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Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) recommending the Board:
1) Adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 106-2023 delegating authority to the HHSA Director, HHSA Deputy Director, or HHSA Director of the Area Agency on Aging (AAA), to accept, execute, and administer annual non-financial Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) AAA Agreements with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to make CDFA booklets available to low-income seniors with the goal of providing fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally-grown produce, cut herbs, and raw honey through Certified Farmers’ Markets; and
2) Approve and authorize the HHSA Director, HHSA Deputy Director, or HHSA Director of the AAA to execute any required fiscal and programmatic reports for said agreements.
FUNDING: 100% United States Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP).
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND:
The Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) is administered nationally by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Services Agency (FNS), and in California, by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) under Title 7 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 249. To administer the program, CDFA partners with California’s Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) from the thirty-three (33) AAA Planning Service Areas (PSAs), to distribute SFMNP check booklets containing five (5) checks redeemable for $10 each to low-income seniors with the goal of providing fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally-grown produce, cut herbs, and raw honey through Certified Farmers’ Markets.
California's AAAs serve this purpose for CDFA because they administer several senior programs on a local level either directly or through their affiliation with senior organizations and centers. AAAs are responsible for the implementation of the SFMNP at the local level and to ensure that no conflicts exist. Responsibilities include controlling the security of SFMNP checks and distribution to eligible participants or their designated proxy, advising participants of their rights and responsibilities under the SFMNP, and distributing nutrition education and other materials provided by CDFA. AAAs are required to maintain adequate documentation and control logs to assure the adherence to the SFMNP program requirements, statutes, federal regulations and agreement terms and conditions.
The Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) Community Services Division administers the AAA for El Dorado County (PSA 29) and is responsible for providing older adult programs for El Dorado County residents 60 years of age and older, including but not limited to: Senior Nutrition, Information and Assistance, Family Caregiver Support Program, Assisted Transportation, Senior Legal, and Long-Term Care Ombudsman. SFMNP is able to be administered through the AAA Information and Assistance program, due to the program’s outreach efforts.
The SFMNP federal regulation, 7 CFR 249, requires an agreement between the state agency (CDFA) and local agencies (each of the California AAAs) that administer the SFMNP. CDFA requests Agreements to be executed by the AAA Director and returned within fifteen (15) calendar days from receipt. Due to the short requested turnaround time HHSA is requesting a Resolution authorizing the HHSA Director to sign these Agreements annually in order to meet this timeline. Upon receipt HHSA began preparing the SFMNP AAA Agreement and Resolution for Board approval. CDFA anticipates that they will make SFMNP booklets available to AAAs once the Agreements are executed.
To ensure timely and efficient processing of the annual CDFA SFMNP agreements with the El Dorado County AAA, HHSA is requesting Board approval of a Resolution authorizing the HHSA Director, Deputy Director, or AAA Director to execute and return the annual agreements to CDFA. This will allow the El Dorado County AAA to begin immediate participation in the program to distribute annual CDFA SFMNP booklets to low-income seniors from May through September, to be redeemed at local Certified Farmers’ Markets.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose not to approve the Resolution to authorize the annual execution of CDFA Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) AAA Agreement, but due to the quick turnaround that is required by CDFA, El Dorado County may not be able to bring the item to Board in time to participate in the annual SFMNP. This could result in HHSA being unable to distribute booklets to local low-income seniors to purchase fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally grown produce, cut herbs, and raw honey through local Certified Farmers’ Markets.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION:
N/A
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
Approved by County Counsel
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact associated with this Agenda item. The agreement will authorize the HHSA Community Services Division, Area Agency on Aging, to utilize existing AAA Senior Services programs to distribute booklets to low-income seniors for use at local Certified Famers’ Markets.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Return one (1) certified copy of the executed Resolution to the HHSA Contracts Unit at 3057 Briw Road.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT:
Good Governance, Healthy Communities
CONTACT
Olivia Byron-Cooper, MPH, Interim Director, Health and Human Services Agency