[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 106 (Friday, June 4, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30051-30053]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-11779]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Community Living


Intent To Award 54 Single-Source Supplements for Current Senior 
Medicare Patrol (SMP) State Grantee

ACTION: Notice of single-source supplements.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Community Living (ACL) announces the 
intent to award 54 administrative supplements in the form of 
cooperative agreements to existing SMP project grantees to further 
support SMP activities in each state, the District of Columbia, Guam, 
Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The purpose of existing 
grantees' work is to 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 
with an emphasis on reaching Medicare beneficiaries with limited income 
and those residing in rural areas. The administrative supplements for 
FY 2021 will be distributed via formula to the existing 54 SMP state 
grantees, bringing the total for the supplement awards to $2,002,468. 
These current SMP grantees will use this funding to further enhance or 
expand existing and prior established plans to 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. This additional funding will be 
targeted to reach Medicare beneficiaries with limited income, and/or 
those residing in rural areas.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information or comments 
regarding this program supplement, contact Marissa Whitehouse, U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community 
Living, Center for Integrated Programs, Office of Healthcare 
Information and Counseling; telephone (202) 795-7425; email 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4f022e3d263c3c2e611827263b2a27203a3c2a0f2e2c236127273c61282039"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="165b77647f65657738417e7f62737e796365735677757a387e7e6538717960">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Program Name: Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP).
    Recipient: 54 current SMP grantees.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                     FY21 ACL
                                                                                                    recommended
                Current grantee                                       State                         supplement
                                                                                                      amount
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama Dept of Senior Services...............  Alabama.........................................         $41,488
Alaska Department of Health and Social          Alaska..........................................           4,408
 Services.
Arizona Department of Economic Security.......  Arizona.........................................          32,105
Arkansas Department of Human Services.........  Arkansas........................................          36,963
California Health Advocates...................  California......................................         170,823
Colorado Division of Insurance................  Colorado........................................          22,047
The Department of Rehabilitation Services.....  Connecticut.....................................          16,044
Delaware Division of Social Services..........  Delaware........................................           4,199
Legal Counsel For The Elderly.................  District of Columbia............................           2,658
Florida Department of Elder Affairs...........  Florida.........................................         116,372
Eqhealth Solutions, Inc.......................  Georgia.........................................          59,236
Guam Department of Public Health & Social       Guam............................................           1,318
 Services.
Hawaii Department of Health...................  Hawaii..........................................          10,665
Idaho Commission on Aging.....................  Idaho...........................................          12,481
AgeOptions, Inc...............................  Illinois........................................          65,894

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IAAAA Education Institute, Inc................  Indiana.........................................          45,349
Iowa Department of Commerce...................  Iowa............................................          26,115
Kansas Department for Aging and Disability      Kansas..........................................          18,494
 Services.
Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government..  Kentucky........................................          46,755
Eqhealth Solutions, Inc.......................  Louisiana.......................................          34,011
Maine Department of Health and Human Services.  Maine...........................................          13,962
Aging, Maryland Department of.................  Maryland........................................          21,364
Elder Services of The Merrimack Valley Inc....  Massachusetts...................................          32,656
MMAP Inc......................................  Michigan........................................          63,145
Minnesota Department of Human Services........  Minnesota.......................................          33,924
Eqhealth Solutions, Inc.......................  Mississippi.....................................          34,405
District III Area Agency on Aging.............  Missouri........................................          45,870
Missoula Aging Services.......................  Montana.........................................          12,067
Insurance, Nebraska Department of.............  Nebraska........................................          13,080
State of Nevada Aging and Disability Services   Nevada..........................................          14,798
 Division.
New Hampshire Dept of Health and Human          New Hampshire...................................          10,893
 Services.
Jewish Family & Vocational Service of           New Jersey......................................          34,929
 Middlesex County, Inc.
Aging & Long-Term Services Department, New      New Mexico......................................          16,806
 Mexico.
NY Statewide Senior Action Council, Inc.......  New York........................................         122,593
North Carolina Department of Insurance........  North Carolina..................................          78,824
Minot State University........................  North Dakota....................................           5,558
Pro Seniors Inc...............................  Ohio............................................          76,984
Oklahoma State Insurance Department...........  Oklahoma........................................          29,996
DHS Office of Financial Services..............  Oregon..........................................          23,257
Center for Advocacy for the Rights and          Pennsylvania....................................          80,868
 Interests of the Elderly.
Hispanic-American Institute, Inc..............  Puerto Rico.....................................          69,909
Rhode Island Dept of Elderly Affairs..........  Rhode Island....................................           5,334
South Carolina Department on Aging............  South Carolina..................................          38,362
South Dakota Department of Human Services.....  South Dakota....................................           7,419
Upper Cumberland Development District.........  Tennessee.......................................          54,777
Better Business Bureau Educational Foundation.  Texas...........................................         134,139
Legal Services of Virgin Islands Inc..........  U.S. Virgin Islands.............................           1,980
Human Services, Utah Department of............  Utah............................................          10,035
Community of Vermont Elders...................  Vermont.........................................           7,973
Virginia Association of Area Agencies on Aging  Virginia........................................          45,083
Washington State Insurance Commissioner.......  Washington......................................          30,651
Senior Services West Virginia Bureau..........  West Virginia...................................          20,356
Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources,    Wisconsin.......................................          37,286
 Inc.
Wyoming Senior Citizens, Inc..................  Wyoming.........................................           5,760
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Period of Performance: The award will be issued for the Fiscal Year 
2021 project period of June 1, 2021 through May 31, 2022.
    Total Award Amount: $2,002,468 total in FY 2021.
    Award Type: Cooperative Agreement.
    Statutory Authority: The statutory authority is contained in the 
HIPAA of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-191).
    Basis for Award: With the final FY 2021 appropriation, Congress 
established the new baseline for the SMP program, setting the minimum 
ACL will receive to support this program to $20 million annually. This 
is an increase of $2 million over the amount ACL received for SMP 
historically. The additional funding is intended to expand and enhance 
current SMP activities with the purpose of reaching more Medicare 
beneficiaries. As such, OHIC is proposing to distribute the additional 
funding to the existing SMP state grantees to establish new baseline 
funding amounts for each of the state projects.
    The current SMP state grantees are funded to carry out the SMP 
Project mission for the period of June 1, 2018 through May 31, 2023. 
Much work has already been completed and further tasks are currently 
being accomplished. It would be unnecessarily time consuming and 
disruptive to the SMP program, and the beneficiaries being served, for 
ACL to establish new grantees at this time. The current grantees are 
providing critical services in an efficient and successful manner. 
These administrative supplements will allow the SMP state grantees to 
expand their current work in empowering Medicare beneficiaries, their 
families, and caregivers to prevent, detect, and report health care 
fraud, errors, and abuse through outreach, counseling, and education 
with a particular emphasis on reaching Medicare beneficiaries with 
limited income and those residing in rural areas. The existing SMP 
state grantees are uniquely placed to continue and expand this work. 
Since 2018, and for years before for many repeat grantees, current 
grantees have been the proven state and community presence for 
preventing, detecting, and reporting Medicare fraud. There is one SMP 
state grantee project in each of the 50 States, the District of 
Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 2019, the 
most up-to-date complete year of data, the 54 SMP projects had a total 
of 6,875 active team members who conducted a total of 28,146 group 
outreach and education events, reaching an estimated 1.6 million 
people. In addition, the projects had 320,590 individual interactions 
with, or on behalf of, a Medicare beneficiary. For 2019, the SMP 
projects reported $2.4 million in expected Medicare recoveries. This 
program has successfully operated since its inception 23 years ago. 
Current grantees are closely monitored and are successfully

[[Page 30053]]

meeting all programmatic goals under the current SMP grant.

    Dated: May 26, 2021.
Alison Barkoff,
Acting Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging.
[FR Doc. 2021-11779 Filed 6-3-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P


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