Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2009 AOA MP 0904
Apply for HHS 2009 AOA MP 0904
- The Administration on Aging in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "SMP 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 Feb 11, 2009 and posted on Jan 30, 2009.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 13, 2009. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $4,600,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $180,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 28 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) State governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education City or township governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Private institutions of higher education Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education County governments.
- Domestic public or private and non profit entities including state, local and Indian tribal governments (American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native American), faith based organizations, community based organizations, hospitals, and institutions of higher education are eligible to apply. Through this competition, AoA plans to fund one project in each of the following jurisdictions Alabama, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Guam and the US Virgin Islands.
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Opportunity Summary:
The SMP Projects grant opportunity (Senior Medicare Patrol) is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the Administration on Aging (AoA) to reduce Medicare and Medicaid losses tied to billing errors, fraud, waste, and abuse. The program is built on the idea that older adults, especially retired professionals, can serve as a strong first line of defense when they are trained to recognize suspicious billing patterns, educate other beneficiaries, and help route complaints to the right enforcement or oversight agencies. The need is framed in practical terms: Medicare spending is massive and payments move through many channels, which increases the likelihood of mistakes and creates openings for bad actors. SMP projects aim to counter the perception that fraud is unlikely to be detected by increasing community-level awareness, reporting, and follow-through.
At its core, the program funds state or territory-wide efforts that recruit, train, and support volunteers (often retired doctors, nurses, accountants, investigators, teachers, lawyers, and similar professionals, as well as other older volunteers) to deliver fraud-prevention education and individualized counseling. SMP staff and volunteers teach beneficiaries, families, and caregivers how to review Medicare statements, spot red flags, and report concerns. Projects also run public outreach through community events and media, and they operate as an intake and triage point for questions and complaints, resolving issues when possible and referring cases to partners such as Medicare contractors, state Medicaid Fraud Control Units, state attorneys general, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), and CMS. A major operational expectation is consistent performance tracking in AoA's SMARTFACTS web-based system, which is used to document outreach, counseling, complaints, referrals, and resulting savings.
The opportunity emphasizes measurable impact and continuous reporting. The OIG collects SMP performance data semiannually through SMARTFACTS, and the announcement highlights program-wide results achieved from 1997 through December 2007 to show what success looks like: roughly 2.3 million beneficiaries educated through about 60,000 group sessions, more than 980,000 one-on-one counseling sessions, an estimated 21 million people reached through community events, over 170,000 media outreach activities, more than 104,000 complaints resolved or referred, and over $105.65 million in documented savings (including recovered funds and beneficiary savings). These figures are used to reinforce that SMP projects are expected to produce both education volume and concrete outcomes like resolved complaints and cost savings.
Applicants are required to design a statewide or territory-wide program (coverage defined as serving every county in a state or every region in a territory) and to directly address several strategic objectives. First, they must show how they will achieve and sustain statewide coverage, using tools like formal partnerships, subgrants or contracts, toll-free lines, websites and online strategies, and statewide media plans. Second, they must expand education and inquiry resolution beyond traditional Medicare topics into at least one additional fraud area: Medicaid, Durable Medical Equipment (DME), or home health care. This expansion must include specific performance goals and a plan to partner with state-level organizations that can extend reach and resources (examples listed include Medicaid Fraud Control Units, home health care associations, and discharge planners). Third, they must strengthen program visibility and consistency by collaborating with Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) and other community service providers so potential fraud concerns are identified and referred smoothly. Fourth, they must improve efficiency and results by demonstrating the capacity to capture and use performance data, with particular attention to tracking and increasing (at minimum) the number of beneficiaries educated, the number of inquiries and inquiry resolution rates, and Medicare/Medicaid/other savings attributed to documented actions. Finally, they must deliberately target isolated and hard-to-reach populations, including people who are underserved due to low income, geographic isolation, language, or cultural barriers; applicants must identify target groups, propose innovative outreach methods (including strategies drawn from prior SMP Integration Grants), and include signed letters of collaboration from organizations representing those populations that spell out the kind and level of support being offered (facilities, volunteers, funding, or other resources).
Eligibility is broad and includes domestic public or private nonprofit entities such as state, local, and tribal governments (including federally recognized tribal governments), faith-based and community-based organizations, hospitals, and institutions of higher education (public or private). The competition is structured to fund one SMP project in each listed eligible jurisdiction, and for this 2009 announcement the jurisdictions specifically named are: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The project period can be up to three years, dependent on federal funding availability, and the award structure includes a funding floor of $75,000 and a ceiling of $180,000, with an estimated total funding amount of $4.6 million and approximately 28 expected awards. Cost sharing or matching is required.
From an implementation standpoint, the announcement expects a detailed management and operations plan that covers startup, demographic and barrier analysis, statewide partnership design, volunteer recruitment and retention (including bilingual or culturally competent volunteers where needed), staff and volunteer training for both group education and one-on-one counseling, clear referral pathways for complex issues, and a realistic evaluation approach grounded in SMARTFACTS data. The program also sits within a larger support ecosystem funded in part through HCFAC resources authorized by HIPAA, with national training and technical assistance provided by the National Consumer Protection Technical Resource Center, including support for best practices, mentoring new projects, and proper use of SMARTFACTS. Overall, the grant is less about conducting investigations directly and more about building a statewide prevention-and-response network that educates beneficiaries, surfaces credible complaints, routes them to the right authorities, and documents outcomes in a standardized way.
Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP Projects) Grant Opportunity FAQs
What is the SMP Projects grant opportunity?
The SMP Projects opportunity (Senior Medicare Patrol) is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the Administration on Aging (AoA). It funds statewide or territory-wide efforts designed to reduce Medicare and Medicaid losses related to billing errors, fraud, waste, and abuse by educating beneficiaries and improving reporting and referral of suspected issues.
What problem is the SMP program trying to solve?
The program addresses the practical reality that Medicare spending is very large and payments flow through many channels, which increases the chances of billing mistakes and creates opportunities for fraud and abuse. SMP projects aim to increase detection and deterrence by raising community awareness, encouraging reporting, and ensuring concerns are routed and followed through.
How do SMP projects reduce fraud, waste, and abuse if they do not investigate cases directly?
SMP projects focus on prevention, education, intake, and referral. Staff and trained volunteers help beneficiaries and caregivers recognize red flags, review Medicare statements, and report concerns. Projects resolve certain issues when possible and refer credible complaints to the appropriate enforcement or oversight partners (for example, Medicare contractors, state Medicaid Fraud Control Units, state attorneys general, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), and CMS).
What are SMP volunteers expected to do?
Volunteers are recruited, trained, and supported to deliver fraud-prevention education and individualized counseling. They may lead group presentations, provide one-on-one help to beneficiaries, assist with outreach events, answer questions, and help route complaints to the correct partners through established referral pathways.
Who are the volunteers typically recruited from?
The program emphasizes that older adults, including retired professionals, can be an effective first line of defense. Examples include retired doctors, nurses, accountants, investigators, teachers, and lawyers, as well as other older volunteers.
What kinds of services do SMP projects provide to beneficiaries, families, and caregivers?
SMP projects provide group education and one-on-one counseling. They teach people how to review Medicare statements, spot suspicious billing patterns and red flags, and understand how to report concerns. They also function as an intake and triage point for questions and complaints, resolving issues when possible and referring cases when necessary.
What outreach activities are SMP projects expected to conduct?
Projects conduct public outreach through community events and media, along with structured education sessions and individualized counseling. The opportunity highlights expectations for both education volume and visible community-level awareness efforts.
What is SMARTFACTS and why is it important?
SMARTFACTS is AoA's web-based performance tracking system used to document outreach, counseling, complaints, referrals, and resulting savings. A major operational expectation is consistent performance tracking in SMARTFACTS, and applicants are expected to demonstrate the capacity to capture and use these data to improve results.
How often are SMP performance data collected or reviewed?
The announcement indicates that the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) collects SMP performance data semiannually through SMARTFACTS.
What kinds of outcomes does the grant opportunity emphasize?
The opportunity emphasizes measurable impact and continuous reporting. Beyond education and outreach volume, it stresses concrete outcomes such as inquiries handled, inquiry resolution rates, complaints resolved or referred, and documented savings (including recovered funds and beneficiary savings) attributed to SMP actions.
What historical results are provided as examples of SMP success?
The announcement cites program-wide results from 1997 through December 2007, including roughly 2.3 million beneficiaries educated through about 60,000 group sessions; more than 980,000 one-on-one counseling sessions; an estimated 21 million people reached through community events; over 170,000 media outreach activities; more than 104,000 complaints resolved or referred; and over $105.65 million in documented savings.
What geographic coverage is required for an SMP project?
Applicants must design a statewide or territory-wide program. Coverage is defined as serving every county in a state or every region in a territory.
How are applicants expected to achieve statewide or territory-wide coverage?
The opportunity notes tools such as formal partnerships, subgrants or contracts, toll-free lines, websites and online strategies, and statewide media plans. Applicants must explain how they will achieve and sustain full coverage over the required geography.
What strategic objectives must applicants directly address?
The announcement outlines several objectives applicants must address: (1) achieving and sustaining statewide or territory-wide coverage; (2) expanding education and inquiry resolution beyond traditional Medicare topics into at least one additional fraud area (Medicaid, Durable Medical Equipment (DME), or home health care) with goals and partnerships; (3) collaborating with Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) and other community providers to improve visibility and referrals; (4) improving efficiency and results through strong performance data capacity using SMARTFACTS; and (5) targeting isolated and hard-to-reach populations with innovative outreach and documented collaborations.
What does the required expansion beyond traditional Medicare topics include?
Applicants must expand education and inquiry resolution into at least one additional fraud area: Medicaid, Durable Medical Equipment (DME), or home health care. This expansion must include specific performance goals and a plan to partner with state-level organizations that extend reach and resources.
What types of partners are mentioned for expanding into Medicaid, DME, or home health?
Examples of state-level partners listed include Medicaid Fraud Control Units, home health care associations, and discharge planners.
What role do Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) play in this opportunity?
The opportunity calls for collaboration with ADRCs and other community service providers to strengthen visibility and consistency, so potential fraud concerns can be identified and referred smoothly.
What performance measures are applicants expected to track and improve?
Applicants are expected to track and increase (at minimum) the number of beneficiaries educated, the number of inquiries and inquiry resolution rates, and Medicare/Medicaid/other savings attributed to documented actions, using SMARTFACTS.
What does the opportunity require regarding hard-to-reach and underserved populations?
Applicants must deliberately target isolated and hard-to-reach populations, including people underserved due to low income, geographic isolation, language, or cultural barriers. Applicants must identify target groups and propose innovative outreach methods, including strategies drawn from prior SMP Integration Grants.
Are letters of collaboration required, and what must they include?
Yes. The announcement requires signed letters of collaboration from organizations representing the targeted hard-to-reach populations. The letters must spell out the kind and level of support being offered, such as facilities, volunteers, funding, or other resources.
Who is eligible to apply for this grant?
Eligibility includes domestic public or private nonprofit entities such as state, local, and tribal governments (including federally recognized tribal governments), faith-based and community-based organizations, hospitals, and institutions of higher education (public or private).
How many awards are expected, and how is the competition structured?
The competition is structured to fund one SMP project in each listed eligible jurisdiction. For this 2009 announcement, approximately 28 awards are expected, aligning with the number of jurisdictions named.
Which jurisdictions are specifically named as eligible in this announcement?
The named jurisdictions are: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
What is the project period for an SMP award?
The project period can be up to three years, dependent on federal funding availability.
What are the minimum and maximum award amounts?
The award floor is $75,000 and the ceiling is $180,000.
What is the estimated total funding amount for the announcement?
The announcement estimates a total funding amount of $4.6 million.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
Yes. The announcement states that cost sharing or matching is required.
What management and operations elements are applicants expected to include?
The announcement expects a detailed management and operations plan covering startup, demographic and barrier analysis, statewide partnership design, volunteer recruitment and retention (including bilingual or culturally competent volunteers where needed), staff and volunteer training for group education and one-on-one counseling, clear referral pathways for complex issues, and a realistic evaluation approach grounded in SMARTFACTS data.
What referral partners are mentioned for complaints that require follow-up beyond the SMP project?
Examples include Medicare contractors, state Medicaid Fraud Control Units, state attorneys general, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), and CMS.
What kind of federal support and technical assistance is referenced?
The opportunity describes a broader support ecosystem funded in part through HCFAC resources authorized by HIPAA, with national training and technical assistance provided by the National Consumer Protection Technical Resource Center. This includes support for best practices, mentoring new projects, and proper use of SMARTFACTS.
What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?
Based on the description provided, the award is structured as a cooperative agreement and includes expectations for continuous reporting and standardized performance tracking through SMARTFACTS, along with engagement in national training and technical assistance resources referenced in the announcement.
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