Document Actions
Vermont State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) Awarded $87,016 Performance Grant
Waterbury, Vt. – The State of Vermont will receive $87,016 in “Performance Plus” grant funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), in recognition of the achievement of the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Vermont’s program is one of only 13 SHIPs to receive these performance awards, intended to provide rewards to SHIPs for good performance in services delivered to Medicare beneficiaries. The funds must be used to provide additional information, counseling, and assistance to persons with Medicare.
The Vermont SHIP program is administered through the Area Agencies on Aging, which include Central Vermont Council on Aging (Barre), Champlain Valley Agency on Aging (Burlington), Council on Aging for Southeastern Vermont (Springfield), Northeastern Vermont Area Agency on Aging (St. Johnsbury), and Southwestern Vermont Council on Aging (Rutland).
“Governor Douglas is committed to making prescription drugs more affordable for all Vermonters, and the Vermont SHIPs have been vital partners in this effort, assisting Vermonters with the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, Part D,” said Patrick Flood, Commissioner of the Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living (DAIL). “I’m very pleased that their hard work and dedication to Vermont’s seniors and adults with disabilities is being recognized on the federal level, and that this recognition will result in additional assistance for Vermonters who want to take advantage of the benefits offered through Part D.”
“The Vermont SHIP is very pleased to have been chosen to receive this CMS Performance Plus Award,” said Judy Crawford, Vermont SHIP Director. “This award reflects the hard work of all the SHIP staff. Vermonters are very fortunate to have such dedicated men and women working to help our Medicare beneficiaries and their families and these additional funds will allow us to do even more.”
During the implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act, CMS has assessed SHIP performance through the collection of both quantitative performance data and qualitative information that gauges their ability to respond to the needs of people with Medicare in the communities they serve. For the Performance Plus Awards, CMS examined data from each state and selected SHIPs with the highest ratings in the following five areas:
- Total number of one-on-one client contacts per 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries;
- Total number of Medicare beneficiaries (per 1,000) reached through either one-on-one meetings, group outreach, or educational and enrollment events;
- Total number of client meetings (per 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries) at which Part D was a part of the discussion;
- Number of active counselor full-time equivalent staff per 100,000 beneficiaries; and
- Number of active local and field SHIP full-time equivalent staff per 100,000 beneficiaries.
###
