Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Resource Center

Background
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) oversees the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program, which aims to empower Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to prevent, detect, and report health care fraud, errors, and abuse. The SMP program operates through 54 state-based projects across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.

This grant opportunity seeks applicants for a cooperative agreement to operate the Senior Medicare Patrol Resource Center (SMPRC). The SMPRC will provide essential training and technical assistance to support these projects nationwide.

Grant Details
The SMPRC will focus on four functional themes:
1) Team Member and Enrollee Education - providing group education and one-on-one assistance;
2) Workforce Development - recruiting, training, and retaining a capable workforce;
3) Operational Excellence - monitoring and assessing SMP results;
4) Innovation and Partnership - adapting to changes in the programmatic landscape.

Specific tasks include developing educational materials, conducting training sessions, facilitating peer-to-peer learning among SMPs, maintaining a comprehensive website with resources for SMPs and beneficiaries, and conducting research on innovative communication strategies.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include domestic public or private non-profit entities such as state and local governments, Indian tribal governments and organizations, faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, hospitals, and institutions of higher education. Applicants must demonstrate knowledge of the SMP program and expertise in Medicare policy.

Period of Performance
The project period is set for 36 months with three 12-month budget periods.

Grant Value
The total funding available is $3.5 million over three years: $1.5 million in the first year and $1 million in each of the subsequent two years.

Place of Performance
The grant activities will be performed nationwide across all states involved in the SMP program.