[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 110 (Thursday, June 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37544-37546]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-12248]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Community Living


Availability of Program Application Instructions for Adult 
Protective Services Funding

    Title: Elder Justice Act--Adult Protective Services.
    Announcement Type: Initial.
    Statutory Authority: The statutory authority for grants under this 
program announcement is contained in the Elder Justice Act, section 
2042(b) of title XX of the Social Security Act [Pub. L. 74-271] [As 
Amended Through Pub. L. 115-123, Enacted February 9, 2018] as 
referenced in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, Public Law 
117-328.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 93.698.

DATES: The deadline date for the submission of the Elder Justice Act--
Adult Protective Services Letter of Assurance is 11:59 p.m. EST (30 
days after date of publication).

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is establishing the 
``Elder Justice Act--Adult Protective Services funding opportunity in 
accordance with section 2042(b) of subtitle B of title XX of the Social 
Security Act, otherwise known as the Elder Justice Act (EJA) as 
authorized and funded through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 
2023, Public Law 117-328. In accordance with these statutes, the 
purpose of this opportunity is to enhance and improve adult protective 
services provided by States, the District of Columbia, and the 
Territories. Funds awarded to States and Territories under this 
opportunity will provide Adult Protective Services (APS) programs in 
the States, District of Columbia, and Territories with resources to 
enhance, improve, and expand the ability of APS to investigate 
allegations of abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Examples of activities 
consistent with the purposes of the statute include:
     Costs and salaries for hiring permanent or temporary staff 
members, extended hours/over-time for current staff, and associated 
personnel costs;
     Costs associated with providing goods and services to APS 
clients;
     Costs associated with community outreach, including public 
awareness campaigns and other resources designed to increase the 
public's awareness and understanding of APS' role in the community;
     Training costs, including state-wide training conferences 
for APS staff;
     Acquiring personal protection equipment and supplies;
     Improving and enhancing technology systems, including 
supporting remote work, such as the purchase of communications and 
technology hardware, software, or infrastructure in order to provide 
adult protective services;
     Improving data collection and reporting at the case 
worker, local-, and state-levels in a manner that is consistent with 
the National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System (NAMRS);
     Improving or enhancing existing APS processes for 
receiving reports, conducting intakes and investigations, planning/
providing for services, making case determinations, documenting and 
closing cases, and continuous quality improvement;
     Working with tribal adult protective services efforts, 
such as conducting demonstrations on state-Tribal APS partnerships to 
better serve tribal elders who experience abuse, neglect, and 
exploitation, partnering with Tribes within the state to include tribal 
elder abuse data in the state's National Adult Maltreatment Reporting 
System (NAMRS) reporting, and undertaking demonstrations to better 
understand elder abuse experienced by tribal individuals living in non-
tribal communities and served by state APS programs;
     Establishing or enhancing the availability for elder 
shelters and other emergency, short-term housing and accompanying 
``wrap-around'' services for APS clients;
     Establishing, expanding, or enhancing state-wide and 
local-level elder justice networks for the purpose of removing 
bureaucratic obstacles and improving coordination across the many state 
and local agencies interacting with APS clients who have experienced 
abuse, neglect, or exploitation;
     Costs associated with establishing new, or improving 
existing processes for responding to alleged scams and frauds;
     Costs associated with assisting APS clients secure the 
least restrictive option for emergency or alternative housing, and with 
obtaining, providing, or coordinating with care transitions as 
appropriate;
     Costs associated with transporting APS clients to 
necessary appointments, such as medical visits; and
     Costs associated with establishing grants or contracts to 
address gaps in the APS program identified in the environmental scan 
previously completed.
    Awards authorized under the EJA section 2042(b) shall be provided 
to the agency or unit of state government having the legal 
responsibility for providing adult protective services within the 
state, District of Columbia, or territory. Funding under this 
opportunity may be used to serve any APS client who meets their state's 
statutory or regulatory criteria for client eligibility for APS 
services. This funding must supplement and not supplant existing 
funding for APS provided by states and local units of government. 
Additionally, award recipients will be required to submit federal 
financial reports and annual program reports related to the activities 
performed.

II. Award Information

A. Eligible Entity

    The eligible entity for these awards is the agency or unit of state 
government legally responsible for providing adult protective services 
in each State, the District of Columbia, or Territory (EJA section 
2042(b)(3)(B)).

B. Funding Instrument Type

    These awards will be made in the form of formula grants to the 
agencies and units of state government with the legal responsibility to 
provide adult protective services.

C. Anticipated Total Funding per Budget Period

    Under this program announcement, ACL intends to make grant awards 
to each State, Territory, and the District of Columbia. Funding will be 
distributed through the formula identified in section 2042(b) of the 
Elder Justice Act. The amounts allocated are based upon the proportion 
of elders living in each State and Territory, as defined in statute, 
and will be distributed based on the formula. There are no cost-sharing 
nor match requirements. Awards made under this announcement have an 
estimated start date of April 1, 2023 and an estimated end date of 
March 30, 2025. The total available funding for this opportunity is 
$13,829,521.
    Below are the projected award amounts:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                               Projected
                       State/territory                          amount
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama.....................................................    $203,957
Alaska......................................................     103,721
Arizona.....................................................     295,963
Arkansas....................................................     119,940
California..................................................   1,379,183
Colorado....................................................     205,382
Connecticut.................................................     150,599
Delaware....................................................     103,721
Dist. of Columbia...........................................      19,614
Florida.....................................................   1,012,648
Georgia.....................................................     371,014

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Hawaii......................................................     103,721
Idaho.......................................................     103,721
Illinois....................................................     486,778
Indiana.....................................................     258,460
Iowa........................................................     129,256
Kansas......................................................     112,609
Kentucky....................................................     177,794
Louisiana...................................................     176,669
Maine.......................................................     103,721
Maryland....................................................     234,634
Massachusetts...............................................     281,036
Michigan....................................................     420,917
Minnesota...................................................     222,640
Mississippi.................................................     114,034
Missouri....................................................     250,009
Montana.....................................................     103,721
Nebraska....................................................     103,721
Nevada......................................................     118,424
New Hampshire...............................................     103,721
New Jersey..................................................     364,704
New Mexico..................................................     103,721
New York....................................................     799,276
North Carolina..............................................     411,452
North Dakota................................................     103,721
Ohio........................................................     484,094
Oklahoma....................................................     148,286
Oregon......................................................     176,477
Pennsylvania................................................     563,289
Rhode Island................................................     103,721
South Carolina..............................................     219,175
South Dakota................................................     103,721
Tennessee...................................................     272,556
Texas.......................................................     913,978
Utah........................................................     103,721
Vermont.....................................................     103,721
Virginia....................................................     325,594
Washington..................................................     288,858
West Virginia...............................................     103,721
Wisconsin...................................................     245,790
Wyoming.....................................................     103,721
American Samoa..............................................      13,830
Guam........................................................      13,830
Northern Marianas...........................................      13,830
Puerto Rico.................................................     159,576
Virgin Islands..............................................      13,830
------------------------------------------------------------------------

III. Submission Requirements

A. Letter of Assurance

    A Letter of Assurance is required to be submitted by the eligible 
entity in order to receive an award. The Letter of Assurance must 
include the following:
    1. Assurance that the award recipient is the agency or unit of 
state government legally responsible for providing adult protective 
services in each state and territory.
    2. Assurance that funds will supplement and not supplant existing 
APS funding.
    3. Select one of the following:
    a. Assurance that the award recipient's previously submitted and 
approved 3-5 year operational plan for improving and enhancing their 
APS system at the state and local level remains accurate, and that they 
intend to follow that plan in expending their FY 2023 grant funds; OR
    b. Assurance that the award recipient has included an initial spend 
plan for the FY 2023 funds and will provide an updated 3-5 operational 
plan within 90 days of award.
    4. Assurance that funds will be spent in ways consistent with the 
Elder Justice Act section 2042(b) and guidance provided by ACL, 
including the examples of activities consistent with the purposes of 
the authorizing legislation contained in the Federal Register Notice:
     Personnel costs;
     Providing goods and services to APS clients;
     Community outreach;
     Training;
     Acquiring personal protection equipment and supplies;
     Improving and enhancing technology systems;
     Improving data collection and reporting at the case 
worker, local-, and state-levels in a manner that is consistent with 
the National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System;
     Improving or enhancing existing APS processes;
     Working with tribal adult protective services efforts;
     Establishing or enhancing the availability for elder 
shelters and other emergency, short-term housing and accompanying 
``wrap-around'' services;
     Establishing, expanding, or enhancing state-wide and 
local-level elder justice networks;
     Improving and supporting remote work;
     Establishing new, or improving existing processes for 
responding to alleged scams and frauds;
     Transportation costs;
     Assisting APS clients secure the least restrictive option 
for emergency or alternative housing, and with obtaining, providing, or 
coordinating with care transitions as appropriate; and
     Establishing grants and contracts as needed.
    5. Assurance to provide federal financial reports and annual 
program reports related to the activities performed.

B. Initial Spend Plan

    An Initial Spend Plan is required only if the previously submitted 
and approved 3-5 year operational plan needs to be updated. The Initial 
Spend Plan should outline how the state/territory intends to spend 
their FY 2023 allotment in response to the needs and challenges to 
their APS program. The plan should be consistent with the purpose of 
the authorizing legislation and the description and examples outlined 
above. The Initial Spend Plan submitted in response to this opportunity 
is considered a preliminary framework for how the state/territory will 
plan to spend these funds. The Initial Spend Plan should have the 
following format: 3-5 pages in length, double-spaced, with 12pt font 
and 1'' margins, with a layout of 8.5'' x 11'' paper.

C. Unique Entity ID Number

    All grant applicants must obtain and keep current a Unique Entity 
ID (UEI). On April 4, 2022, the unique entity identifier used across 
the federal government changed from the DUNS Number to the Unique 
Entity ID (generated by SAM.gov). The Unique Entity ID is a 12-
character alphanumeric ID assigned to an entity by SAM.gov. The UEI is 
viewable in your SAM.gov entity registration record.

D. Intergovernmental Review

    Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal 
Programs, is not applicable to these grant applications.

IV. Submission Information

A. Submission Process

    To receive funding, eligible entities must provide a Letter of 
Assurance and an Initial Spend Plan (if applicable) containing all the 
information outlined in Section IIIA. & B. above.
    Materials should be addressed to: Alison Barkoff, Acting 
Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging, Administration for 
Community Living, 330 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20201.
    Letters of Assurance and the Initial Spend Plan should be submitted 
electronically via email to [email protected].

B. Submission Dates and Times

    To receive consideration, Letters of Assurance and the Initial 
Spend Plan must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on EST (30 days 
after date of FRN publication), Letters of Assurance and the Initial 
Spend Plan should be submitted electronically via email to 
[email protected] and have an electronic time stamp indicating the date/
time submitted.

VII. Agency Contacts

A. Programmatic Issues/Questions

    Direct programmatic inquiries to: Erin Kee, Email: 
[email protected], Phone: 202-795-7312.

B. Submission Issues/Questions

    Direct inquiries regarding submission of applications to 
[email protected]. ACL

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will provide a response within 2 business days.

    Dated: June 5, 2023.
Alison Barkoff,
Acting Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging.
[FR Doc. 2023-12248 Filed 6-7-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P