[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 91 (Wednesday, May 11, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 28833]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-10094]


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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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Community Living (ACL) announces the 
intent to award a single-source supplemental 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 service providers 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 2022 
will be for $2,931,502, bringing the total award for FY 2022 to 
$14,431,502.

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 Integrated Programs, Office of Healthcare 
Information and Counseling; telephone (202) 795-7315; email 
[email protected].

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. As part 
of this work, the NCBOE should reflect on the equity assessment 
conducted in 2021 to identify specific strategies to reach and enroll 
beneficiaries in rural communities, who are under 65, with limited 
English proficiency, from tribal communities, from communities of 
color, and/or from other historically underserved and marginalized 
communities. Additionally, the NCBOE should explore ways to educate 
counselors and low-income beneficiaries about possible Medicare 
Advantage supplemental benefits.
    The NCBOE maintains an information clearinghouse on best practices 
and cost-effective methods for finding and enrolling older individuals 
and people with disabilities with greatest economic need. This 
clearinghouse includes research that could help inform and support the 
work done by the network. The NCBOE should consider new research 
topics, such as exploring the impact COVID-19 had on their health and 
finances or predictors of Medicaid utilization, to help agencies better 
understand the populations served. The NCBOE should also build on the 
work done to date to educate individuals who are dually eligible by 
conducting an evaluation of the My Care, My Choice decision support 
tool and its usage by beneficiaries and/or counselors.
    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, 2022 through August 31, 2023.
    Total Award Amount: $14,431,502 in FY 2022.
    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 reauthorized by 
the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, Protecting Access to Medicare 
Act of 2014, Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, and Coronavirus Aid, 
Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020, and Consolidated 
Appropriations Act of 2021.
    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 the 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. Since the BenefitsCheckUp was launched in 
2001, nearly 9.9 million people have discovered $42.7 billion in 
benefits. In addition to the focus on Low-Income Subsidy and Medicare 
Savings Programs, BenefitsCheckUp also 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.

    Dated: May 6, 2022.
Alison Barkoff,
Acting Administrator and Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-10094 Filed 5-10-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P