Buckeye Hills Regional Council
Request for Proposal: PY 2018-19 Title III-E National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP)
Overview and Forms

BUCKEYE HILLS REGIONAL COUNCIL

APPLICATION OVERVIEW

PY 2018-19 TITLE III-E

NATIONAL FAMILY CAREGIVER SUPPORT PROGRAM(NFCSP)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BACKGROUND...... 3

DEFINITIONS...... 3

INVITATION FOR PROPOSALS...... 4

AVAILABLE FUNDING...... 4

APPLICATION PROCESS TIME LINE...... 5

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL ANNOUNCEMENT ...... 5

APPLICATION MATERIALS...... 5

RULES...... 6

APPLICATION DEADLINE REQUIREMENTS ...... 6

APPLICATION QUESTIONS...... 7

APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS...... 7

EVALUATION CRITERIA ...... 7

NOTIFICATION OF AWARDS...... 8

AWARD APPEAL PROCESS ...... 8

SUMMARY OF FUNDEDSERVICES...... 9

CONTRACTING...... 10

MONITORING...... 10

NEW PROVIDER ORIENTATION ...... 10

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL REQUIREMENT EXHIBITS AND FORMS……………………………….11-44

BUCKEYE HILLS REGIONAL COUNCIL (BHRC)

PY 2018-19 Title III-E NFCGSP Funds

BACKGROUND:

The National Family Caregiver Support Program, which recognizes the vital role performed by informal caregivers, is authorized by Title III-E of the Older Americans Act Reauthorization of 2000 (the Act). Its intent is to directly benefit informal caregiverswith services consistent with the Act’s mandates through a statewide, easily identifiable program that supports the efforts of caregivers.

Goal for the Program: to provide support, services and education and outreach to the thousands of persons who provide assistance to vulnerable persons, either related or not, who may need to either rely on formal caregivers or seek entry into an institutional versus community living arrangement. These services aid the caregiver to better understand his/her role, consequences, when and how to access assistance, how to utilize services/information to be able to decrease stress, better care for their loved one, understand the needs of caregivers, access services for themselves and their loved one, etc.

Unlike many other programs funded and managed by ODA through the AAAs, the caregiver rather than the care recipient is the target of the program. Therefore, for the purposes of the National Family Caregiver Support Act, AAAs should design programs and individual services that meet the identified needs of caregivers – the target clients of the program. As noted below, though, it will be the care recipient that actually must meet certain eligibility requirements in order for the caregiver to receive respite and supplemental services.

The BHRC Caregiver Advocacy Program promotes self-direction by the caregiver. The Caregiver Advocate performs an in-home assessment to identify the needs of the Caregiver based on the needs of the care recipient. The Caregiver Advocate then uses the assessment to determine the amount of respite support to be allotted to the Caregiver. The Caregiver Advocate works with the Caregiver to establish personal goals for the respite services. The Caregiver chooses a respite provider from the list of providers who have contracted with BHRC to provide Title III E respite services. Once the Caregiver Advocate authorizes the services to the provider, the Caregiver then works directly with the provider to schedule respite as needed, in an effort to reach the Caregiver’s personal respite goals. Successful Title III E bidders will be included on the contracted provider list provided to Caregivers during the in-home assessment.

DEFINITIONS:

Family caregiver, an adult family member, or other individual, who is an informal provider of in-home and community care to an older individual.

Respite care, services that enable caregivers to be temporarily relieved from their caregiving responsibilities which shall/may include in-home, institutional and emergency respite.

is “unable to perform at least two activities of daily living without substantial human assistance, including verbal reminding, physical cueing, or supervision; or due to a cognitive or other mental impairment, requires substantial supervision because the individual behaves in a manner that poses a serious health or safety hazard to the individual or to another individual”

INVITATION FOR PROPOSALS:

BHRC is soliciting proposals from service providers which provide support and services to caregivers of individuals who are 60+ in Athens, Hocking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Perry and Washington Counties.

BHRC is soliciting applications from agencies which, at the time of application, provide

Personal Care Respite, Homemaker Respite, Overnight Respite or Adult Day Respite. Successful applicants will be awarded funds for the 24 month period from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2019.

AVAILABLE FUNDING

The table below displays funding amounts available by county.Title III-E NFCGSP funding for Program Years (PY) 2018-19 is provided through the Ohio Department of Aging. The total available funding per program year is estimated to be approximately $43,023.00. TheState of Ohio Budget for PY 2018-19 has not been finalized. Therefore, funding amounts may be different when awards are granted. Awards may be reduced at any time if federal or state funding is reduced, even during the contract period.

TOTAL COUNTY ALLOCATION
ATHENS / $8,254.35
HOCKING / $5,072.05
MEIGS / $4,581.00
MONROE / $3,002.16
MORGAN / $3,046.74
NOBLE / $2,839.72
PERRY / $5,264.59
WASHINGTON / $10,962.40
TOTAL ALLOCATION / $43,023.00

It is the policy of the BHRC that available funds shall be allocated to each county in the PSA by formula. Each county will have only those funds allocated by formula available to it. The allocation formula reflects 2010 census data for those elements for which 2010 census data is available. In the event that a service gap is identified after reviewing all proposals received, BHRC reserves the right to allocate funds in a manner that ensures service delivery.

APPLICATION PROCESS TIME LINE

PY 2018-19 Title III-E NFCGSP Request for Proposal Announcement / Week of July 10, 2017
PY 2018-19 Title III-E NFCGSP application and instructions made available to prospective bidders / July 17, 2017
Proposal Application Due Date / September 1, 2017
BHRC Staff review of submitted proposals / September 1-24, 2017
BHRC recommendations presented to Buckeye Hills Regional Advisory Council / September 29, 2017
BHRC recommendations presented to Buckeye Hills Executive Committee / November 3, 2017
PY 2018-19 Title III-E NFCGSP Contracts mailed to successful bidders for signature / November 6-10, 2017
PY 2018-19 Title III-E NFCGSP Contracts due back to BHRC / December 1, 2017
First day of PY 2018-19 Title III-E NFCGSP / January 1, 2018
Last day of PY 2018-19 Title III-E NFCGSP / December 31, 2019

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Week of July 10, 2017

  • Posted on BHRC website
  • Posted in legal notice section in newspapers throughout the eight-county service area.

APPLICATION MATERIALS

All instructions and materials needed to apply for PY 2018-19 Title III-E NFCGSP funding are available to download from the BHRC website no hard copy applications will be available.

Required forms are in Microsoft Word and Excel. Applicants must use these forms and formats to apply for services; other forms and formats will not be accepted for review. All responses must be typed in a legible font style and size. Hand written or typed responses are not accepted.

The instructions and application documents are intended to assist applicants in applying for funding under this Request for Proposals (RFP) announcement. Nothing in the instructions or application documents is intended to impose any paper work beyond those specifically required under the regulations of the Ohio Department of Aging (ODA) and the BHRC competitive bidding process.

RULES

Rules are available at -

All applicants are encouraged to read all instructions and application materials before making a decision to apply for the Title III-E NFCGSP funding.The BHRC is not liable for any costs incurred or associated with the preparation of any applicant’s application.

APPLICATION DEADLINE REQUIREMENTS

The deadline to submit the completed application to the BHRC is September 1, 2017 by 4:00 p.m. One (1) complete original and one (1) complete copy application in hard copy must be received by BHRC by 4:00 p.m. on September, 1, 2017.

Proposal Packet submission:

1.Proposal packets can be mailed to Buckeye Hills Regional Council, 1400 Pike Street, Marietta, OH 45750. If mailed, bidder is required to use certified return receipt.

2.Proposal packets can be hand delivered to 1400 Pike Street, Marietta, OH 45750. If hand delivered, bidder will be given a receipt at time of delivery.

Faxed or emailed proposal applications will be rejected.

formats. BHRC will reject the following applications:

1. The application is not received by the required stated due date and time.

2. The application is missing any required document listed on the document checklist.

3. The application is missing any required signature.

4. The application is emailed or faxed.

5. The application contains altered application forms and/or formats.

6. The application responses are hand written and/or not in a legible font style or size.

It is not the responsibility of the BHRC, upon receipt of the proposal application, to notify applicants if they have not met any of the above listed application deadline requirements for completeness and/or compliance with required formats, even if the proposal is submitted before the application deadline.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS

Questions about the application process may be emailed to Cathy Ash, Program Manager at . All questions and responses will be posted on the BHRC website at

APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS

1. All applications accepted for review are evaluated by a team of BHRC staff who make funding recommendations to Regional Advisory Council on Aging.

2. The Regional Advisory Council on Aging makes funding recommendations to the BHRC Executive Committee whoreviews the recommendations.

3. The BHRC Executive Committee will make the final funding decision.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Each proposal accepted for review will be evaluated and scored using the following criteria:

Criteria / Score
Agency policies and procedures reflect experience in:
1. Collaboration with other agencies (5)
2. Service quality (5)
3. Consumer satisfaction (5)
4. Employee training and development (5) / 25
Applicant demonstrates adherence to Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) Rule, Ohio Department of Aging (ODA) and BHRC Policies and Procedures as outlined in the RFP. / 25
Applicant demonstrates cost effectiveness, based on an itemization of the costs that comprise the total bid price for the service. / 25
Applicant describes effective staffing level management to ensure that all services are delivered at the scheduled time and in accordance with OAC Rules, ODA and BHRC policies and procedures. / 25
TOTAL / 100

Each proposed service will be evaluated and scored separately. All services will be ranked by score within each county. The scoring system is used to compare and rank proposed services among provider agencies within each county. Funding is not determined by scores and rankings alone.

BHRC reserves the right to select one or more lower ranked services in order to achieve a continuum of services for targeted populations.

BHRC reserves the right to award applicants less funds than requested if federal or state funding is not sufficient to fully fund all applicants that merit awards.

BHRC reserves the right to reject any proposals received in response to this Request for Proposals; to request additional materials from any or all applicants; and to conditionally select proposals for funding.

NOTIFICATION OF AWARDS

Successful bidders will be notified of award by receipt of contract for provision PY 2018-19 National Family Caregiver Support Program Services.

AWARD APPEAL PROCESS

An applicant may appeal its award. The specified process for an appeal is as follows:

1. The complainant agency requesting an appeal must submit a certified latter to BHRC within thirty (30) days from the final decision of adverse action, which outlines the request for an appeal and supported reasons for a hearing.

2. Upon receipt of the request, BHRC will inform the complainant agency through a certified letter of the date, time, and location of the hearing to be held.

3. All receipts of such requests by complainant agencies shall be time/date stamped by BHRC.

  1. BHRC will hold the hearing within forty-five days after the receipt of the request of the complainant agency.
  1. The BHRC Executive Committee, on the specified hearing date, will hear both parties present their case.
  1. The Executive Committee may terminate the hearing procedures at any point if BHRC or the complainant agency:
  2. Negotiate a written agreement that resolves the issue(s) prompting the hearing; or
  3. The complainant agency, in a written statement, withdraws their appeal.
  1. Upon completion of the hearing, the Executive Committee will make a decision and forward it to BHRC Executive Director. BHRC Executive Director will inform the complainant agency of the decision by a certified letter.
  1. An agency may request a hearing by the Ohio Department of Aging in the event of an “adverse action”, which means an BHRC’s action concerning a particular provider to not award a provider agreement to that provider. ODA shall only honor a request for an appeal hearing before ODA if the provider has fully complied with the written process for appealing an adverse action by BHRC that committed the adverse action and that BHRC has rendered its final decision on the appeal. To request a hearing before ODA, the provider shall submit a written request to ODA’s director via certified mail no later than fifteen (15) business days after the date BHRC renders its final decision. ODA shall hold a hearing and render its final decision on the appeal no later than thirty (30) business days after the date of the hearing. Rule 173-3-09.

SUMMARY OF FUNDED SERVICES

Services funded under this Request for Proposal are summarized below. These rules govern the use of these funds. All contracted providers must comply with these rules and will be monitored for compliance by the BHRC Quality Improvement Department. Printed hard copy of Rules, Service Specifications and Conditions of Participation will NOT be furnished to bidders. Rules are available at -

  • Personal Care Respite: A service comprised of tasks that help a consumer achieve optimal functioning with Activities of Daily Living (eating, dressing, bathing, toileting, transferring in and out of bed/chair, and walking) and Instrumental Activities of Daily

Living (preparing meals, shopping for personal items, medication management, managing money, using the telephone, doing heavy housework, doing light housework, and the ability to use available transportation without assistance). Rule 173-3-06.5

(A)(1) And Rule 173-3-01 (B) (1) and B (10)

  • Homemaker Respite: A service that provides routine tasks to help a consumer to achieve and maintain a clean, safe, and healthy environment. Rule 173-3-06.4 (A) (1)
  • Adult Day Respite: A non-residential, community-based service provided through an individualized care plan to encourage optimal capacity for self-care or maximizes functional abilities by meeting the needs of a consumer who has functional or cognitive impairments. Rule 173-3-06.1
  • Overnight Respite: Provision of 24-hour, overnight care and supervision on a temporary basis.

SERVICE UNIT DEFINITIONS

Service / Unit Definition / Service Specifications
Adult Day Respite / 4 to 8 Hour Day / Rule 173-3-06.1
Overnight Respite / 24 hour / N/A
Homemaker Respite / One Full Hour / Rule 173-3-06.4
Personal Care Respite / One Full Hour / Rule 173-3-06.5

The contracting method for Title III-E Service funds is Purchase of Service. A provider is reimbursed for only the units of service delivered based upon the contracted unit cost. The unit cost of service encompasses all elements associated with the production of the unit of service.

Rule 173-3-04 (C) The provider will be reimbursed for the number of units of service provided to the Caregiver and invoiced to the BHRC. Partial units will not be reimbursed. There is no guarantee for the provision of service as this program is consumer-directed meaning the Caregiver chooses the service provider.

MONITORING

Each Area Agency on Aging (BHRC) is responsible to the Ohio Department of Aging (ODA) for ensuring that all state and federal funds received from ODA are used in the manner that complies with state and federal laws. Rule 173-3-04 (A). The BHRC monitors all contracted providers for compliance with service specifications and conditions of participation. This includes an annual on-site visit to review service records and verify units of service reported for reimbursement.

NEW PROVIDER ORIENTATION

Title III-E Service funded providers will be required to participate in Provider Orientation sessions at BHRC offices. These sessions will include an overview of contracting, billing, reporting, and monitoring.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL REQUIREMENT

Application FORMS AND iNSTRUCTIONS

TITLE III-e national family caregiver support program

PY 2018-19

Request for Proposal Requirement exhibits and forms

Introduction / 11
Document Checklist Form / 14
Agency Authorization to Submit Certification Form / 16
Terms and Conditions Form / 20
General Assurance Form / 21
Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion Lower Tier Covered Transactions / 26
Status of Pending Litigation / 27
Agency Overview Questions / 28
Organizational Chart Instructions / 28
Adherence to OAC Rules, ODA, BHRC Policies and Procedures / 29
New Applicant Questions / 32
Service Application Questions
Adult Day Respite Questions / 33
Overnight Respite Service Questions / 35
Homemaker Respite Service Questions / 37
Personal Care Respite Service Questions / 40
Appendix A - Demographic Categories and Definitions / 42
Appendix B – IRS Form W-9 / 44

INTRODUCTION

Title III of the Older Americans Act provides for formula grants to Agencies on Aging, under approved State plans, to stimulate the development or enhancement of comprehensive and coordinated community-based systems resulting in a continuum of services to older persons with special emphasis on older individuals with the greatest economic or social need, with particular attention to low-income minority individuals. A responsive community-based system of services shall include collaboration in planning, resource allocation and delivery of a comprehensive array of services and opportunities for all older Americans in the community.

The intent is to use Title III funds as a catalyst in bringing together public and private resources in the community to assure the provision of a full range of efficient, well-coordinated and accessible services for older persons.

The Older Americans Act Section 306 (B) (i) specifies that outreach efforts shall be targeted to identify individuals eligible for assistance under this Act, with special emphasis on: