This funding opportunity is specifically designed to help support states in pursuing and developing sustainability strategies for ADRC Options Counseling Program in conjunction with their health systems transformation and funding from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) and Veteran Health Administration

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(VHA).

Under this opportunity, States will continue to work toward developing a high performing statewide ADRC Options Counseling Program as outlined in their own statewide ADRC development/expansion plans and as described in the 2012 ACL, CMS, VHA Funding Opportunity The Enhanced Aging and Disability Resource Center Options Counseling Program.

Successful applicants will seek to achieve the following two key sustainability goals as part of this funding opportunity:
1. Strengthening the capacity of the ADRC Options Counseling Program to serve people of all ages, income levels and disabilities by adopting a No Wrong Door approach that operationally involves a wide array of community agencies and organizations in the ADRC so it can effectively serve a broad range of populations; and 2. Developing financially sustainable ADRC models that includes revenue from multiple public programs (including Medicaid, Medicare, the Older Americans Act, the Veterans Health Administration and other programs) to cover expenses associated with such tasks as:
" outreach, " screening/assessing individuals need for LTSS, " working with individuals and their families to develop service plans, " linking individuals to needed services, helping individuals to use self-directed service models, " assisting individuals in determining their eligibility for public programs, and " Follow-up.

Based on the experience to-date with ADRCs across the nation, and the importance of having an ADRC infrastructure that can effectively reach and serve different populations with unique LTSS needs as well as different ethnic and cultural groups, ACL is encouraging funded states to adopt a No Wrong Door (NWD) approach to implementing their ADRC Options Counseling Programs.

The NWD approach operationally involves a wide array of agencies and organizations in the ADRC Program so it can effectively reach and serve a broad range of populations, including older adults, individuals with physical disabilities of all ages, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as individuals who can pay for their own services.

This NWD approach gives states considerable flexibility in determining how best to structure, organize and operate the various mandated functions of their ADRC Program.

For more information about the NWD approach, see Adopting a No Wrong Door Approach to Organizing and Implementing ADRC Options Counseling Programs as part of the 2012 ACL, CMS, VHA Funding Opportunity The Enhanced Aging and Disability Resource Center Options Counseling Program.