Notice2024-17321
Announcing the Intent To Award a Single-Source Supplement for the National Center for Benefits Outreach and Enrollment (NCBOE)
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
August 6, 2024
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentCommunity Living Administration
Abstract
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) announces the intent to award a single-source supplement to the current cooperative agreement held by the National Council on Aging (NCOA) for the National Center for Benefits Outreach and Enrollment (NCBOE). The purpose of the NCBOE is to provide technical assistance to states, Area Agencies on Aging, Aging and Disability Resource Centers and community-based organizations who conduct outreach and low-income benefits enrollment assistance, particularly to older individuals with greatest economic need for federal and state programs. The administrative supplement for FY 2024 will be for $3,207,650, bringing the total award for FY 2024 to $14,707,650.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 151 (Tuesday, August 6, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 151 (Tuesday, August 6, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63956-63957]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-17321]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Community Living
Announcing the Intent To Award a Single-Source Supplement for the
National Center for Benefits Outreach and Enrollment (NCBOE)
AGENCY: Administration for Community Living, HHS.
SUMMARY: The Administration for Community Living (ACL) announces the
intent to award a single-source supplement to the current cooperative
agreement held by the National Council on Aging (NCOA) for the National
Center for Benefits Outreach and Enrollment (NCBOE). The purpose of the
NCBOE is to provide technical assistance to states, Area Agencies on
Aging, Aging and Disability Resource Centers and community-based
organizations who conduct outreach and low-income benefits enrollment
assistance, particularly to older individuals with greatest economic
need for federal and state programs. The administrative supplement for
FY 2024 will be for $3,207,650, bringing the total award for FY 2024 to
$14,707,650.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information or comments
regarding this program supplement, contact Margaret Flowers, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community
Living, Center for Innovation and Partnership, Office of Healthcare
Information and Counseling; telephone (202) 795-7315; email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5e133f2c393f2c3b2a70383231293b2c2d1e3f3d327036362d70393128"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0c416d7e6b6d7e6978226a60637b697e7f4c6d6f602264647f226b637a">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This supplemental funding will expand the
NCBOE's outreach and education efforts targeting older adults with the
greatest economic need, especially people from underserved communities.
The NCBOE will build on current efforts to reach and assist
beneficiaries, including expanding the work of the Benefits Enrollment
Centers, making enhancements to the benefits eligibility and screening
tool, and expanding the capacity of the benefits call center. With this
supplemental funding, the NCBOE will focus on retirement security,
Medicaid and Medicare integration, and streamlining benefits access.
The NCBOE will expand the pilot work on retirement security for
older adults with low and moderate incomes. This may include but is not
limited to activities such as developing materials, providing technical
assistance and training, and conducting and evaluating a pilot with
select community-based organizations. The NCBOE should collaborate with
ACL to coordinate planned and emerging efforts to help older adults
with low and moderate incomes with retirement planning.
The NCBOE should also build on the work done to date to educate
individuals who are dually eligible by maintaining the My Care, My
Choice decision support tool. The NCBOE should develop plans to support
the usage of the tool such as counselor training or piloting with local
community based organizations. Additionally, the NCBOE should build
leadership among state grantees to educate state Medicaid agencies on
Medicare to improve the experience of people who are dually eligible
for Medicaid and Medicare.
Additionally, the NCBOE should build on work done to date to
explore the approaches to streamlining benefits applications in
coordination with federal and state government efforts to modernize
access to public benefits. This could include research into the
consumer experience and/or convening key stakeholders to discuss
opportunities and challenges.
The NCBOE will continue, expand, and complete the work they are
currently undertaking with the NCBOE award without disrupting services.
Program Name: The National Center for Benefits Outreach and
Enrollment (NCBOE).
Recipient: National Council on Aging (NCOA).
Period of Performance: The award will be issued for the current
project period of September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2025.
Total Award Amount: $14,707,650 in FY 2024.
Award Type: Cooperative Agreement Supplement.
Statutory Authority: The statutory authority is contained in the
2006 Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act and the Medicare
Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, as amended by the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and most recently
reauthorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024.
Basis for Award: The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is currently
funded to carry out the NCBOE Project for the period of September 1,
2020 through August 31, 2025. Much work has already been completed and
further tasks are currently being accomplished. It would be
unnecessarily time-consuming and disruptive to the NCBOE project, and
the beneficiaries being served for ACL to establish a new grantee at
this time when critical services are presently being provided in an
efficient manner.
NCOA is uniquely placed to complete the work under the NCBOE grant.
Since 2001, NCOA has been the national leader in improving benefits
access to vulnerable older adults. They have an unparalleled history of
working with community-based organizations to develop and replicate
outreach and enrollment solutions while maintaining and enhancing
technology to make it easier and more efficient to find benefits. NCOA
through NCBOE accomplishes its mission by developing and sharing tools,
resources, best practices, and strategies for benefits outreach and
enrollment via its online clearinghouse, electronic and print
publications, webinars, and training and technical assistance.
In addition, NCOA has BenefitsCheckUp which is, by far, the
nation's most comprehensive and widely-used web-based service that
screens older and disabled adults with limited incomes and resources
and informs them about public and private benefits for which they are
very likely to be eligible. BenefitsCheckUp includes more than 2,500
benefits programs from all 50 states and DC, including over 50,000
local offices for people to apply for benefits; and more than 1,500
application forms in every language in which they are available. NCOA
is successfully meeting all programmatic goals under the current NCBOE
grant.
[[Page 63957]]
Dated: August 1, 2024.
Alison Barkoff,
Principal Deputy Administrator for the Administration for Community
Living, performing the delegable duties of the Administrator and the
Assistant Secretary for Aging.
[FR Doc. 2024-17321 Filed 8-5-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P
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