Community Aging in Place - Advancing Better Living for Elders (CAPABLE)

The New York State Department of Health (the “Department”), Office of Aging and Long Term Care (OALTC) announces the availability of $6,300,000 annually in New York State (NYS) funding to support the implementation of the Community Aging in Place - Advancing Better Living for Elders (CAPABLE) pilot initiative which aims to improve the health and functioning of older adults with low income, enabling them to age in place safely and independently. This Request for Applications (RFA) is seeking applications from qualified organizations to implement and manage the CAPABLE initiative within their communities.

CAPABLE is an evidence-based program that combines nursing, occupational therapy, and handy worker services to help older adults live independently in their home environments. By addressing the home environment and personal health, CAPABLE has been shown to improve the functionality of participants and reduce healthcare costs. Moreover, the program has been tested in numerous small and large trials showing a benefit toward better functioning, decreased hospitalizations, and decreased nursing home admissions.

CAPABLE involves up to ten in-home sessions over five (5) months between the participant and a CAPABLE team comprised of a Registered Nurse (RN), Occupational Therapist (OT), and handy worker. The RN and the OT receive individualized training in motivational interviewing and person-centered care. They follow a specialty-specific outline to perform assessments, provide education, and encourage interactive problem-solving skills.

Importantly, CAPABLE is participant-driven in that the participant chooses the goals he or she wants to meet through participation in the program, and together the interdisciplinary team and the participant work toward achieving these goals. This process is critical to empowering the participant to take control of their own health and functional capacity.

For this RFA, CAPABLE participants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Older adult (over 60 years of age).
• Cognitively intact, or only have mild cognitive impairment to participate in goal setting and action planning processes.
• Have difficulty completing at least one Activity of Daily Living (ADL) or two or more Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADLs).
• Medicaid eligible or falls below 150% of the federal poverty line (FPL) for their household size based on the current FPL calendar year determinations.
• Not currently receiving personal care or consumer-directed personal care services through Medicaid or Expanded In-Home Services for the Elderly (EISEP) or other paid assistance to address their functional needs.

Minimum Qualifications of Eligible Organizations

• Applicant must be prequalified in the New York State Statewide Financial System (SFS), if not exempt, on the date and time applications in response to the RFA will be due;
• Applicant must be a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, or a for-profit organization, either of which provides or arranges services for aging individuals with a functional need for assistance or chronic health conditions. Applicants eligible to apply for funding may include but are not limited to Certified Home Health Agencies (CHHAs), regionally governed health systems, or Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs);
• Applicant must be authorized to do business in New York State. If the Applicant is located outside of New York State, they must have a brick-and-mortar location in New York State; and
• Applicants will be required to submit an Eligibility Requirement Attestation in their application to certify that their organization meets all minimum qualifications.

Expected Program Activities

The funded entities will be expected to:

• Work in conjunction with the New York State Department of Health Office of Aging and Long Term Care to provide the prescribed CAPABLE program to eligible individuals in their specified region.
• Complete the required training and obtain a license from the CAPABLE National Center, which administers the CAPABLE program developed by Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.
• Maintain required program staffing that includes up to three teams of one RN, one OT, one handy worker, and a Project Coordinator to manage all aspects of program administration.
• Maintain responsibility for oversight and management of all CAPABLE operations, including establishing internal controls and quality assurance to ensure program integrity. All contractors must also adhere to training, program monitoring, and data collection requirements for CAPABLE grant-funded staff in compliance with OALTC direction.

Funding for this project is contingent on the availability of state funding and the number of eligible applicants that respond to the RFA. Available funding to support this initiative will be limited to the amount(s) appropriated in the enacted State Fiscal Year budgets for this purpose and approval of the Office of the State Comptroller.