Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2008 AOA PC 0815
Apply for HHS 2008 AOA PC 0815
- The Administration on Aging in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Pension Counseling Information Projects" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.048 Special Programs for the AgingTitle IVand Title IIDiscretionary Projects.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 2, 2008 and posted on Jun 30, 2008.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 28, 2008. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $212,500.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $42,500.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- The purpose of this award is to enhance pension counseling services currently being provided by grantees under the Administration on Aging Pension Counseling Information Program. Therefore, competition under this program announcement is limited to the following organizations Elder Law of Michigan, Inc., Legal Services for the Elderly (New York), Legal Services of Northern California, Minnesota Senior Federation, and University of Massachusetts Boston.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Pension Counseling Information Projects opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number HHS-2008-AOA-PC-0815) is a discretionary grant program run by the Administration on Aging (AoA) under CFDA 93.048, intended to strengthen and standardize the existing AoA-funded Pension Counseling and Information Program. The pension counseling program has been in place since 1993 and was built around two core promises: people get trustworthy, individualized help no matter their age, income, or the dollar value of their claim, and the projects maintain broad technical coverage across employer-sponsored retirement arrangements of many kinds, including public and private systems and both defined benefit and defined contribution plans. AoA highlights the program's long-term effectiveness and cites a return on investment of more than 5 dollars in client benefits for every federal dollar spent, which is part of why AoA is using this funding to push more consistency, stronger coordination among regional projects, and tighter integration with the national technical assistance provider.
This particular announcement is a supplemental funding opportunity meant to bring the currently funded regional counseling grantees into alignment with updated program guidelines. The broader program funds multi-state, regional pension counseling projects (at the time, 5 projects serving 22 states, with typical annual operating budgets around $157,500 each). AoA also notes that a separate sixth regional project would be competed under amended guidelines with a larger budget, but the focus here is specifically on supplementing the existing grantees so they can meet newly emphasized requirements. In practical terms, applicants are expected to explain exactly how they will use the added funds to expand or formalize services, upgrade operations, and participate more fully in shared tools, training, and network-wide processes.
On the service side, AoA expects grantees to deliver a mix of quick-call services, more in-depth case services, and stronger referral services. The referral requirement is a major emphasis: projects must build and use a cohesive, region-wide network of low-cost or no-cost referral partners for client needs that fall outside direct pension counseling. The announcement encourages coordination with established networks like the National Pension Lawyers Network where it fits. Referral coverage is expected to span areas such as employee benefits litigation, actuarial and accounting help tied to pensions, drafting and filing Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs), assistance with related employer welfare benefits (like health and disability), counseling on Social Security and other public benefit programs, financial education and retirement or estate planning resources, and elder rights/consumer protection matters. The overall intent is that clients do not hit a dead end when a problem requires specialized legal action or adjacent benefits expertise.
The projects must be truly regional, generally serving at least two states, and they must provide equivalent access and equivalent quality across the entire service area. AoA specifically signals that access should not depend on being near a physical office, which implies strong phone-based and web-based intake, toll-free numbers, and other no-cost channels. Preference is given to applicants that can demonstrate the ability to deliver services consistently across a multi-state footprint. Eligibility for service is also intentionally broad: projects must provide equal access regardless of age or income to people who live or work in the region, people who worked or lived there while earning the pension (including those who were married to the worker during that time), and people seeking benefits tied to an entity headquartered, operating, administering, or holding plan assets within the region.
Outreach is treated as an operational requirement rather than an optional add-on. Each project must have a region-wide outreach plan designed to increase appropriate client intake and to build durable referral relationships with other organizations across the region. Outreach materials (websites, brochures, flyers, and similar products) must clearly reflect the project as a specialized pension-focused service rather than general legal aid. AoA also pushes projects to demonstrate competence in both ERISA and non-ERISA systems, and it explicitly requires that part of outreach be aimed at increasing the flow of non-ERISA cases, such as state and local government pension matters. The fact-sheet strategy is split: projects are expected to develop materials for state and local issues based on client needs, while leaning on the national technical assistance project for materials on federal pension law issues (with regional customization allowed for exceptions and local variations). Outreach must also intentionally target underserved and hard-to-reach seniors, low-income seniors, and individuals with limited English proficiency, and it should incorporate media relations, low/no-cost access pathways, and outreach events.
AoA also uses this supplement to push programmatic consistency, with specific expectations around staffing, training, infrastructure, and data. On staffing, the guidelines favor models with specialized intake and counseling roles, attorneys in key positions, and strong direct access for clients to live specialist staff. Projects are encouraged to structure volunteer, intern, and law student involvement in a way that meaningfully increases capacity rather than creating overhead. Staff development is spelled out in concrete terms: specialist staff in each location should attend the annual Pension Counseling Project Training Conference in Washington, DC each year; each project location should receive at least two days per year of customized legal training and/or operational consultation delivered or coordinated by the national technical assistance project; and specialist staff should complete at least 6 CLE credit hours of additional pension training each year. Budgets are expected to clearly show the resources needed to make this training plan real, including time, tuition, and travel.
Infrastructure improvements are framed as best practices that should be budgeted adequately. Projects are expected to describe their existing technology environment and, if needed, add tools to capture plan documents electronically, including optical character recognition, and to share those files with a central database such as PensionHelp America so the larger counseling network can reuse and benefit from the information. AoA even calls out basic workstation needs such as monitor resolution and size that allow staff to comfortably review documents at standard settings. In addition, projects must maintain sufficient pension law reference resources (books, periodicals, and similar materials) to research and handle issues across the range of jurisdictions and plan types encountered in a multi-state region.
Data collection and reporting is another core focus, with AoA requiring that data be collected consistently across all AoA-funded counseling projects using a baseline dataset and a low-cost or no-cost reporting tool that AoA will identify. At minimum, projects must track and report the number of clients served, client demographics, what services were delivered and at what intensity, the legal issues presented, recoveries and other outcomes, plan and sponsor types, and administrator contact information. Reporting must cover each site a project operates as well as the project as a whole, and reports go both to AoA and to the national technical assistance project for consolidation and analysis. A notable operational requirement is the expectation that projects collect, retain, and share plan documents and plan contact details discovered through casework, especially information on plans that are historically difficult for deferred vested participants to locate. AoA highlights examples such as defined benefit plans terminated before July 1, 1974, terminated or orphaned defined contribution plans (noted as pre-2009), and plans that have changed sponsor names, locations, or operational status. Applicants are expected to budget for the staff time and the hardware/software needed to do this accurately and on time.
Finally, the program stresses shared learning. Projects are expected not only to draw on the experience of other counseling projects but also to contribute back by sharing insights, practical approaches, and operational lessons learned. Tools like the AoA Pension Counseling Listserv are cited as no-cost mechanisms to support this collaborative environment, and proposals are expected to describe how the applicant will participate in and strengthen the network-wide learning loop.
From an administrative perspective, the opportunity was posted June 30, 2008 with a closing date of July 28, 2008, and it anticipated 5 awards totaling about $212,500, with an award amount set at $42,500 per award (both ceiling and floor), and a cost-sharing or matching requirement. Competition was limited to current AoA pension counseling grantees and specifically named organizations: Elder Law of Michigan, Inc.; Legal Services for the Elderly (New York); Legal Services of Northern California; Minnesota Senior Federation; and University of Massachusetts Boston. The overall purpose is not to start new pension counseling projects, but to upgrade, align, and reinforce the existing regional projects so that clients across multiple states receive consistent, high-quality pension counseling, stronger referral support, better outreach, and more standardized data and knowledge-sharing across the national network.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is the Pension Counseling Information Projects grant opportunity?
The Pension Counseling Information Projects opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number HHS-2008-AOA-PC-0815) is a discretionary grant program run by the Administration on Aging (AoA) under CFDA 93.048. This specific announcement is a supplemental funding opportunity intended to strengthen and standardize the existing AoA-funded Pension Counseling and Information Program by bringing currently funded regional grantees into alignment with updated program guidelines.
2) What is the main purpose of this supplemental funding?
The purpose is not to create new pension counseling projects. Instead, it is to help existing AoA-funded regional pension counseling grantees upgrade and align their operations and services to meet newly emphasized requirements, including more consistent service delivery across a multi-state region, stronger referral networks, tighter integration with the national technical assistance provider, improved outreach, standardized data collection/reporting, and stronger network-wide coordination and knowledge-sharing.
3) Who runs the program and what funding authority is referenced?
The program is run by the Administration on Aging (AoA). The opportunity references CFDA 93.048 and is issued as a discretionary grant.
4) What is the history and core promise of the AoA pension counseling program?
The pension counseling program has been in place since 1993 and was built around two core promises: (1) people receive trustworthy, individualized help regardless of age, income, or the dollar value of their claim; and (2) projects maintain broad technical coverage across many kinds of employer-sponsored retirement arrangements, including public and private systems and both defined benefit and defined contribution plans.
5) Why is AoA emphasizing standardization and coordination?
AoA cites the program's long-term effectiveness, including a return on investment of more than 5 dollars in client benefits for every federal dollar spent. The supplemental funding is being used to push more consistency across projects, stronger coordination among regional projects, and tighter integration with the national technical assistance provider.
6) Is this funding meant for new applicants or existing grantees?
This competition is limited to current AoA pension counseling grantees and specifically named organizations. The announcement is framed as supplemental funding for the currently funded regional counseling grantees so they can meet updated program guidelines.
7) Which organizations were specifically eligible under this announcement?
Competition was limited to the following named organizations: Elder Law of Michigan, Inc.; Legal Services for the Elderly (New York); Legal Services of Northern California; Minnesota Senior Federation; and University of Massachusetts Boston.
8) What are the key dates for this opportunity?
The opportunity was posted on June 30, 2008, with a closing date of July 28, 2008.
9) How many awards were anticipated and what was the award size?
The opportunity anticipated 5 awards totaling about $212,500. The award amount was set at $42,500 per award, and that amount served as both the ceiling and the floor.
10) Is there a cost-sharing or match requirement?
Yes. The announcement indicates there is a cost-sharing or matching requirement.
11) What types of projects does the broader program support?
The broader program funds multi-state, regional pension counseling projects. At the time described, there were 5 projects serving 22 states, with typical annual operating budgets around $157,500 each. This specific announcement focuses on supplementing existing grantees to meet updated requirements.
12) What does AoA mean by a "regional" pension counseling project?
Projects must be truly regional, generally serving at least two states. They must provide equivalent access and equivalent quality across the entire service area, rather than concentrating service quality near a single physical office.
13) What does "equivalent access" imply for service delivery?
AoA signals that access should not depend on being near a physical office. This implies strong phone-based and web-based intake, toll-free numbers, and other no-cost channels so people across the region can reach the program.
14) Who is eligible to receive services from these projects?
Eligibility for service is intentionally broad. Projects must provide equal access regardless of age or income to: (a) people who live or work in the region; (b) people who worked or lived in the region while earning the pension (including those who were married to the worker during that time); and (c) people seeking benefits tied to an entity headquartered, operating, administering, or holding plan assets within the region.
15) What kinds of services are projects expected to deliver?
AoA expects a mix of (1) quick-call services, (2) more in-depth case services, and (3) stronger referral services for needs that fall outside direct pension counseling.
16) Why is the referral requirement emphasized so strongly?
The announcement treats referrals as a major emphasis. Projects must build and use a cohesive, region-wide network of low-cost or no-cost referral partners so that clients do not reach a dead end when their problem requires specialized legal action or adjacent benefits expertise.
17) What kinds of issues should the referral network cover?
Referral coverage is expected to include areas such as employee benefits litigation, actuarial and accounting assistance tied to pensions, drafting and filing Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs), help with related employer welfare benefits (like health and disability), counseling on Social Security and other public benefit programs, financial education and retirement or estate planning resources, and elder rights/consumer protection matters.
18) Does the announcement recommend coordination with any established referral networks?
Yes. The announcement encourages coordination with established networks like the National Pension Lawyers Network where it fits.
19) What outreach requirements apply to grantees under this supplement?
Outreach is treated as an operational requirement. Each project must have a region-wide outreach plan designed to increase appropriate client intake and to build durable referral relationships with organizations across the region. Outreach should incorporate media relations, low/no-cost access pathways, and outreach events, and it must intentionally target underserved and hard-to-reach seniors, low-income seniors, and individuals with limited English proficiency.
20) How should outreach materials describe the project?
Outreach materials (such as websites, brochures, and flyers) must clearly reflect the project as a specialized pension-focused service rather than general legal aid.
21) What technical coverage is expected (ERISA vs. non-ERISA)?
AoA pushes projects to demonstrate competence in both ERISA and non-ERISA systems. It explicitly requires that outreach include efforts to increase the flow of non-ERISA cases, such as state and local government pension matters.
22) What is the expected approach to fact sheets and written materials?
The fact-sheet strategy is split. Projects are expected to develop materials for state and local issues based on client needs. For federal pension law issues, projects are expected to lean on materials from the national technical assistance project, with regional customization allowed for exceptions and local variations.
23) What staffing model does AoA favor?
The guidelines favor models with specialized intake and counseling roles, attorneys in key positions, and strong direct access for clients to live specialist staff. Projects are also encouraged to involve volunteers, interns, and law students in ways that meaningfully increase capacity rather than creating administrative overhead.
24) What training and staff development expectations are listed?
Training expectations are concrete: (1) specialist staff in each location should attend the annual Pension Counseling Project Training Conference in Washington, DC each year; (2) each project location should receive at least two days per year of customized legal training and/or operational consultation delivered or coordinated by the national technical assistance project; and (3) specialist staff should complete at least 6 CLE credit hours of additional pension training each year.
25) Do budgets need to reflect the training requirements?
Yes. Budgets are expected to clearly show resources needed to implement the training plan, including staff time, tuition, and travel.
26) What technology and infrastructure improvements are expected?
Projects are expected to describe their existing technology environment and, if needed, add tools to capture plan documents electronically, including optical character recognition (OCR), and to share those files with a central database such as PensionHelp America. AoA also calls out basic workstation needs (such as monitor resolution and size) that allow staff to review documents comfortably at standard settings.
27) Are projects expected to maintain pension law reference resources?
Yes. Projects must maintain sufficient pension law reference resources (books, periodicals, and similar materials) to research and handle issues across the range of jurisdictions and plan types encountered in a multi-state region.
28) What data collection and reporting is required?
AoA requires consistent data collection across all AoA-funded counseling projects using a baseline dataset and a low-cost or no-cost reporting tool that AoA will identify. At minimum, projects must track and report: number of clients served; client demographics; services delivered and intensity; legal issues presented; recoveries and other outcomes; plan and sponsor types; and administrator contact information.
29) Do reporting requirements apply to each site within a project?
Yes. Reporting must cover each site a project operates as well as the project as a whole.
30) Who receives the required reports?
Reports go to both AoA and the national technical assistance project for consolidation and analysis.
31) What are the expectations around plan documents and plan contact information?
Projects are expected to collect, retain, and share plan documents and plan contact details discovered through casework, especially for plans that are historically difficult for deferred vested participants to locate. Applicants are expected to budget for staff time and the hardware/software needed to do this accurately and on time.
32) What types of hard-to-locate plans are highlighted as examples?
AoA highlights examples such as defined benefit plans terminated before July 1, 1974; terminated or orphaned defined contribution plans (noted as pre-2009); and plans that have changed sponsor names, locations, or operational status.
33) How are grantees expected to participate in shared learning and coordination?
Projects are expected to draw on the experience of other counseling projects and contribute back by sharing insights, practical approaches, and operational lessons learned. The AoA Pension Counseling Listserv is cited as a no-cost tool to support collaboration, and proposals are expected to describe how the applicant will participate in and strengthen the network-wide learning loop.
34) What should applicants explain in their proposals for this supplement?
Applicants are expected to explain exactly how they will use the added funds to expand or formalize services, upgrade operations, and participate more fully in shared tools, training, and network-wide processes, with clear attention to referral systems, outreach, data/reporting consistency, infrastructure, and coordination with the national technical assistance provider.
35) Does this announcement mention any other related competition?
Yes. AoA notes that a separate sixth regional project would be competed under amended guidelines with a larger budget. However, this particular announcement focuses specifically on supplementing the existing grantees.
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