IHS: Elder Care Initiative Long-Term Care Grant Program

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Indian Health Service

Office of Clinical and Preventive Services; Elder Care Initiative Long-Term Care Grant Program

Announcement Type: New.
Funding Announcement Number: HHS-2010-IHS-EHC-0001.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 93.933.

Key Dates

Letter of Intent Deadline Date: May 10, 2010.
Application Deadline Date: June 4, 2010.
Review Dates: June 22-24, 2010.
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: August 1, 2010.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

The Indian Health Service (IHS) announces the availability of up to $600,000 for competitive grants through the Elder Care Initiative Long- Term Care (ECILTC) Grant Program to support planning and implementation of sustainable long-term care services for American Indians and Alaska Native (AI/AN) elders. This program is authorized under the Snyder Act, 25 U.S.C. 1652, 25 U.S.C. 1653(c), and the Public Health Service Act, Section 301, as amended. This program is described at 93.933 in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA).

Full Announcement

CMS and State Efforts to Interact with the Indian Health Service and Indian Tribes

By law, facilities funded by the Indian Health Service (IHS) may retain reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid without an offsetting reduction in funding. Ensuring that IHS-funded facilities enroll individuals in—and obtain reimbursement from—Medicare and Medicaid can provide an important means of expanding the funding for health care services for the population served by IHS. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that administers Medicare and oversees states’ Medicaid programs, is required by Executive Order and HHS policy to consult with Indian tribes on policies that have tribal implications. This requirement is in recognition of the unique government-to-government relationship between the 562 federally recognized Indian tribes and the federal government. American Indians and Alaska Natives have faced several barriers to Medicare and Medicaid enrollment despite efforts to assist them with the application process. Many of these barriers are similar to those experienced by other populations, such as transportation and financial barriers. To help eligible American Indians and Alaska Natives enroll in Medicare and Medicaid, almost all of the IHS-funded facilities we visited had staff who assisted patients with the application process, including helping them complete and submit applications, and collecting required documentation.