80 FR 38693 - Availability of Program Instructions for MIPPA Funds Program Title: Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act: State Plans for Medicare Savings Program, Low Income Subsidy & Prescription Drug Enrollment Outreach and Assistance

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration on Community Living

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 129 (July 7, 2015)

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 129 (Tuesday, July 7, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38693-38694]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-16509]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration on Community Living


Availability of Program Instructions for MIPPA Funds Program 
Title: Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act: State 
Plans for Medicare Savings Program, Low Income Subsidy & Prescription 
Drug Enrollment Outreach and Assistance

    Announcement Type: Initial.
    Funding Opportunity Number: HHS-2015-ACL-MI-1502
    Statutory Authority: The Medicare Improvements for Patients and 
Providers Act of 2008--Section 119, Public Law (Pub. L.) 110-275 as 
amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 
(Affordable Care Act), reauthorized by the American Taxpayer Relief Act 
of 2012 (ATRA), reauthorized by section 110 of the Protecting Access to 
Medicare Act of 2014 and reauthorized by the Medicare Access and CHIP 
Reauthorization Act of 2015.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 93.071.


DATES: The deadline date for the submission of MIPPA state plans is 
11:59 PM EST, August 31, 2015.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    The purpose of MIPPA funding is to provide states with an 
opportunity to expand, extend, or enhance their outreach efforts to 
beneficiaries on Medicare Part D and for those with limited incomes. In 
2014 ACL released a funding opportunity for states to submit a three 
year state plan to conduct MIPPA activities. With this announcement ACL 
is reopening the funding announcement for states that did not submit 
state plans in 2014 to now submit a two- year MIPPA state plan to 
conduct MIPPA activities over the remaining life of the grant.
    States that are currently funded under MIPPA do not have to 
reapply.
    In addition, in 2016 there will be a similar opportunity released 
for states that are not receiving MIPPA funds at that time to apply for 
FY 16 funds with a one year state plan.
    MIPPA funds are provided to enhance efforts through statewide and 
local coalition building focused on intensified outreach activities to 
help beneficiaries likely to be eligible for the Low Income Subsidy 
program (LIS), Medicare Savings Program (MSP), Medicare Prescription 
Drug Coverage (Part D) and in assisting beneficiaries in applying for 
benefits. ACL will provide funding to State Health Insurance

[[Page 38694]]

Assistance Programs (SHIPs), Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), and Aging 
and Disability Resource Center programs (ADRCs), to inform Medicare 
beneficiaries about available Federal and State benefits. ACL seeks 
plans from states that will describe how the MIPPA funds will be used 
for beneficiary outreach and education over the next two years.
    ACL requests that states submit a two year state plan with specific 
project strategies to expand, extend, or enhance the outreach efforts 
to beneficiaries on Medicare Part D and for those with limited incomes. 
States should describe how the SHIP, AAA, and ADRC efforts will be 
coordinated to provide outreach to beneficiaries with limited incomes 
statewide, for general Medicare Part D outreach and assistance to 
beneficiaries in rural areas, and for outreach activities aimed at 
Medicare prevention and wellness benefits as well as the improvements 
in the Part D program under the Affordable Care Act as mandated by 
Section 3306 of the Act. States that are eligible to apply are asked to 
review previous MIPPA plans and update these plans to reflect successes 
achieved to date and direct their efforts to enhance and expand their 
MIPPA outreach activities. State agencies may prepare either one 
statewide plan or separate plans for each eligible State agency.

II. Award Information

1. Funding Instrument Type

    These awards will be made in the form of grants to State Agencies 
for each MIPPA Priority Area.
    Priority Area 1--Grants to State Agencies (the State Unit on Aging 
or the State Department of Insurance) that administer the State Health 
Insurance Assistance Programs to provide enhanced outreach to eligible 
Medicare beneficiaries regarding their benefits and enhanced outreach 
to individuals who may be eligible for the LIS or for the MSP.
    Priority Area 2--Grants to State Units on Aging for AAAs to provide 
enhanced outreach to eligible Medicare beneficiaries regarding their 
benefits and enhanced outreach to individuals who may be eligible for 
the LIS, MSP, Medicare Part D and Part D in rural areas.
    Priority Area 3--Grants to State Units on Aging that administer the 
Aging and Disability Resource Centers to provide outreach to 
individuals regarding the benefits available under Medicare Part D and 
under the MSP. Funds will be allocated to ADRCs via a formula patterned 
after the statutory formula used for SHIPs and AAAs.

2. Anticipated Total Priority Area Funding per Budget Period

    ACL intends to make available, under this program announcement, 
grant awards for the three MIPPA priority areas. Funding will be 
distributed through a formula as identified in statute. The amounts 
allocated are based upon factors defined in statute and will be 
distributed to each priority area based on the formula. ACL will fund 
total project periods of up to two (2) years contingent upon 
availability of federal funds.
    Priority Area 1--SHIP: $7.5 million in FY 15 and potentially $13 
million in FY 16 for state agencies that administer the SHIP Program.
    Priority Area 2--AAA: $7.5 million in FY 15 and potentially $7.5 
million in FY 16 for SUAs for Area Agencies on Aging and for Native 
American programs. Funding for Native American Programs ($264,000) is 
deducted from Priority 2 and is being allocated through a separate 
process.
    Priority Area 3--ADRC: $5 million in FY 2015 and potentially $5 
million in FY 16 for state agencies that administer ADRC programs that 
were established prior to March 2014.

III. Eligibility Criteria and Other Requirements

1. Eligible Applicants MIPPA Priority Areas 1, 2 and 3

    Awards made under this announcement, by statute, will be made only 
to agencies of State Governments.
    Priority Area 1: Only existing SHIP grant recipients are eligible 
to apply.
    Priority Area 2: Only State Units on Aging are eligible to apply.
    Priority Area 3: Only State Agencies that received an ACL and CMS 
Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) grant where the ADRC was 
established by March, 2015 are eligible in FY 2015.
    Eligibility may change if future funding is available.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching Is Not Required.

3. DUNS Number

    All grant applicants must obtain and keep current a D-U-N-S number 
from Dun and Bradstreet. It is a nine-digit identification number, 
which provides unique identifiers of single business entities. The D-U-
N-S number can be obtained from: https://iupdate.dnb.com/iUpdate/viewiUpdateHome.htm.

4. Intergovernmental Review

    Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal 
Programs, is not applicable to these grant applications.

IV. Submission Information

1. Application Kits

    Application kits/Program Instructions are available at 
www.grantsolutions.gov. Instructions for completing the application kit 
will be available on the site.

2. Submission Dates and Times

    To receive consideration, applications must be submitted by 11:59 
p.m. Eastern time on August 31, 2015, through www.GrantSolutions.gov.

VII. Agency Contacts

    Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to U.S. Department 
of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging, Office of 
Healthcare Information and Counseling, Washington, DC 20201, attention: 
Katherine Glendening or by calling 202- 357-3859, or by email 
[email protected].

    Dated: June 29, 2015.
Kathy Greenlee,
Administrator and Administration on Aging.
[FR Doc. 2015-16509 Filed 7-6-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P