Opportunity Information: Apply for HRSA 15 137
Apply for HRSA 15 137
- The Health Resources and Services Administration in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Rural Outreach Benefits Counseling Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.912 Rural Health Care Services Outreach, Rural Health Network Development and Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvemen.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 3, 2015 and posted on Jan 29, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 30, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $750,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Please See Section 3.1 of the FOA
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Opportunity Summary:
The Rural Outreach Benefits Counseling Program (HRSA-15-137) is a three-year, community-based pilot grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), administered through the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP). It is designed to strengthen how rural communities find, enroll, and keep people covered by health insurance, while also helping newly insured residents understand and actually use their coverage to access primary care and preventive services. The program is built around an outcomes-oriented approach, meaning applicants are expected to propose activities that produce measurable improvements in enrollment, education, connection to care, and long-term sustainability of benefits counseling services in rural areas.
A central feature of this opportunity is that projects must be delivered through a consortium rather than a single organization acting alone. The intent is to bring together rural health providers, public agencies, and community organizations that can jointly solve coverage and access problems that are difficult for any one entity to address. FORHP highlights that strong consortiums typically involve members early in planning, set clear roles and responsibilities, and actively coordinate efforts so partners can share administrative tasks, refer clients to organizations with enrollment capacity, and run joint outreach events. In practice, the grant favors collaboration that is organized, clearly structured, and designed to leverage existing community resources to extend the reach of federal dollars.
The program defines "benefits counseling" narrowly for grant purposes. Funded counseling activities must focus on outreach, education, and enrollment related to public health insurance programs (Medicare, Medicaid, and/or the Children’s Health Insurance Program), qualified health plans offered through the Health Insurance Marketplace, and/or private health insurance plans. The two overarching goals are: first, to identify uninsured individuals and families in rural communities and enroll those who are eligible into appropriate coverage options; and second, to educate newly insured individuals and families so they understand their benefits, can connect to primary and preventive care, and can retain coverage over time. Projects are expected to address both goals, not just enrollment alone.
Allowable activities emphasize meeting people where they are and combining multiple outreach strategies. The FOA recognizes both internal "in-reach" and external outreach as important. In-reach focuses on identifying and enrolling uninsured people who are already interacting with a health care provider or service site, while also streamlining workflow so outreach and enrollment support becomes part of regular staff duties. External outreach focuses on proactively finding uninsured individuals in the broader community, helping them navigate coverage options, and connecting them to an appropriate provider for ongoing care. Regardless of which approach a project emphasizes, all projects are expected to build in enrollment and renewal assistance, either by directly helping individuals complete enrollment or by creating effective referral pathways to trained application assisters in the community.
Beyond enrollment, the grant supports education efforts aimed at helping newly insured rural residents successfully use their coverage. This includes explaining how benefits work, encouraging appropriate utilization of services, and facilitating connections to primary care and preventive services that may have been out of reach while uninsured. The broader policy frame is tied to improving value in health care delivery, and applicants are encouraged to propose innovative, comprehensive approaches that measurably improve coverage and access for rural populations with high uninsured rates. FORHP also signals an interest in building an evidence base for rural program administration, meaning projects that can demonstrate creative models and document outcomes are especially aligned with the program’s direction.
In terms of funding specifics, the opportunity was posted January 29, 2015, with an application deadline of March 30, 2015, and an archive date of May 29, 2015. HRSA anticipated making about 10 awards with an estimated total funding amount of $750,000 under CFDA 93.912 (Rural Health Care Services Outreach, Rural Health Network Development and Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement). The notice states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement. Award floor and ceiling amounts are listed as $0 in the extracted data, which typically means applicants needed to consult the full Funding Opportunity Announcement for budget limits and expectations. Eligibility is described generally as "Others" with details deferred to Section 3.1 of the FOA, indicating applicants needed to rely on the full announcement for the precise eligible entity types and consortium requirements.
Finally, recipients may be offered targeted technical assistance throughout the three-year project period at no cost. This support is positioned as a FORHP investment to improve project performance and sustainability, and the agency notes that grantees often benefit from individualized, one-on-one assistance. This signals that the program is not only funding outreach and counseling activities, but also actively trying to improve implementation quality and long-term continuation of effective models in rural communities.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Rural Outreach Benefits Counseling Program (HRSA-15-137)?
The Rural Outreach Benefits Counseling Program (HRSA-15-137) is a three-year, community-based pilot grant opportunity from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), administered through the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP). It is focused on improving how rural communities find uninsured people, help them enroll in health insurance, and support newly insured residents in understanding and using their coverage to access primary care and preventive services.
What is the main purpose of this grant?
The program is designed to strengthen rural community capacity to (1) identify uninsured individuals and families and enroll eligible people into appropriate coverage, and (2) educate newly insured people so they understand their benefits, can connect to primary and preventive care, and can retain coverage over time.
How long is the project period?
The grant supports a three-year project period.
Is this an outcomes-oriented program?
Yes. The opportunity emphasizes an outcomes-oriented approach. Applicants are expected to propose activities that lead to measurable improvements in enrollment, education, connection to care, and the long-term sustainability of benefits counseling services in rural areas.
Do applicants have to apply as a consortium?
Yes. A central feature of this opportunity is that projects must be delivered through a consortium rather than a single organization acting alone. The intent is to bring together rural health providers, public agencies, and community organizations to address coverage and access issues collaboratively.
What characteristics does FORHP highlight as part of a strong consortium?
FORHP notes that strong consortiums typically involve members early in planning, define clear roles and responsibilities, and actively coordinate efforts. Examples include sharing administrative tasks, referring clients to organizations with enrollment capacity, and running joint outreach events.
How does the program define "benefits counseling" for this grant?
For grant purposes, "benefits counseling" is defined narrowly. Funded counseling activities must focus on outreach, education, and enrollment related to public health insurance programs (Medicare, Medicaid, and/or the Children’s Health Insurance Program), qualified health plans offered through the Health Insurance Marketplace, and/or private health insurance plans.
Is the grant only about enrollment, or does it require additional work beyond enrollment?
Projects are expected to address both enrollment and post-enrollment education. The program goals include not only enrolling eligible individuals and families, but also educating newly insured people so they can understand their coverage, connect to care, and retain coverage over time.
What types of outreach approaches are recognized under this opportunity?
The FOA recognizes both internal "in-reach" and external outreach. In-reach focuses on identifying and enrolling uninsured people already interacting with a provider or service site and integrating enrollment support into routine workflows. External outreach focuses on proactively finding uninsured people in the broader community and helping them navigate coverage options and connect to an appropriate provider for ongoing care.
What is "in-reach" in the context of this program?
In-reach refers to identifying uninsured individuals who are already interacting with a health care provider or service site and helping them enroll. It also includes streamlining workflow so outreach and enrollment support become part of regular staff duties.
What is "external outreach" in the context of this program?
External outreach refers to proactively identifying uninsured people in the broader community, helping them understand and navigate coverage options, and connecting them to an appropriate provider for ongoing care.
Are projects required to include enrollment and renewal assistance?
Yes. Regardless of whether a project emphasizes in-reach or external outreach, all projects are expected to build in enrollment and renewal assistance. This can be done either by directly helping individuals complete enrollment or by creating effective referral pathways to trained application assisters in the community.
What kinds of education activities are supported after someone becomes insured?
The grant supports education to help newly insured rural residents successfully use their coverage. This includes explaining how benefits work, encouraging appropriate use of services, and facilitating connections to primary care and preventive services.
How does the program connect coverage work to health care access?
The program is explicitly designed to link insurance coverage to real access. It emphasizes connecting newly insured people to primary care and preventive services, not just helping them enroll in a plan.
Does FORHP encourage innovation or evidence-building?
Yes. Applicants are encouraged to propose innovative, comprehensive approaches that measurably improve coverage and access for rural populations with high uninsured rates. FORHP also signals interest in building an evidence base for rural program administration, meaning projects that can document outcomes and demonstrate creative models are well aligned with the program direction.
When was this funding opportunity posted and when was the application due?
The opportunity was posted on January 29, 2015. The application deadline was March 30, 2015.
When was the opportunity archived?
The archive date listed for the opportunity is May 29, 2015.
How many awards did HRSA anticipate making, and what was the estimated total funding amount?
HRSA anticipated making about 10 awards, with an estimated total funding amount of $750,000.
What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 93.912 (Rural Health Care Services Outreach, Rural Health Network Development and Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement).
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The notice states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
What are the award floor and ceiling amounts?
The extracted data lists the award floor and ceiling as $0, which typically indicates applicants needed to consult the full Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for budget limits and expectations.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described generally as "Others," with details deferred to Section 3.1 of the FOA. Applicants would need to refer to the full FOA for precise eligible entity types and consortium requirements.
Will grantees receive technical assistance?
Yes. Recipients may be offered targeted technical assistance throughout the three-year project period at no cost. This support is described as individualized and may include one-on-one assistance to improve performance and sustainability.
Is the grant focused only on funding activities, or also on improving long-term sustainability?
Both. The program emphasizes not only outreach and counseling activities, but also measurable outcomes and long-term sustainability of benefits counseling services in rural areas. The availability of technical assistance is also positioned as a way to improve implementation quality and continuation of effective models.
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