COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Health Services Agency

 

DATE:

June 21, 2004

BOARD MEETING DATE:

July 27, 2004

 

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Charlene A. Silva, Director of Health Services

Lisa L. Mancini, Director of Aging and Adult Services

   

SUBJECT:

Agreement with the California Department of Aging for Title III/VII of the Older Americans Act (OAA) of 1965

 

Recommendation

Adopt a resolution authorizing the President of the Board of Supervisors to execute Agreement No. AP-0405-08 for Title III/VII with the California Department of Aging (CDA) for Fiscal Year 2004-2005

 

Background

Every four years Aging and Adult Services (AAS) as the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) from San Mateo County is required to submit an Area Plan for aging services to CDA. The state also requires that counties submit annual updates identifying revised goals and objectives for the coming fiscal year in order to claim their allotted OAA funds, which are determined through a statewide funding formula. The plan provides a profile of the County’s senior population, identifies activities to improve and expand existing services as well as to develop new programs designed to address current countywide needs, and recommends services to be funded with San Mateo’s OAA allocation.

 

On August 21, 2001, your Board approved the Strategic Plan for Services to Older Persons and Adults with Disabilities for 2000-05. This plan, together with the annual budget, fulfills CDA’s requirements and generates a contract from CDA for funding.

 

Discussion

Title III/VII provides funding for a variety of programs including Congregate Nutrition, Adult Day Care, Senior Employment, Legal Assistance, Transportation, Disease Prevention/Health Promotion, Information and Assistance, Elder Abuse Prevention, Home-Delivered Meals, and the Ombudsman program. These nutrition, supportive, and employment services are designed to carry out many of the goals and objectives identified in the Strategic Plan.

 

For the 2004-05 Fiscal Year, CDA has reduced funding for Title III/VII by 5% while at the same time converting the funding into a block grant to allow more flexibility in program planning at the local level. AAS has minimized the impact of the funding reduction on services to vulnerable seniors and adults with disabilities through prioritization and targeting of resources to programs serving those in greatest social and economic need. Funding reductions were applied by reducing the AAS administrative allocation, reducing the Brown Bag Program and eliminating the Senior Companion Program as prescribed by the State and reducing allocations to other programs based on the aforementioned strategy.

 

AAS strives to provide services to severely impaired individuals in order to help them remain in the most independent setting possible. The provision of these services to this targeted population is a division-wide performance measure. With the assistance of the services provided through the Title III/VII funding and other AAA funding, we have met this measure as a division.

 

Clients served
by Contract Providers

2002-03 Actual

2003-04 Projected

2004-05 Projected

Total Severely Impaired Clients

3,339

3,605

3,641

Severely Impaired Clients living independently

2,764
(83%)

2,884
(80%)

2,949
(81%)

       

The Commission on Aging and County Counsel have approved this agreement.

 
   

Consistent with contract approval level limitations in County Administrative Memorandum B-1, the Director of Health Services will be authorized to execute amendments and modifications to this agreement, not to exceed $25,000 in aggregate.

 
   

Vision Alignment

 

The agreement with CDA for Title III/VII keeps the commitment of ensuring basic health and safety for all and goal number 8: People-Help vulnerable people—the aged, disabled, mentally ill, at-risk youth and others—achieve a better quality of life. Funds for Title III/VII programs will contribute to this commitment and goal by providing transportation, home-delivered meals, congregate nutrition, family caregiver support, ombudsman services and adult day health care.

 
   

Fiscal Impact

 

Execution of this agreement with CDA allows the County to claim its allocation of OAA Title III/VII funds for FY 2004-2005. The total grant amount of $3,060,693 consists of $2,393,314 in federal funds and $667,379 in state funds for Title III/VII. The required county match for this agreement is $176,747. In addition, the contracted service providers are required to provide their own matching funds. The federal, state and county funds are included in AAS’s recommended budget for 2004-2005. Any ongoing expenditure will be reduced if funds are unavailable in future years. There is no additional impact on the County General Fund as a result of this action.