HHS-2015-ACL-CCASD-MP-0091.pdf

Administration for Community Living

Center for Consumer Access and Self-Determination

Senior Medicare Patrol Projects - Empowering Seniors to Prevent Health Care Fraud

HHS-2015-ACL-CCASD-MP-0091

Application Due Date: 04/14/2015

Senior Medicare Patrol Projects - Empowering Seniors to Prevent Health Care Fraud

HHS-2015-ACL-CCASD-MP-0091

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview

Executive Summary Funding Opportunity DescriptionI.

Award InformationII.

Eligibility Information

Eligible Applicants1.

Cost Sharing or Matching2.

Responsiveness and Screening Criteria3.

III.

Application and Submission Information

Address to Request Application Package1.

Content and Form of Application Submission2.

Submission Dates and Times3.

Intergovernmental Review4.

Funding Restrictions5.

Other Submission Requirements6.

IV.

Application Review Information

Criteria1.

Review and Selection Process2.

Anticipated Announcement Award Date3.

V.

Award Administration Information

Award Notices1.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements2.

Reporting3.

FFATA and FSRS Reporting4.

VI.

Agency ContactsVII.

Other InformationVIII.

Department of Health & Human Services Administration for Community Living

Center for Consumer Access and Self-Determination Senior Medicare Patrol Projects - Empowering Seniors to Prevent Health Care Fraud Initial

HHS-2015-ACL-CCASD-MP-0091

93.048 03/06/2015 04/14/2015 03/04/2015

Applications that fail to meet the application due date will not be reviewed and will receive no further consideration. You are strongly encouraged to submit your application a minimum of 3-5 days prior to the application closing date. Do not wait until the last day in the event you encounter technical difficulties, either on your end or, with http://www.grants.gov. Grants.gov can take up to 48 hours to notify you of a successful submission.

Executive Summary

The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Program includes 54 project grants in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. SMP projects have made great progress in recruiting and training volunteers on Medicare errors, fraud and abuse. These volunteers empower and assist Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to prevent, detect, and report health care fraud, errors, and abuse through outreach, counseling, and education.

SMP projects actively work to disseminate SMP fraud prevention and identification information through the media, outreach campaigns, community events and also working with beneficiaries who present with complex cases such as compromised Medicare numbers. Through these efforts, beneficiaries contact the projects with inquiries and complaints regarding Medicare, Medicaid and other health care or related consumer issues.

With this funding opportunity ACL anticipates awarding up to 54 new cooperative agreements using two separate funding streams. One source of funding is for the base SMP project award using Older Americans Act funding and a second is for additional SMP activities using funds from the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Act (HCFAC). Applicants will be required to submit a single comprehensive budget outlining their project activities under each funding stream.

ACL anticipates awarding 54 new SMP cooperative agreements to be awarded using the following breakout:

Base Award - Older Americans Act funds: at a federal share of up $180,000 per budget year for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico Base Award – Older Americans Act funds: at a federal share of up to $75,000 per budget year for Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands HCFAC Funds: will be allocated to successful applicants based on the total Medicare beneficiary

ACL Center:

Funding Opportunity Title:

Announcement Type:

Funding Opportunity Number:

Primary CFDA Number:

Due Date For Letter of Intent:

Due Date for Applications:

Date for Informational Conference Call:

http://www.grants.gov population in each state and the amount of frontier area in each state or territory.

All awards will be subject to the availability of federal funds and have a project period of up to three years.

One SMP grant will be awarded to cover each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

An informational teleconference will be held on Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 3:00 pm

(ET).

The call in number is: 1-800-857-2889; Passcode: 1176603

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Program History

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) estimates that Medicare loses billions of dollars each year due to errors, fraud, and abuse. These losses are due, to a considerable extent, to the many ways in which the funds are disbursed as well as to the sheer magnitude of health care expenditures. Both factors increase the probability of errors while opening wider opportunities for fraud and abuse. While the vast majority of health care providers are honest, those operating unscrupulously, intent on obtaining vital health care dollars illegally, have done so based on the perception that the risks of detection have lessened over the years.

Beginning in 1997, the ACL established twelve local demonstration projects designed to recruit and train retired professionals, such as doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, accountants, and others to identify and report errors, fraud, and abuse. Implemented through the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriation Act of 1997 (Public Law 104-208), Senate Report 104-368 noted that “senior citizens are our best front line defense against these losses, but they often don’t have the information and experience needed” to recognize and accurately report cases of error, fraud, and abuse. The Report further noted that “thousands of retired accountants, health professionals, investigators, teachers, and others … with appropriate training could serve as volunteer expert resources and educators for seniors in their communities.” Accordingly, these projects have worked to test different models designed to train retirees in local communities to serve as both volunteer resources and educators for other Medicare beneficiaries, and to build and strengthen community coalitions of older Americans and service providers.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) established a national Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control (HCFAC) Program designed to coordinate federal, state, and local law enforcement activities with respect to healthcare fraud and abuse. Now in its seventeenth year of operation, the program continues to demonstrate its success in protecting beneficiaries by identifying and prosecuting the most egregious instances of healthcare fraud and preventing future fraud and abuse. As a partner in these fraud control initiatives, ACL provides HCFAC funds for the SMP program, so that grantees may further their efforts to recruit, train, and support a network of volunteers who provide outreach and education to Medicare beneficiaries on preventing, identifying, and reporting healthcare fraud.

SMP Program Today

The SMP Program includes 54 project grants in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. SMP projects have made great progress in recruiting and training volunteers of all ages on Medicare errors, fraud and abuse. These volunteers empower and assist Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to prevent, detect, and report health care fraud, errors, and abuse through outreach, counseling, and education.

SMP projects actively work to disseminate SMP fraud prevention and identification information through the media, outreach campaigns, community events and also working with beneficiaries who present with complex cases such as compromised Medicare numbers. Through these efforts, beneficiaries contact the projects with inquiries and complaints regarding Medicare, Medicaid and other health care or related consumer issues.

Another key role of the SMP project is to address such inquiries and complaints, either by resolving matters directly or by referrals to appropriate entities. In 2013, SMP projects referred 698 complaints to state and national fraud control /consumer protection entities, including Medicare contractors, state Medicaid fraud control units, state attorneys general, the OIG, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Capturing SMP program activity data, to include tracking and reporting of beneficiary complaints, referrals, savings and other outcomes in the data reporting system is also a key function of the SMP project.

The Office of the Inspector General collects performance data that is submitted from the SMP projects via the SMP data system annually. The most recent OIG report, dated June 13, 2014, documented the following program outputs and outcomes from January 1 through December 31, 2013:

5,406 active volunteers worked to educate beneficiaries about how to prevent Medicare and Medicaid fraud;

Educated beneficiaries in 14,924 group education sessions reaching 501,405 beneficiaries and held 148,235 one-on-one counseling sessions;

Conducted 10,545 community outreach education events;

Resolved 114,625 simple inquiries for information or assistance from beneficiaries and 1,674 inquiries involving complex issues;

Referred for further investigation over 698 complaints of potential fraud, errors or abuse from beneficiaries; and Expected Medicare and Medicaid recoveries that were attributable to the projects were $9.1 million.

Savings to beneficiaries and other totaled $41,718 and cost avoidance on behalf of Medicare, Medicaid, beneficiaries and others was $143,282.

In addition, the OIG reports that since the program’s inception 18 years ago, SMP projects have:

Educated beneficiaries in 123,749 group education sessions reaching 4.5 million beneficiaries and

1.4 million one-on- one counseling sessions;

Conducted 2.3 million media airings and 183,808 community outreach education events;

Documented over $121 million in savings, including Medicare and Medicaid funds recovered: and Total savings to beneficiaries and other payers were approximately $6.9 million and total cost avoidance on behalf of Medicare, Medicaid beneficiaries and others equaled $8.8 million.

SMP Strategic Program Goals and Objectives

The goal of SMP Project grants is to empower Medicare beneficiaries to prevent health care fraud through outreach, counseling, and education. Program coverage must target vulnerable, hard-to- reach beneficiaries, their families, caregivers, and other consumers. The purpose of this competition is to provide the opportunity to fund one (1) SMP Project in each eligible state and jurisdiction for a project period of up to three (3) years based on the availability of federal funds.

Applicants under this announcement are required to design and implement strategies to address each of the following SMP Strategic Program Objectives:

Foster statewide program coverage.1.

Applicants must provide a comprehensive plan with appropriate strategies to achieve statewide coverage. Statewide program coverage is defined for this purpose as the capacity to provide service and be available for one-on-one assistance in each county within the state or territory subsection.

One-on-one assistance can be provided in person or over the phone. Types and levels of service shall be specified as well as strategies or approaches by which statewide coverage will be achieved and enhanced. Examples of appropriate strategies that may be used to ensure statewide program coverage include: development of a volunteer network through formal or informal partnering; sub-granting or contracting with other area, regional or statewide organizations; use of toll-free lines; development of web sites and web-based strategies; and implementation of statewide media and outreach plans.

2. Provide high quality beneficiary education and inquiry resolution.

Applicants must propose a plan, with specific performance goals and measures, for beneficiary education and inquiry resolution. Plans should include the development of volunteer program capacity within the state through robust volunteer recruitment, management, and training.

Plans should also include specific strategies to enhance volunteer recruitment, screening, training, and management of volunteers in order to reduce risk, provide more effective service, and enhance the quality of beneficiary education.

In 2009 ACL began the process of developing and implementing a Volunteer Risk and Program Management (VRPM) project designed to decrease and manage risks related to volunteer involvement in SMPs and increase the management and coordination of volunteer efforts. As part of this project ACL developed comprehensive VRPM policies and procedures to provide guidance and direction to staff and volunteers. All SMP project grantees are required to implement and practice the VRPM policies and procedures as laid out in the VRPM plan which can be found on the ACL website here: http://www.aoa.acl.gov/AoA_Programs/Elder_Rights/SMP/SMPpolicies.aspx. The SMP VRPM project provides a framework that allows each individual SMP project to have the flexibility and responsibility to develop their own volunteer risk and program management policies and procedures. NOTE: Any new (non-incumbent) SMP project grantees will be given a reasonable amount of time to implement these policies. Successful non-incumbent applicants will be asked to negotiate this timeline with ACL individually after awards are made.

In implementing VRPM and managing their projects, applicants should utilize best practice models and proven approaches for recruiting, screening, training, and managing volunteers to help ensure these individuals are provided the skills and information required to best accomplish the mission of the SMP program. Identifying and appropriately managing risks related to volunteer involvement and service delivery is an important aspect of effective volunteer program management. Proposals should provide approaches that ensure volunteers are appropriately screened to ensure ability to perform assigned duties and to identify potential conflicts of interest. Proposals should also provide approaches that ensure volunteers are trained thoroughly and provided ongoing supervision and support to ensure the safety, integrity and professionalism of the SMP workforce. Proposals shall provide for procedures and practices to ensure that confidentiality of program information is maintained.

In every case, applicants should propose activities that will effectively employ the unique skills, varied experiences, good will, and availability of volunteers in assisting beneficiaries to become more educated about their health care expenditures under Medicare and Medicaid.

3. Improve the efficiency of the SMP program while increasing results for both operational and quality measures.

ACL utilizes the SMP data system to collect data, track, assess, and measure program performance.

In addition, ACL uses data to assess SMP project progress in reaching SMP Strategic Program Objectives, including volunteer recruitment, training and management activities, populations served, and quality of grantee program efforts. Hence, applicant plans must reflect priorities, activities and staff/system capacity to capture project performance data using the active SMP data system.

ACL is currently in the process of developing a new data reporting system for SMP. Applicants should include in their plans appropriate time, staff, and/or resources to integrate the new system into their programs when it becomes available. The anticipated roll-out for the new system is October 1, 2015. Training and details on this transition should become available to grantees during the summer http://www.aoa.acl.gov/AoA_Programs/Elder_Rights/SMP/SMPpolicies.aspx of 2015.

4. Target training and education to isolated and hard-to-reach populations.

The Older Americans Act requires that program services target vulnerable populations that are traditionally underserved due to isolation, ethnic, cultural, language barriers, socioeconomic or other factors. Applicants are required to identify specific target populations within the state, and provide a plan to reach these high priority populations through innovative and collaborative methods. Plans to reach the state’s target population/s should reflect one or more innovative outreach strategies.

Applicants must provide plans for evaluation of the success of targeting plans in achieving program goals through analysis of program data captured in the SMP data system.

Elements of SMP Management and Operations Plan

The applicant must propose a detailed plan for the management and operation of the SMP Project. The plan should contain the following elements, as cross-referenced to the preceding SMP Program Objectives (these elements are also reflected in the Cooperative Agreement found later in this Funding Announcement). This includes:

developing a systematic workplan for the project period;

providing a comprehensive plan for statewide program coverage that identifies national, statewide and community-based collaborations and innovations designed to address and reach the identified priority populations (see SMP Objective #1);

developing formal partnerships, collaborations and other arrangements with local, state and federally-financed organizations within the aging, law enforcement, health care, and target population networks as needed to enhance the effectiveness and statewide reach of the SMP project (See SMP Objectives #1 & 4);

researching the demographics of the populations to be served, identifying barriers to program access, and developing outreach strategies specifically designed to overcome these barriers and better serve the target population, including recruitment of volunteers with language and other skills to help reach minority communities (see SMP Objectives #1 & 4);

outlining a planned approach to be adopted for SMP volunteer recruitment, screening, training, and risk management that is based upon accepted professional volunteer management methods and practice (see SMP Objectives # 2 & 3) developing a training plan that provides staff and volunteers the information necessary to perform the work of the SMP program (see SMP Objective #2), including foundation level competency in:

1) basic mission and functions of the SMP program; 2) Medicare basics; and 3) health care fraud, errors, and abuse. The training plan should also provide for development of effective skills in conducting educational presentations and outreach; resolution of beneficiary inquiries and complaints; and making appropriate referrals for further action. The training plan should also cite the training materials/resources to be used to achieve these objectives.

developing proposed strategies for media activities designed to: 1) expand public awareness of health care fraud prevention methods; 2) expand program capacity through recruitment of new volunteers; and 3) to inform beneficiaries of the SMP program and how it can assist them (see SMP Objective #1 & 2);

developing a statewide education and outreach plan based on assessment of trends, issues, reported scams, role of partner organizations, underserved populations and areas of the state, and beneficiary complaints reported within the statewide service area (See SMP Objectives #1 & 4); and developing a plan to evaluate project performance (see SMP Objective #3). The plan will include methods for assessment of areas of low performance, identification of obstacles to full performance, and strategies for performance improvement for all performance measures.

Statutory Authority

The statutory authorities for grants under this program announcement are contained in Title II and Title IV of the Older Americans Act, (42 U.S.C. 3032), as amended by the Older Americans Act of 2006, P.L.

109-356 (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 93.048, Title IV Discretionary Projects); and in HIPAA of 1996 (PL 104-191).

II. Award Information

Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement Estimated Total Funding: $14,200,000 Expected Number of Awards: 54 Award Ceiling: $493,881 Per Project Period Award Floor: $75,000 Per Project Period Average Projected Award Amount: $274,848 Per Project Period 36-month project with three 12-month budget periods

ACL plans to fund up to 54 new SMP projects under this award for a total project period of three (3) years comprised of three (3) budget periods. All awards will be made contingent upon the availability of federal funds.

Each successful applicant will receive one Notice of Award with two funding streams: one for the SMP Base award comprised of Older Americans Act funds, and the second to further SMP activities using HCFAC funding.

To ensure that limited funding for this program is most effectively used to maximize national program coverage, it is necessary to limit the number of SMP grantees to one (1) per state, district or territory. By eliminating duplicative or overlapping awards to more than one organization within a state, ACL not only maximizes national program coverage, but ensures greater equity in allocation of SMP services to Medicare beneficiaries irrespective of their state of residence.

Funds for this project are authorized separately and are broken out as follows:

SMP BASE: $8,910,000 in FY 2015

The Older Americans Act provides base funding to the SMP program projects. This funding is broken out as follows:

All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico are eligible to receive a federal share of up to $180,000 per budget period, and Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands are eligible for a federal share of up to $75,000 per budget period.

HCFAC: $5,331,814 in FY 2015

Under this portion of the funding opportunity allocation of funding is based on the number of Medicare beneficiaries and the amount of frontier areas in each territory.

The individual funding source and total award ceilings for each state/territory by are listed in alphabetical order below:

State SMP Base (OAA) HCFAC Total

Alabama $180,000 $98,391 $278,391

Alaska $180,000 $54,250 $234,250

Alaska $180,000 $54,250 $234,250

Arizona $180,000 $103,384 $283,384

Arkansas $180,000 $81,315 $261,315

California $180,000 $313,881 $493,881

Colorado $180,000 $87,419 $267,419

Connecticut $180,000 $80,067 $260,067

Delaware $180,000 $58,898 $238,898

District of Columbia $180,000 $54,121 $234,121

Florida $180,000 $237,739 $417,739

Georgia $180,000 $125,722 $305,722

Guam $75,000 $20,831 $95,831

Hawaii $180,000 $62,104 $242,104

Idaho $180,000 $64,653 $244,653

Illinois $180,000 $151,010 $331,010

Indiana $180,000 $107,288 $287,288

Iowa $180,000 $80,211 $260,211

Kansas $180,000 $75,058 $255,058

Kentucky $180,000 $99,861 $279,861

Louisiana $180,000 $89,013 $269,013

Maine $180,000 $66,431 $246,431

Maryland $180,000 $94,149 $274,149

Massachusetts $180,000 $107,539 $287,539

Michigan $180,000 $143,087 $323,087

Minnesota $180,000 $95,771 $275,771

Mississippi $180,000 $80,030 $260,030

Missouri $180,000 $107,368 $287,368

Montana $180,000 $60,728 $240,728

Nebraska $180,000 $66,274 $246,274

Nevada $180,000 $71,152 $251,152

New Hampshire $180,000 $63,499 $243,499

New Jersey $180,000 $119,990 $299,990

New Mexico $180,000 $68,766 $248,766

New York $180,000 $209,971 $389,971

North Carolina $180,000 $138,540 $318,540

North Dakota $180,000 $56,248 $236,248

Ohio $180,000 $155,178 $335,178

Oklahoma $180,000 $84,692 $264,692

Oregon $180,000 $87,152 $267,152

Pennsylvania $180,000 $173,280 $353,280

Puerto Rico $180,000 $86,596 $266,596

Rhode Island $180,000 $59,539 $239,539

South Carolina $180,000 $96,310 $276,310

South Dakota $180,000 $58,278 $238,278

Tennessee $180,000 $112,210 $292,210

Texas $180,000 $224,622 $404,622

U.S. Virgin Islands $75,000 $21,100 $96,100

Utah $180,000 $66,914 $246,914

Vermont $180,000 $57,159 $237,159

Virginia $180,000 $116,639 $296,639

Washington $180,000 $107,224 $287,224

West Virginia $180,000 $72,122 $252,122

Wisconsin $180,000 $102,950 $282,950

Wyoming $180,000 $55,090 $235,090

Funds must be spent in a manner consistent with their authorized activities. The successful applicant will be required to separately track the funds and their associated activities and costs. Throughout the project, the grantee must be ready to account for activities and expenditures attributed to each of these funding portions.

COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

These awards will all be new cooperative agreements. ACL will be substantially involved in the SMP project activities. The terms and conditions of the agreement will be included in the Notice of Award (NOA), which is subject to modification by either party as listed below.

The terms and conditions for this cooperative agreement are as follows and will be incorporated by reference in the Notice of Award (NOA).

The ACL will carry out the following activities for the cooperative agreement noted above:

ACL Project Officer will perform the day-to-day Federal responsibilities of managing a grant initiative and will work with the grantee to ensure that the necessary requirements for the grant are met.

1.

Assist the grantee project leadership in understanding the policy concerns and/or priorities of ACL by conducting periodic briefings and by carrying out ongoing consultations.

2.

Work cooperatively with the grantee to clarify the programmatic and budgetary issues to be addressed by the project. If issues are identified, work with the grantee to revise the project work plan, detailing expectations for major activities and products during the 36 month grant.

3.

Provide technical advice to the grantee on the provision of technical support and associated tasks related to the fulfillment of the goals and objectives of this grant.

4.

Review and provide technical advice on grantee work products.5.

Provide consultation to the grantee in identifying emerging issues as they relate to the goals and objectives of this grant program.

6.

Work with the grantee on the development and implementation of evaluation and quality assurance systems to ensure that performance is measured and continuous improvement occurs.

7.

Attend and participate in major project events as appropriate.8.

The Grantee will execute the responsibilities of the cooperative agreement as listed below:

Collaborate with ACL in any in-scope modifications and execution of the work plan, initially within 45 days of the award.

1.

Evaluate the impact of overall project activities and ensure quality assurance systems are in place.2.

Share information with ACL, the SMP network, national, state, and local partner organizations and other entities as appropriate.

3.

Work with the ACL project officer to evaluate performance results reported semiannually and jointly develop strategies to address those areas requiring improvement.

4.

Submit resumes of potential key staff hires as detailed under HHS grants prior approval requirements.

5.

Budget for participation by at least one project representative at the combined SMP/SHIP conference annually.

6.

Fulfill all of the requirements of the grant initiative as detailed in this program announcement, specifically:

Foster statewide program coverage;1.

Provide high quality beneficiary education and inquiry resolution;2.

Improve the efficiency of the SMP program while increasing results for both operational and quality measures.

3.

Target training and education to isolated and hard-to-reach populations.4.

Implement the Volunteer Risk and Program Management policies and procedures as established by ACL.

5.

Collect and input project performance data into the SMP data system in a timely manner, in accordance with ACL guidelines and training.

6.

7.

Once a cooperative agreement is in place, requests to modify or amend it or the work plan may be made by ACL or the awardee at any time. Modifications and/or amendments of the Cooperative Agreement or work plan shall be effective upon the mutual agreement of both parties, except where ACL is authorized under the Terms and Conditions of award, 45 CFR Part 75, or other applicable regulation or statute to make unilateral amendments. When an award is issued, the cooperative agreement terms and conditions from the program announcement are incorporated by reference.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Domestic public or private non-profit entities including state and local governments, Indian tribal governments and organizations (American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native American), faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, hospitals, and institutions of higher education

Under this competition ACL plans to fund one project in all 54 jurisdictions.

Applicants must clearly indicate the above project location for which consideration is sought.

Applicants must submit separate applications if applying for more than one state or district.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement: Yes

As stated in the executive summary, the SMP program has two funding sources: Older Americans Act (OAA) and Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control (HCFAC) Program funds. Only the OAA portion of the funds requires match. The HCFAC portion of the funds does not require match.

Under the Older Americans Act (OAA) portion of the funding, ACL will fund no more than 75% of the project’s total cost, which means the applicant must cover at least 25% of the project’s total cost with non-Federal resources. In other words, for every three (3) dollars received in Federal funding, the applicant must contribute at least one (1) dollar in non-Federal resources toward the project’s total cost.

This “three-to-one” ratio is reflected in the formula included under Item 18 in the "Instructions for Completing Requested Forms". You can use this formula to calculate your minimum required match. A common error applicants make is to match 25% of the Federal share, rather than 25% of the project’s total cost.

There are two types of match: 1) non-Federal cash and 2) non-Federal in-kind. In general, costs borne by the applicant and cash contributions of any and all third parties involved in the project, including sub-grantees, contractors and consultants, are considered matching funds. Volunteered time and use of facilities to hold meetings or conduct project activities may be considered in-kind (third party) donations.

Examples of non-Federal cash match includes budgetary funds provided from the applicant agency’s budget for costs associated with the project. ACL encourages you to not exceed the minimum match requirement. Applications with a match greater than the minimum required will not receive additional consideration under the review. Match is not one of the responsiveness criteria as noted in Section III, 3 Application Screening Criteria.

3. Responsiveness and Screening Criteria

Application Responsiveness Criteria

Applications that do not meet the following responsiveness criteria will be administratively eliminated and will not be reviewed:

The successful SMP applicant will be an organization that meets the following basic evaluation criteria:

Demonstrated expertise in the implementation through collaboration and work with volunteers to achieve program objectives;

1.

Technological capacity to implement a web-based data collection, management tracking and reporting system; and

2.

Organizational capacity to provide statewide SMP program coverage.3.

Application Screening Criteria

All applications will be screened to assure a level playing field for all applicants. Applications that fail to meet the three screening criteria described below will not be reviewed and will receive no further consideration.

In order for an application to be reviewed, it must meet the following screening requirements:

Applications must be submitted electronically via http://www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, by the due date listed in section IV.3 Submission Dates and Times.

1.

The Project Narrative section of the Application must be double-spaced, on 8 ½” x 11” plain white paper with 1” margins on both sides, and a standard font size of not less than 11, preferably Times New Roman or Arial.

2.

The Project Narrative must not exceed 20 pages. Project Narratives that exceed 20 pages will3.

http://www.grants.gov/ have the additional pages removed and only the first 20 pages of the Project Narrative will be provided to the merit reviewers for funding consideration. NOTE: The Project Work Plan, Letters of Commitment, and Vitae of Key Project Personnel are not counted as part of the Project Narrative for purposes of the 20-page limit.

Unsuccessful submissions will require authenticated verification from http://www.grants.gov indicating system problems existed at the time of your submission. For example, you will be required to provide an http://www.grants.gov submission error notification and/or tracking number in order to substantiate missing the application deadline.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package Application materials can be obtained from http://www.grants.gov or http://www.acl.gov/Funding_Opportunities/ Announcements/Index.aspx.

Please note, ACL is requiring applications for all announcements to be submitted electronically through http://www.grants.gov. The Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) registration process can take several days. If your organization is not currently registered with http://www.grants.gov, please begin this process immediately. For assistance with http://www.grants.gov, please contact them at support@grants.gov or 1-800-518-4726 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern Time.

At http://www.grants.gov, you will be able to download a copy of the application packet, complete it off-line, and then upload and submit the application via the Grants.gov website (http://www.grants.gov).

Applications submitted via http://www.grants.gov:

You may access the electronic application for this program on http://www.grants.gov. You must search the downloadable application page by the Funding Opportunity Number or CFDA number.

At the http://www.grants.gov website, you will find information about submitting an application electronically through the site, including the hours of operation. ACL strongly recommends that you do not wait until the application due date to begin the application process through http://www.grants.gov because of the time involved to complete the registration process.

All applicants must have a DUNS number (www.dnb.com) and be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM, www.sam.gov) and maintain an active SAM registration until the application process is complete, and should a grant be made, throughout the life of the award.

Finalize a new, or renew an existing, registration at least two weeks before the application deadline.

This action should allow you time to resolve any issues that may arise. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in your inability to submit your application or receive an award. Maintain documentation (with dates) of your efforts to register or renew at least two weeks before the deadline. See the SAM Quick Guide for Grantees at: https://www.sam.gov /sam/ transcript/ SAM_Quick_ Guide_Grants_ Registrations-v1.6. pdf.

HHS requires all entities that plan to apply for, and ultimately receive, federal grant funds from any HHS Agency, or receive sub-awards directly from recipients of those grant funds to:

Be registered in the SAM prior to submitting an application or plan;

Maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active award or an application or plan under consideration by an OPDIV; and Provide its active DUNS number in each application or plan it submits to the OPDIV.

The agency is prohibited from making an award until an applicant has complied with these requirements. At the time an award is ready to be made, if the intended recipient has not complied with these requirements, the agency:

May determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive an award; and http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.acl.gov/Funding_Opportunities/Announcements/Index.aspx http://www.grants.gov http://www.grants.gov http://www.grants.gov http://www.grants.gov mailto:support@grants.gov?subject=Support http://www.grants.gov http://www.grants.gov http://www.grants.gov http://www.grants.gov http://www.grants.gov http://www.grants.gov http://www.dnb.com http://www.sam.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/sam/transcript/SAM_Quick_Guide_Grants_Registrations-v1.6.pdf https://www.sam.gov/sam/transcript/SAM_Quick_Guide_Grants_Registrations-v1.6.pdf

May determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive an award; and May use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant.

Note: Once your SAM registration is active, you will need to allow 24 to 48 hours for the information to be available in Grants.gov before you can submit an application through Grants.gov. This action should allow you time to resolve any issues that may arise. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in your inability to submit your application or receive an award.

Note: Failure to submit the correct suffix can lead to delays in identifying your organization and access to funding in the Payment Management System.

Effective October 1, 2010, HHS requires all entities that plan to apply for and ultimately receive Federal grant funds from any HHS Operating/Staff Division (OPDIV/STAFFDIV) or receive subawards directly from the recipients of those grant funds to be:

Be registered in SAM prior to submitting an application or plan;1.

Maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active award or an application or plan under consideration by an OPDIV; and

2.

Provide its DUNS umber in each application or plan it submits to the OPDIV.3.

An award cannot be made until the applicant has complied with these requirements. At the time an award is ready to be made, if the intended recipient has not complied with these requirements, the

OPDIV/STAFFDIV:

May determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive an award; and May use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant.

Additionally, all first-tier subaward recipients must have a DUNS number at the time the subaward is made.

Since October 1, 2003, The Office of Management and Budget has required applicants to provide a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number when applying for Federal grants or cooperative agreements. It is entered on the SF 424. It is a unique, nine-digit identification number, which provides unique identifiers of single business entities. The DUNS number is free and easy to obtain.

Organizations can receive a DUNS number at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS Number request line at 1-866-705-5711 or by using this link to access a guide: http://www.

whitehouse.gov/ sites/default/files/omb/grants/duns _num_guide.pdf.

You must submit all documents electronically, including all information included on the SF424 and all necessary assurances and certifications.

Prior to application submission, Microsoft Vista and Office 2007 users should review the http://www.grants.gov compatibility information and submission instructions provided at http://www.grants.gov (click on “Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 Compatibility Information”).

Your application must comply with any page limitation requirements described in this Program Announcement.

After you electronically submit your application, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement from http://www.grants.gov that contains http://www.grants.gov tracking number. The Administration for Community Living will retrieve your application form from http://www.grants.gov.

Each year organizations applying for Federal grants through http://www.grants.gov need to register or update their registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) [Formerly the Central Contractor Registry (CCR)]. You can complete the initial registration on www.SAM.gov in three days; however, you must update your registration on www.SAM.gov every year, which can take five days. When you register, or update your registration on www.SAM.gov, you must have your DUNS number and other information about your organization available.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/grants/duns_num_guide.pdf http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/grants/duns_num_guide.pdf http://www.grants.gov http://www.grants.gov http://www.grants.gov http://www.grants.gov http://www.grants.gov http://www.grants.gov http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/

To keep your SAM.gov registration active, be sure to renew at least once each year. If your registration expires you cannot submit a grant application until it is renewed.

Contact person regarding this Program Announcement:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living Rebecca Kinney Center for Consumer Access and Self-Determination Phone Number: (202) 357-3520 E-mail: Rebecca.Kinney@acl.hhs.gov

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

a. Letter of Intent

Letter of Intent Due Date for Letter of Intent: 03/06/2015

Applicants are requested, but not required, to submit a letter of intent to apply for this funding opportunity to assist ACL in planning for the application independent review process. The purpose of the letter of intent is to allow our staff to estimate the number of independent reviewers needed and to avoid potential conflicts of interest in the review. The deadline for submission of the letter of intent is March 6, 2015.

Letters of intent should be emailed to:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living

Rebecca Kinney

Office of Healthcare Information and Counseling

Washington, D.C. 20201

Email: Rebecca.kinney@acl.hhs.gov

b. Project Narrative

The Project Narrative must be double-spaced, on 8 ½” x 11” paper with 1” margins on both sides, and a standard font size of not less than 11, preferably Times New Roman or Arial. You can use smaller font sizes to fill in the Standard Forms and Sample Formats. The suggested length for the Project Narrative 10 to 20 pages; 20 pages is the maximum length allowed. Project Narratives that exceed 20 pages will have the additional pages removed and only the first 20 pages of the Project Narrative will be provided to the merit reviewers for funding consideration. The Project Work Plan, Letters of Commitment, and Vitae of Key Personnel are not counted as part of the Project Narrative for purposes of the 20-page limit, but all of the other sections noted below are included in the limit.

The components of the Project Narrative counted as part of the 20 page limit include:

Summary/Abstract Problem Statement Goal(s) and Objective(s) Proposed Intervention Special Target Populations and Organizations Outcomes Project Management mailto:Rebecca.Kinney@acl.hhs.gov mailto:Doris.Summey@aoa.hhs.gov

Evaluation Dissemination Organizational Capability

The Project Narrative is the most important part of the application, since it will be used as the primary basis to determine whether or not your project meets the minimum requirements for grants under the authorizing statutes. The Project Narrative should provide a clear and concise description of your project.

ACL recommends that your project narrative include the following components:

Summary/Abstract This section should include a brief - no more than 265 words maximum - description of the proposed project, including: goal(s), objectives, outcomes, and products to be developed. Detailed instructions for completing the summary/abstract are included in the “Instructions for Completing the Project Summary/Abstract.”

Problem Statement This section should describe, in both quantitative and qualitative terms, the nature and scope of the particular problem or issue the proposed intervention is designed to address, including how the project will potentially affect older adults and /or people with disabilities, their families and caregivers and the health care and social services systems.

More specifically, this section should describe the nature and scope of the health care fraud control problems or issues within the state that the proposed SMP Management and Operations Plan is designed to address. This should include an assessment of the extent and types of health care fraud and scams reported in the state, research results on the demographics of the population to be served, barriers to program access by beneficiaries across the state, and challenges to recruiting, training and managing SMP volunteers.

Goals and Objectives This section should consist of a description of the project’s goal(s) and major objectives. Unless the project involves multiple, complex interventions, we recommend you have only one overall goal.

The proposed project goal(s) and objectives should be reflective of the priority activities discussed in SMP Strategic Program Objectives, (see Section I).

Proposed Intervention This section should provide a clear and concise description of the intervention you are proposing to use to address the problem described in the “Problem Statement”. You should also describe the rationale for using the particular intervention, including factors such as: “lessons learned” for similar projects previously tested in your community, or in other areas of the country; factors in the larger environment that have created the “right conditions” for the intervention (e.g., existing social or economic factors that you’ll be able to take advantage of, etc.). Also note any major barriers you anticipate encountering, and how your project will be able to overcome those barriers. Be sure to describe the role and makeup of any strategic partnerships you plan to involve in implementing the intervention, including other organizations, supporters, and/or consumer groups.

This section should also provide a detailed plan for the management and operation of the SMP project.

Plans must address the key elements discussed in Section I - Funding Opportunity Description "Elements of SMP Mangement and Operations Plan", including: statewide program coverage; development of partnerships; volunteer recruitment, screening, training and risk management; project training plans for staff and volunteers; and education and outreach strategies, including media activities.

Special Target Populations and Organizations This section should describe how you plan to involve organizations in a meaningful way in the planning and implementation of the proposed project. This section should also describe whether, and if so, how the proposed intervention will target disadvantaged populations, including limited-English speaking populations, those of greatest economic need and those of greatest social need.

Outcomes This section of the project narrative must clearly identify the measurable outcome(s) that will result from the project. (NOTE: ACL will not fund any project that does not include measurable outcomes). This section should also describe how the project’s findings might benefit the field at large, (e.g., how the findings could help other organizations throughout the nation to address the same or similar problems.)

List measurable outcomes in the optional work plan grid (“Project Work Plan – Sample Template”) under “Measurable Outcomes” in addition to any discussion included in the narrative along with a description of how the project might benefit the field at large.

A “measurable outcome” is an observable end-result that describes how a particular intervention benefits consumers. It demonstrates the functional status, mental well-being, knowledge, skill, attitude, awareness or behavior.) It can also describe a change in the degree to which consumers exercise choice over the types of services they receive, or whether they are satisfied with the way a service is delivered. Additional examples include: a change in the responsiveness or cost-effectiveness of a service delivery system; a new model of support or care that can be replicated in the aging network; new knowledge that can contribute to the field of aging; a measurable increase in community awareness; or a measurable increase in persons receiving services. A measurable outcome is not a measurable “output”, such as: the number of clients served; the number of training sessions held; or the number of service units provided.

You should keep the focus of this section on describing what outcome(s) will be produced by the project.

You should use the Evaluation section noted below to describe how the outcome(s) will be measured and reported.

Your application will be scored on the clarity and nature of your proposed outcomes, not on the number of outcomes cited. It is totally appropriate for a project to have only ONE outcome that it is trying to achieve through the intervention reflected in the project’s design.

As discussed in Section 1 under "SMP Strategic Program Goals and Objectives", ACL utilizes the SMP data system to collect data, track, assess, and measure a number of program outcomes which are measured annually by the Office of Inspector General (OIG). ACL will use program data contained in the SMP data system to assess SMP project progress in reaching SMP Strategic Program Objectives, including volunteer recruitment, training and management activities, populations served, and quality of grantee program efforts. Hence, applicant plans should discuss expected outcomes and link these outcomes to the project priorities and activities provided in the Proposed Intervention upon which the outcomes are based.

Project Management This section should include a clear delineation of the roles and responsibilities of project staff, consultants and partner organizations, and how they will contribute to achieving the project’s objectives and outcomes. It should specify who would have day-to-day responsibility for key tasks such as: leadership of project; monitoring the project’s on-going progress, preparation of reports; communications with other partners and ACL.