Model Approaches to Statewide Legal Assistance Systems

The summary for the Model Approaches to Statewide Legal Assistance Systems grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Administration on Aging, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.
Model Approaches to Statewide Legal Assistance Systems: With this grant opportunity, AoA maintains support for state leadership efforts to develop integrated, coordinated state legal services delivery systems that incorporate low-cost delivery mechanisms with Title III-B legal services and other available legal resources in order to provide maximum benefit and minimum overlap or duplication of effort from the combined legal resources for elders in the state. Through this program announcement, AoA plans to award seven (7) cooperative agreements to support eligible states (see below) in developing approaches that will maximize the use of federal, state, and other funds by incorporating the utilization of low-cost legal services mechanisms into the state legal services planning and development process. The awards will be cooperative agreements because AoA will be substantially involved in the development and execution of the activities of the projects. Each cooperative agreement will be funded at a federal share of approximately $100,000 per year for a project period of three years, contingent upon the availability of federal funds. The intent of this announcement is to expand the Model Approaches to Statewide Legal Assistance Systems program beyond the initial six states of Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Maryland, North Dakota, and Virginia. Awards will be made to the entity within each eligible state that currently houses (or proposes to house) the Legal Services Developer. Eligible applicants include domestic public or private and non-profit entities including state, local and Indian tribal governments, faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, hospitals, and institutions of higher education. If the Legal Services Developer is not housed within the state unit on aging, the applicant must provide a letter of commitment from the state unit that clearly delineates the state unit's support of the application and the role and responsibility of the state unit in support of this effort. In addition, successful grantees must collaborate with an entity experienced in providing legal services to older persons within that state through a low-cost service delivery mechanism, such as the senior legal helpline model, funded by AoA under the Title IV Legal Assistance Grants Program. The purpose of this collaboration is to promote greater involvement of expertise in various components of a comprehensive legal services delivery system, and applications must detail how this collaboration will be structured and accomplished. I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Background The Older Americans Act (OAA) is one of the top funding sources for senior legal assistance for those in social and economic need. Title III-B funding provides support to approximately 1,000 legal services providers nationwide who work to ensure that older Americans in greatest need of help receive legal assistance, advice, and representation. These providers help to address critical threats to independence (such as loss of one's home through predatory lending and consumer scams), and protect and enhance essential benefits such as food stamps, supplemental security income and other public benefits that promote safety, health, and independence. Under Title IV of the OAA, the Administration on Aging (AoA) has provided grants in a number of states to support low-cost legal service delivery mechanisms such as the senior legal helpline model. These low-cost models were shown to be valuable and effective in providing older Americans and their caregivers with important information in areas such as consumer protection, public benefits, and health and financial advance planning. In addition, Title IV funding supports five (5) national legal resource centers that work to improve the quality and accessibility of the legal assistance provided to older people across the United States. The grantees provide state and area agencies, elder law attorneys and aging services providers with training, fact sheets, and other written materials, case consultations, and help with service delivery issues. In an effort to prevent duplication of effort and enhance protections for seniors, many legal providers coordinate their activities with other members of the aging network. For example, legal providers offer training to case managers on how seniors can avoid being victimized by predatory lenders, and area agencies on aging (AAAs) arrange transportation to legal programs for elder abuse victims who need to file restraining orders. Legal providers also provide training to aging network staff and seniors on elder law topics such as guardianship, Medicare, and reverse mortgages. To promote and enhance this type of coordination, the OAA requires each state to appoint a state Legal Services Developer. Similar to a state long-term care ombudsman, this person enhances and coordinates the state's legal services and elder rights programs. Specific duties can include: Providing technical assistance and training to local legal assistance programs and aging services providers; Developing statewide reporting and outcome measurement systems to enhance results-oriented accountability; Coordinating the activities of legal programs with AAAs and other elder rights programs such as ombudsmen, legal hotlines, Adult Protective Services (APS), and public guardians; and Developing statewide standards that define what a quality legal assistance system is for the state and that help ensure that legal services are targeted to minorities, non-English speakers, rural seniors and other underserved groups. AoA's overall goal for legal services under both Titles III and IV of the OAA is to protect the rights and financial security of older persons, and enhance their choice and independence. Although technology has improved the quality and quantity of elder rights information and services for many, there remains a great need to enhance seniors' access to legal services, particularly for the underserved and most vulnerable older adults. It is for this reason that AoA has supported efforts to provide states with a cost-effective way to increase the number of seniors who receive low-cost legal assistance, particularly through the statewide senior legal helpline model. Senior legal helplines and other low-cost mechanisms for delivery of senior legal services have been tested and shown to produce increased access to needed information and assistance for many seniors in an efficient, cost-effective, streamlined, and measurable manner. A 1990's evaluation showed that the initial group of senior legal helplines and corresponding referral services resolved 81% of older consumers' legal questions and 50% of their legal problems. Since between 50 and 75% of calls to legal services entities seek an answer to a legal question, rather than representation on a legal matter, the average percentage of cases closed by the helpline component of a full-service program is 69%.[1] In addition, the costs of reaching resolution for the cases handled under these grants are extremely low. In 2005, the average cost per call handled by senior legal helplines was $42.23, and the average cost per case was $62.22.[2] Furthermore, there has been an increase in access to quality legal services for an increased number of seniors. For example, in FY 2005, senior legal helplines funded by the AoA Legal Assistance Grants Program: Handled over 96,000 calls; Closed nearly 65,000 cases with telephone advice or additional brief service; and Reached more than 43,605 seniors through workshops and outreach events.[3] In addition to the demonstrated efficiency of low-cost legal mechanisms, the types of services provided by Legal Assistance Grants are greatly desired by seniors. In 2004, Utah conducted the first statewide survey of senior legal needs. A majority of seniors (69%) cited a legal helpline as the most desired service.[4] Client satisfaction and problem resolution rates also are very high. In the 2002 AARP Foundation Senior Legal Hotline Outcome Survey, it was reported that 87% of respondents rated the helpline advice as helpful or very helpful, and that 84% of respondents would call the helpline again. AoA views the low-cost legal delivery models as a critical component in an overall legal delivery system designed to provide maximum benefit from limited legal services resources. In FY 2003, AoA broadened its Senior Legal Helplines Program (currently referred to as Legal Assistance Grants) by encouraging states to build upon innovative methods to reach previously underserved populations to augment the services of the traditional statewide helpline model, such as self-help offices, interactive websites, and collaborative efforts. In addition, a focus on linkages with AoA's Eldercare Locator and the AoA-funded National Legal Resource Centers facilitated streamlined access to senior legal services and encouraged coordination and integration of legal services delivery. Despite the demonstrated efficiency and effectiveness of these programs, however, they were not being consistently implemented across the network. Many remained stand-alone programs, not fully coordinated with full-service legal services programs, with the aging network, or with other service networks within the state. Some states offered examples of an effective, integrated approach to meeting the legal needs of their senior population. Others had identified gaps in their service delivery systems but were unable to address them due to limited resources or other reasons. In many states there was not strong evidence of statewide planning and coordination to make the best possible use of the combined resources of the state Legal Services Developer, Title III-B legal services, Title IV low-cost delivery models, and other resources that are available in a state, such as the private bar and law school clinics. To address this deficiency, AoA released a program announcement in FY 2006 titled "Model Approaches to Statewide Legal Assistance Systems." This was a departure from past announcements for grants to enhance access to senior legal services. The FY 2006 grants represented an attempt to modernize the approach to support activities for seniors in a strategic manner that directly supports the mission of the OAA and that conceptually and concretely incorporates legal services into the broader group of OAA support services. As noted above, data demonstrated a significant level of expertise and benefit in legal services provided through low-cost mechanisms. Through the FY 2006 grants, AoA endeavored to bring together within states the multiple components of a comprehensive legal services delivery system and to share the models developed, so that the broader network could benefit from the widespread adoption of low-cost legal services delivery mechanisms and fully integrated statewide legal assistance systems. [1] Legal Hotlines Self Evaluation Measures Report 2003 (www.legalhotlines.org). [2] Calls to helplines sometimes involve more than one problem, or case. Technical Support for Legal Hotlines Project Annual Report 2005 (www.legalhotlines.org). [3] Senior Legal Hotlines Annual Report 2005 (www.legalhotlines.org). [4] Planning for the Legal Needs of Utah's Seniors, 2004 (http://www.tcsg.org/finalreport1018_04.pdf).
Federal Grant Title: Model Approaches to Statewide Legal Assistance Systems
Federal Agency Name: Administration on Aging
Grant Categories: Income Security and Social Services
Type of Opportunity: Discretionary
Funding Opportunity Number: HHS-2007-AOA-SL-0709
Type of Funding: Cooperative Agreement
CFDA Numbers: 93.048
CFDA Descriptions: Special Programs for the Aging_Title IV_and Title II_Discretionary Projects
Current Application Deadline: No deadline provided
Original Application Deadline: Jul 13, 2007 See link to full announcement for de
Posted Date: May 30, 2007
Creation Date: May 30, 2007
Archive Date: Aug 12, 2007
Total Program Funding: $745,500
Maximum Federal Grant Award: $100,000
Minimum Federal Grant Award: $100,000
Expected Number of Awards: 7
Cost Sharing or Matching: Yes
Applicants Eligible for this Grant
Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Additional Information on Eligibility
Faith-based and community organizations are eligible to apply. Awards will be made to the entity within each eligible state that currently houses (or proposes to house) the Legal Services Developer. Eligible applicants include domestic public or private and non-profit entities including state, local and Indian tribal governments, faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, hospitals, and institutions of higher education. If the Legal Services Developer is not housed within the state unit on aging, the applicant must provide a letter of commitment from the state unit that clearly delineates the state unit's support of the application and the role and responsibility of the state unit in support of this effort. In addition, successful grantees must collaborate with an entity experienced in providing legal services to older persons within that state through a low-cost service delivery mechanism, such as the senior legal helpline model, funded by AoA under the Title IV Legal Assistance Grants Program. The purpose of this collaboration is to promote greater involvement of expertise in various components of a comprehensive legal services delivery system, and applications must detail how this collaboration will be structured and accomplished.
Link to Full Grant Announcement
Information not provided
Grant Announcement Contact
Valerie Soroka
[email protected]
[email protected] Valerie Soroka
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