Transforming Senior Programs Study
As part of its annual work program, the Association approved a study to look at the senior service delivery system. The reason for the study is that funds, both public and private, are not as plentiful as they were prior to the recession and the concurrent drop in public revenues.
Purpose
The last Session of the Nevada Legislature created a standing committee to address issues facing seniors, veterans, and adults with special needs. The Legislative Committee is to study these populations with the goal of improving services to these groups.
This action plan is designed to provide that Committee with recommendations from senior service providers:- to improve the service delivery system
- identify gaps in service
- and identify duplicative/overlapping services.
Issues
The State of Nevada has seen its senior population increase dramatically, and this is expected to continue into the future. Concurrent with the population increase, State and local governments, the University System, the private sector and the non-profit community has responded by putting into place programs that provide service to seniors, undertaken research projects focused on this population, and created a regulatory network that addresses various aspects of the senior population, notably in transportation, living conditions, and health care.
As is the case with any system that has grown over time, areas of overlap, duplication, and gaps have crept into the system. Mandates placed on the funding may or may not have led to some of the overlap, duplication, and gaps. The funding for these programs has become tighter, resulting in more competition for limited funding. It is clear that as the senior population increases, there will be more demands on the programs to deliver either more or new services to the seniors.
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Opportunities
The Nevada Legislature created the Legislative Committee on Senior Citizens, Veterans and Adults with Special Needs. Assembly Bill No. 9 which created the Committee is attached. Sec. 5(d) speaks to the need to develop “…methods to enhance such programs to ensure that services are provided in the most appropriate setting;” This section speaks in part to the issues identified for this study.
To most effectively address this language, the existing system must be clearly defined, and the stakeholders identified.
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Approach
It is proposed to look at the various services with the assistance of the various providers. The Association will develop recommendations on how the service can best be delivered in the most cost effective and from a service perspective, efficient means. A working group composed of representatives from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Aging and Disability Services Division, the University System, local government representatives, private sector providers, non-profit providers, and citizens with a broad knowledge of the issues and services being provided will be used to assist the Association.Additionally, all the agencies that provide input through responses to the survey, or through individual contact, will be given the opportunity comment on the report before it is distributed. The results will be presented to the Legislative Committee on Senior Citizens, Veterans and Adults with Special Needs.
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Parameters
The first step in the process will be to inventory the services, and through a follow-up survey, obtain more specific information about the clients served, the service area, specific activities, and identify overlap or gaps in the services.
- The Association will rely on existing inventories and a questionnaire to identified senior providers, funders, and regulators to gather base information for the services being provided where possible.
- The report is intended to provide a policy level evaluation of the services. It will not be an in depth analysis of the programs - this is the role and responsibility of the funding agencies, be they public or private.
- There must be a clear tie between the program and the mission of the service provider. Interviews with key personnel will be used to identify the link between the program and the mission of the agency.
- In the case of overlapping or gaps in programs, the Committee will base its recommendation on which provider is best qualified to deliver the service.
- The focus will be on senior programs, recognizing that some programs offer services to other groups. These programs may be eliminated from further consideration due to the difficulty in separating out the senior-only activities.
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Timeline
The following is the timeline:
- By October 1, 2009, identify stakeholders to participate in the working group.
- By the end of September hold the first meeting to develop a specific scope of work within the parameters identified above.
- The Association recommendations will be provided to the Legislative Committee no later than May 1, 2010.
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