[Federal Register: March 24, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 56)]
[Notices]
[Page 15095-15097]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24mr05-58]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration on Aging
Notice; Availability of Funding Opportunity Announcement
Funding Opportunity Title/Program Name: Senior Medicare Patrol
Projects.
Announcement Type: Initial.
Funding Opportunity Number: HHS-2005-AoA-Initial-SM.
Statutory Authority: The Older Americans Act, Public Law 106-501.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 93.048, Title
IV and Title II, Discretionary Projects, and the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-191).
Dates: The deadline date for the submission of applications is May
13, 2005.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
This announcement seeks proposals for the Senior Medicare Patrol
(SMP) Projects which will serve as model projects that demonstrate
effective ways of utilizing retired persons as volunteer expert
resources and educators in community efforts to prevent and identify
health care, error, fraud and abuse in the Medicare/Medicaid programs.
A detailed description of the funding opportunity and application
materials may be obtained at http://www.aoa.gov/doingbus/fundopp/fundopp.asp or http://www.grants.gov.
Award Information
1. Funding Instrument Type
Cooperative Agreement. The award is a cooperative agreement because
of the substantial involvement of the Administration on Aging in the
development and execution of the activities of the projects. The
cooperative agreements will describe training, technical assistance and
support to be provided the projects funded under this announcement.
The SMP project will form a consortium of community-based agencies
to assist in planning and implementing the project, while working in
close partnership with an interdisciplinary team of Federal, State, and
local resources, including
[[Page 15096]]
representatives from the Administration on Aging, the Office of
Inspector General (OIG), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services'
Program Safeguard Contractors or Medication Fraud Information
Specialists (MFIS), and State Quality Improvement Organizations.
The SMP project will recruit, train, and place retired individuals
in a variety of communities and settings to provide public education
and outreach to older persons and their families, including an emphasis
on reaching vulnerable, isolated, and limited English-speaking
beneficiaries.
The Administration on Aging will define project performance
criteria and expectations, and will monitor, evaluate and support the
projects' efforts in achieving performance goals. The project will
participate in a national assessment of the program utilizing the
performance measurement instrument developed by the HHS Office of
Inspector General (OIG), including reporting outputs and out comes to
the OIG semiannually.
The SMP project and Administration on Aging will work cooperatively
to clarify the issues to be addressed by the project and develop the
work plan for each year of the project. Within 45 days of the award and
45 days of each continuation award, the project will agree upon and
adhere to a work plan that details expectations for major activities,
products, and reports during the current budget period. The work plan
will include timelines, staff assignments, work locations, and areas
that require Administration on Aging consultation, review, and/or prior
approval. Either the Administration on Aging or the project can propose
a revision of the final work plan at any time. Any changes in the final
work plan will require agreement of both parties.
The Administration on Aging will assist the SMP project leadership
in understanding the policy concerns and/or priorities of the Assistant
Secretary for Aging and the Department of Health and Human Services by
conducting periodic briefings and by carrying out ongoing
consultations.
The Administration on Aging has established the National Consumer
Protection Technical Resource Center to enhance the effectiveness of
the Senior Medicare Patrol projects' efforts to meet AoA and SMP
program strategic objectives, by providing informational resources,
technical assistance and support to the projects.
The Administration on Aging will also share information with the
project about other Federally sponsored projects and activities carried
out under this Agreement.
The Administration on Aging will be provided a period of three
weeks, prior to their release and/or publication, to review and comment
upon all materials, reports, documents, etc. produced by the project
with funds provided through this award. After the three weeks review
and comment period, the project is free to make such materials public,
displaying the Administration on Aging disclaimer.
2. Anticipated Total Priority Area Funding per Budget Period
Option 1--AoA intends to make available, under this program
announcement, grant awards for up to thirty-two (32) cooperative
agreements at a federal share of between $125,000 and $180,000 per year
for a project period of three (3) years.
Option 2--AoA intends to fund up to two 1-year capacity-building
grants at a federal share of between $40,000 and $75,000 for a period
of one year.
II. Eligibility Criteria and Other Requirements
1. Eligible Applicants
Option 1--Eligibility for grant awards is limited to public state
and local agencies, federally recognized tribes, or nonprofit agencies,
organizations, and institutions, including faith-based organizations,
in the following 28 States and jurisdictions: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona,
Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia,
Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto
Rico, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.
Option 2--Eligible entities from U.S. territories are extended the
opportunity to apply for one-year capacity-building grants. Eligibility
is limited to public State and local agencies, federally recognized
tribes, or nonprofit agencies, organizations, and institutions,
including faith-based organizations from within these territories.
The competition is limited to the 28 states and jurisdictions
specified under Option 1, as well as the U.S. territories (per Option
2). Competition under Option 1 is limited to those specified states and
jurisdictions because the current three-year grant period for Senior
Medicare Patrol projects within these areas will end on June 30, 2005.
The competition is limited to U.S. territories under Option 2 in order
to offer an opportunity to expand the program to the territories on a
first-time basis. The AoA is currently funding SMP projects in the
remaining 24 states not specified under Options 1 and 2. In order to
ensure the program reaches Medicare beneficiaries in the maximum number
of states, given available funding, applicants from those states
currently served by SMP projects are ineligible to apply.
Grantees under both Option 1 and Option 2 will carry out
cooperative agreement awards to train retired persons to serve in their
communities as volunteer expert resources and educators in preventing
and identifying health care error, fraud, and abuse.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching
Grantees are required to provide at least 25 percent of the total
program costs from non-federal cash or in-kind resources in order to be
considered for the award. Applicants from the U.S. territories are
exempt from the matching requirement.
3. DUNS Number
All grant applicants must obtain a D-U-N-S number from Dun and
Bradstreet. It is a nine-digit identification number, which provides
unique identifiers of single business entities. The D-U-N-S number is
free and easy to obtain from http://www.dnb.com/US/duns_update/.
4. Intergovernmental Review
Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs, is not applicable to these grant applications.
III. Application and Submission Information
1. Address To Request Application Package
Application kits are available by writing to the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging, Attn.: Doris
Summey, Office of Consumer Choice and Protection, Washington, DC 20201,
by calling 202/357-3533, or on-line at http://www.grants.gov.
Address for Application Submission
Applications may be mailed to the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, Administration on Aging, Office of Grants Management,
Washington, DC 20201, attn: Margaret Tolson (HHS-2005-AoA-Initial-SM).
Applications may be delivered (in person, via messenger) to the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging,
Office of Grants Management, One Massachusetts Avenue, NW., Room
[[Page 15097]]
4604, Washington, DC 20001, attn: Margaret Tolson (HHS-2005-AoA-
Initial-SM).
If you elect to mail or hand deliver your application you must
submit one original and two copies of the application; an
acknowledgement card will be mailed to applicants. Instructions for
electronic mailing of grant applications are available at http://www.grants.gov/
.
2. Submission Dates and Times
To receive consideration, applications must be received by the
deadline listed in the DATES section of this Notice.
IV. Responsiveness Criteria
Each application submitted will be screened to determine whether it
was received by the closing date and time.
Applications received by the closing date and time will be screened
for completeness and conformity with the requirements outlined in
Sections II and III of this Notice and the Program Announcement. Only
complete applications that meet these requirements will be reviewed and
evaluated competitively.
V. Application Review Information
Eligible applications in response to this announcement will be
reviewed according to the following evaluation criteria: Purpose and
Need for Assistance (20 points); Approach, Work Plan and Activities (30
points); Project Outcomes, Evaluation and Dissemination (30 points);
and Level of Effort (20 points).
VI. Agency Contacts
Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging, Attn.: Doris
Summey, Office of Consumer Choice and Protection, Washington, DC 20201,
telephone: (202) 357-3533.
Dated: March 21, 2005.
Josefina G. Carbonell,
Assistant Secretary for Aging.
[FR Doc. 05-5808 Filed 3-23-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P