transition individuals from nursing homes to community-based care; and
▪ coordinate and continue to embed tested Care Transition models that integrate the medical and social service systems to help older individuals and those with disabilities remain in their own homes and communities after a hospital, rehabilitation, or skilled nursing facility visit.
The deadline for grant applications is July 30, 2010. Grants will be awarded in September. Click here for more information about this grant opportunity.