State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) Base Grant

The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) Base Grant aims to empower Medicare-eligible individuals through outreach, counseling, and education. This funding opportunity offers five years of support to enhance local SHIP networks, providing personalized assistance to beneficiaries. Key objectives include educating SHIP sites on Medicare updates, facilitating enrollment assistance, and conducting outreach to raise awareness of Medicare rights. Through strategic partnerships and initiatives, the program seeks to optimize health insurance decision-making and improve access to care for beneficiaries.

Funding Opportunity Description
The SHIP mission is to empower, educate, and assist Medicare-eligible individuals, their families, and caregivers through objective outreach, counseling, and training, to make informed health insurance decisions that optimize access to care and benefits. The purpose of the SHIP Base Grant is to strengthen the capability of states and territories to support a community-based, local network of SHIP offices that provide personalized counseling, education, and outreach to help achieve the program mission.
The SHIP vision is to be the known and trusted community resource for Medicare information. Four strategic themes provide support for that vision. They are:

• Service ExcellenceCapacity BuildingOperational ExcellenceInnovation
• Within each theme are a series of goals and objectives that can be used to achieve the overall vision for the project.
• Program Information
• State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) Basic Grant 5 years funding for the IL Department on Aging, Senior Health Insurance Program.

The primary objective of this funding opportunity is to demonstrate how funds received will be used to enhance the SHIP local network through outreach efforts, one-on-one counseling, and partnership building such as issuing sub awards to SHIP sites in the applicable PSA. Funds are to be used to support locally accessible counseling services and efforts to meet the below identified SHIP objectives of this grant:
Provide funding to all eligible SHIP sites within the applicable PSA.Sub-grant to local SHIP sites to provide accurate, objective, and comprehensive counseling and assistance.Educate local SHIP sites on the latest changes in Medicare plans and and advise clients on the various types of Medicare coverage such as Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Part D plans.Support local SHIP sites as they provide beneficiaries access to enrollment assistance through the locally based SHIP sites performing Medicare plan analysis and enrollment via Medicare.gov website tools.Support local SHIP sites as they counsel beneficiaries on their retiree insurance benefits or Medicare supplement insurance policies, including performing Medicare supplemental policy quotes on the Medigap Plan Finder.Support local SHIP sites as they are assisting beneficiaries with enrollment in the Medicare Part D Extra Help/Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) program by using the on-line application through the Social Security Administration (SSA) website.Support local SHIP sites to assist beneficiaries with the Medicare Savings Program application located on the Application for Benefit Eligibility website (ABE system) at https://www.abe.illinois.gov/abe/access.Support local SHIP sites assisting beneficiaries in determining which forms of coverage best meet an individual’s coverage needs (for example, considerations relative to enrollment in Medicaid with a spend down or changing Medicare drug plans to save the beneficiary additional out-of-pocket expenses) utilizing innovative approaches to enhance beneficiaries' understanding of all programs, coverages and how each interact and impact the lives of the beneficiaries.Mandate a quality initiative for outreach conducted through a Medicare Group Education Satisfaction Survey quarterly. Support local SHIP sites to conduct outreach (in person, virtually via Zoom, Skype, WebEx, etc.) to educate Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers about choices for Medicare coverage and their Rights and Guarantees under Medicare law; and promote awareness of the SHI program through locally based media, radio and website public service announcements, and social media platforms such as Facebook or X (formerly Twitter). Footnote all materials developed with this grant, i.e. flyers, brochures, pamphlets, PowerPoint presentations, social media, etc. as ACL, as the funding source

Eligibility

Nonprofit OrganizationsAll certified SHIP sites in good standing with the Illinois Department on Aging SHIP who are actively reporting in STARS.

Ineligibility

This funding opportunity does not apply to beneficiaries.Research and development, and construction as defined in the Uniform Budget Template.Any expenses associated with the application process, pre-award costs, or any work performed prior to period of performance in the Notice of Award (NOA) shall not be payable under the resulting grant.Meal expenses are NOT covered under this grant unless they are a necessary part of a conference or working meal where business is transacted.