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Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) recommending the Board:
1) Authorize the HHSA Director to apply for and accept the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) County Elder Abuse Program (XE) grant funding in the total amount of $217,444, to include a required in-kind match of $54,361, which will be met by HHSA Senior Legal Services volunteer hours, for a total project amount of $271,805, for the performance period of January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024;
2) Delegate authority to the HHSA Director to serve as the official designee for the XE Program grant administered by Cal OES;
3) Approve and authorize the HHSA Director to sign the Subaward Face Sheet, Grant Subaward Certification of Assurance of Compliance, and Federal Fund Grant Subaward Assurances forms for submission to Cal OES;
4) Authorize the Board Chair to sign the XE Program Grant Subaward Certification of Assurance of Compliance form for submission to Cal OES; and
5) Delegate authority to the HHSA Director to execute the resulting funding agreement and future amendments that do not increase Net County Cost, contingent upon County Counsel and Risk Management approval, and subsequent administrative documents or required fiscal or programmatic reports.
FUNDING: 100% Federal funding from the 2022 Victims of Crime Act totaling $217,444, with a required match contribution of $54,362 that will be met with an in-kind time commitment by Senior Legal Services and/or through a contribution of volunteer hours.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND:
The County of El Dorado (County), through HHSA’s Adult Protective Services (APS) Program, has applied to and been awarded funding by Cal OES for the Elder Abuse (XE) Program non-competitive grant since 2016. The purpose of the XE Program is to enhance the safety of elder and dependent adult victims of crime by providing direct services to victims and bridging the gap between elder justice service providers and victim service providers.
The initial Request for Proposal (RFP) issued by Cal OES for the XE Program in 2016, outlined the requirement that applicants had to establish a multi-disciplinary team to address the rights and service needs of elder and dependent adult victims in the planned service area, and to develop protocols for how the community will identify and coordinate services for elder and dependent adult victims of abuse, to include physical, sexual, institutional, emotional, and financial abuse; abandonment; and neglect. As required, HHSA assembled an Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse Project (EDAAP) team, a collaborative partnership between HHSA APS, the County District Attorney’s Office Victim Witness Assistance Program, and HHSA Senior Legal Services, to coordinate services and ensure efficient collaboration between County departments working to assist victims of elder abuse served under the XE Program in El Dorado County.
On July 19, 2016, the Board approved the HHSA Director to execute the resulting XE grant agreement with Cal OES, and Cal OES awarded HHSA $400,000 over two years, ending June 30, 2018. Beginning in 2019, Cal OES issued a new Request for Application (RFA) and changed the structure of the XE Program to be awarded annually. As required by Cal OES for ongoing XE grant recipients, the County EDAAP continues to meet to administer the XE Program annually to ensure regular collaboration and dialog in support of justice for elder and dependent adult victims of abuse. Subsequently, the County has applied and been awarded XE Program funding by Cal OES in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.
HHSA’s XE Program maintains support for communities by improving their ability to identify the needs of victims of elder and dependent adult abuse and the delivery of services. This is accomplished by:
- Funding an Elder Abuse Victim Specialist solely dedicated to serving elder and dependent adult victims.
- Providing and coordinating direct services for elder and dependent adult victims.
- Expanding the community’s capacity to service elder and dependent adult victims.
- Ensuring that elder and dependent adult victims have access to the criminal justice system.
- Continuing to provide outreach awareness programs for victims and mandated reporters of elder and dependent adults.
On September 28, 2023, Cal OES posted the Request for Proposal (RFP) soliciting applications for the County Elder Abuse XE Program for the performance period of January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024. As stipulated in the RFP, only prior grantees are eligible to apply to this current XE Program funding opportunity, therefore, County HHSA, as a prior grantee, is eligible to apply for this funding opportunity.
Cal OES requires signatures on the Subaward Face Sheet, Subaward Certification of Assurance of Compliance and Federal Fund Grant Subaward Assurances form, to be signed by the County’s official designee authorized by the Board to enter into a Grant Agreement for the XE Program. Accordingly, HHSA is requesting the Board authorize the HHSA Director to serve as this official designee. The grant application requirements also specify that the Subaward Certification of Assurance of Compliance attached must also be signed by the Chair of the Board of Supervisors. The XE grant application, inclusive of these three forms, is due for submission to Cal OES by November 17, 2023.
ALTERNATIVES:
Should the Board decline to approve this recommendation, the County would be ineligible to participate in the XE Program, would not receive the grant award, and would be ineligible to apply for future years of XE Program grant funding, as only prior applicants are eligible to apply for future funding opportunities. Consequently, there would be a reduction in direct and indirect services provided to older and dependent adult victims in the County.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION:
1) 07/19/16, 16-0715, v1, HHSA Grant Award for Elder Abuse Program
2) 09/26/17, 16-0715, v2, HHSA Grant Award for Elder Abuse Program Extension
3) 12/19/17, 16-0715, v3, HHSA Grant Award for Elder Abuse Program Personnel Resolution
4) 11/19/19, 19-1619, HHSA Elder Abuse Grant Application
5) 09/22/20, 20-1161, HHSA Elder Abuse Grant Application 2020
6) 01/26/21, 21-0053, HHSA Revised Cal OES Certification - Elder Abuse Program
7) 10/12/21, 21-1498, HHSA Elder Abuse Grant Application 2021
8) 10/11/22, 22-1733, HHSA Cal OES Elder Abuse Program Grant
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with this Agenda item. By accepting funding through the Elder Abuse Program, the County becomes responsible for ensuring the match obligation associated with the funding is met. Should the County fail to account for the required $54,362 in-kind match funding through volunteer hours, the County would become responsible for repaying the portion of unmet match funds to Cal OES. In previous years, the contribution of time by Senior Legal services in support of civil legal assistance for victims of elder abuse along with available volunteer hours has been sufficient to meet the match requirements.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Clerk of the Board to obtain signature of the Chair on the required Subaward Certification of Assurance of Compliance and email said certification to hhsa-eldoradoco-grants@edcgov.us by October 16, 2023.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT:
Healthy Communities
CONTACT
Olivia Byron-Cooper, MPH, Director, Health and Human Services Agency