Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging Awarded SHIP National Technical Assistance Center Grant
posted 10/8/2014 in
Press Releases
Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging (NEI3A), in partnership with the Medicare Rights Center, is proud to announce being selected to receive a $2.25 million, three-year grant from the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL) to operate the State Health Insurance Assistance Program National Technical Assistance Center (SHIP TA Center).
The SHIP TA Center will provide training, technical assistance, and promotional activities in support of the SHIP program and 54 SHIP projects nationally. The SHIP provides free personalized counseling, education, and outreach to assist aging and disabled Medicare beneficiaries and their families navigate the health and long-term services and supports systems. In FY2010, SHIPs served 4.7 million beneficiaries.
The SHIP TA Center will become the second national resource center operated by NEI3A which has operated the ACL funded Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) National Resource Center since 2003. This grant will allow NEI3A to develop a national SHIP website, enhance volunteer training, provide national trainings for SHIPs, and serve as the central source of information for and about the SHIP program.
NEI3A is a private, not-for-profit corporation serving Northeast Iowa (www.nei3a.org). NEI3A coordinates services for older individuals, caregivers, and people with disabilities to maintain the independence they desire. The SMP Resource Center, a division of NEI3A, provides training, technical assistance, and promotional activities in support of the SMP Program and 54 projects nationally (www.smpresource.org). The SMP mission is to empower and assist Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers to prevent, detect, and report health care fraud through outreach, counseling, and education.
The Medicare Rights Center, a national, nonprofit consumer service organization works to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities through counseling and advocacy, educational programs, and public policy initiatives (www.medicarerights.org). The Medicare Rights Center has been helping people with Medicare understand their rights and benefits, navigate the Medicare system and secure the quality health care they deserve since 1989.