HHS announces $25M in funding for Aging and Disability Resource Centers

WASHINGTON – Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Thursday announced $25 million in funding to enable states to expand their ability to help seniors and people with disabilities access home and community-based long-term support.

Over the next one to three years, the funding, made possible by the Affordable Care Act, will support technology-enabled Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) in nearly every state.?

Each year, more seniors, people with disabilities and their families are confronted with often challenging decisions about how to obtain the long-term services and support they need. Choices range from care in their home to care in a nursing home, social supports for daily living and transportation to physical therapy.

Sebelius says ADRCs will make it easier for people to learn about and access the services that are available in their communities and best meet their needs.

“We are pleased to make it easier for Americans to get the care and support they need where they need it,” she said. “This opportunity, supported by the new healthcare law, will help states continue to improve their long-term service and support systems.”

The initiative, known as the Aging and Disability Resource Center Program, is established through a partnership between the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

The VHA will make an additional $27 million available over three years in ADRC-funded states through the VA Medical Centers. This funding will increase access to home and community-based services, some enabled by mobile and telehealth technologies, for veterans through ADRC programs.?

"Veterans with disabilities are increasingly looking for services that help them remain in their own homes with their loved ones," said VA Under Secretary for Health Robert A. Petzel. "Today's announcement offers one more opportunity for VA to continue to thank our Veterans by providing them support in a setting of their choice, in this case their own home."

The ADRC Program will help state agencies administer and better coordinate state and federal long-term service and support programs for older adults, people with disabilities, and veterans with disabilities, officials say. Approximately eight states will be competitively selected to accelerate the development over a three-year period of the creation of single entry point models, which provide one-on-one options counseling to streamline the intake and eligibility determination processes for consumers accessing long-term service and support programs.

“Options counseling is an important tool that can provide custom-tailored advice about all the services available in a person’s community, reducing unnecessary time and energy spent searching for answers in a variety of places," said Kathy Greenlee, ACL’s administrator and assistant secretary for aging.

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“We want these programs to serve as high-performing ‘one-stop shop’ models across the country,” added CMS’ Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner.

In addition to accelerating activities in the eight states selected, funding will be provided by ACL to up to 40 states next year to support their current ADRC programs, officials say. This will help them develop a sustainable infrastructure that's critical to ensuring ongoing coordinated access to services.