Announcing the Intent To Award a Single-Source Supplement for the Strengthening the Direct Care Workforce: A Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Initiative, 44807 [2023-14828]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
• Administration for Community Living

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 133 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 44807]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-14828]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Community Living


Announcing the Intent To Award a Single-Source Supplement for the 
Strengthening the Direct Care Workforce: A Technical Assistance and 
Capacity Building Initiative

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Community Living (ACL) announces the 
intent to award a single-source supplement to the current cooperative 
agreement held by the National Council on Aging for the Strengthening 
the Direct Care Workforce: A Technical Assistance and Capacity Building 
Initiative. The administrative supplement for FY 2023 will be in the 
amount of $1,974,846, bringing the total award for FY 2023 to 
$3,269,466. The supplement will provide sufficient resources to enable 
the grantee and their partners to increase funding for technical 
assistance (TA) to state aging and disability partnerships to 
collaborate with workforce entities to strengthen the Direct Care 
Workforce (DCW). The funding will enable the grantee to support 
additional states, including at more robust levels than originally 
planned. The funding will also enable additional work to strengthen the 
self-direction workforce by identifying gaps in knowledge and 
highlighting best practices to support and sustain those who self-
direct, for dissemination via the DCW resource hub to a national 
audience.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information or comments 
regarding this program supplement, contact Caroline Ryan, U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community 
Living, at [email protected] or (202) 795-7429.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Through this initiative, ACL seeks to 
advance capacity to recruit, train and retain a high-quality, 
competent, and effective direct care workforce of professionals capable 
of meeting the growing needs that older adults and people with 
disabilities have for such supports. The purpose of this program is to 
catalyze change at a systems level that will address the insufficient 
supply of trained DCWs, promote promising practices at all levels of 
the service system and improve data collection to enable a full 
understanding of the workforce issue.
    The outcomes of the initiative are as follows:
    1. Increase the availability and visibility of tools and resources 
to attract, train and retain the direct care workforce in quality jobs 
where they earn livable wages and have voice in their working 
environment, and have access to benefits and opportunities for 
advancement.
    2. Increase the number of states that develop and sustain 
collaborations across state systems and workforce agencies to implement 
strategies that will improve the recruitment, retention, and 
advancement of high quality DCW jobs.
    Program Name: Strengthening the Direct Care Workforce: A Technical 
Assistance and Capacity Building Initiative.
    Recipient: The National Council on Aging.
    Period of Performance: The supplement award will be issued for the 
second year of the five-year project period of September 30, 2022 
through September 29, 2027.
    Total Award Amount: $3,269,466 in FY 2023.
    Award Type: Cooperative Agreement Supplement.
    Statutory Authority: Section 411(13) of the Older Americans Act, 
Section 161 (2) of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill 
of Rights Act, and Section 21 program of the Rehabilitation Act of 
1973.
    Basis for Award: The National Council on Aging is currently funded 
to carry out the objectives of the project entitled Strengthening the 
Direct Care Workforce: A Technical Assistance and Capacity Building 
Initiative the period of September 30, 2022 through September 29, 2027. 
This supplement will enable the grantee to carry their work even 
further, providing technical assistance to more state partnerships and 
support additional work to strengthen the self-direction workforce. The 
NCOA is uniquely positioned to complete the work called for under this 
project. NCOA's partners on this project include the University of 
Minnesota Institute on Community Integration (ICI), National 
Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), 
Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute (PHI), DiverseAbility, Lincoln 
University Cooperative Extension Paula J. Carter Center on Minority 
Health and Aging (PJCCMHA), Green House Project Center for Innovation 
(GHP), Housing Innovations (HI), National Alliance for Caregiving 
(NAC), the Rockingstone Group (Rockingstone), and Social Policy 
Research Associates (SPR). Establishing an entirely new grant project 
at this time would be potentially disruptive to the current work 
already well under way. If this supplement is not provided, the project 
would be unable to expand its current technical assistance and training 
efforts to reach more state partnerships across aging, disability and 
workforce stakeholders to work together to strengthen the direct care 
workforce.

    Dated: July 8, 2023.
Alison Barkoff,
Acting Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging.
[FR Doc. 2023-14828 Filed 7-12-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P