1020 State Plans Overview (GARD, SCSEP, Sr Hunger, APS, OAA) | Administration 5600 Manual

A state agency shall have an approved state plan as prescribed in 42 U.S.C. § 3027 in order to be eligible to receive federal funding for the administration of Older Americans Act programs. The Department of Human Services Division of Aging Services is responsible for developing the State Plan on Aging for the Governor’s approval and then is also responsible for administration and monitoring of the plan for compliance.

Georgia chooses the maximum time frame for State Plans on Aging under the Federal regulations, in submitting a new plan to ACL on a four-year cycle.

The State Plan on Aging must include but is not limited to the following elements:

To develop the State Plan, the Division partners with a collaborative network of public and private state, local, and community-based providers and agencies that create Georgia’s aging services network. The network is made up of Area Agencies on Aging (AAA), Centers for Independent Living (CILs), providers, non-profit organizations, advocates, and stakeholders. State plan development is accomplished in the fourth year of the schedule and uses area plan information and performance data as the basis against which compliance with standard assurances, evaluation of regional capacity, effectiveness of service delivery, and the degree to which target populations are served are measured. The state plan establishes statewide goals and objectives for the next area plan cycle to which area agencies must align new area plans developed in the new planning cycle. Area agencies are provided the option to include area specific targets appropriate to serve regional needs absent conflicts with statewide direction.

SCSEP is funded via Title V of the Older Americans Act but is administered by the U.S. Department of Labor rather than ACL.

The Department of Human Services Division of Aging Services is responsible for development of the SCSEP State Plan for approval by the Governor and also for administration and monitoring of such state plan for compliance. The Georgia SCSEP State Plan is a four-year state plan which is considered a stand-alone SCSEP plan pursuant to U.S. Department of Labor regulations.

The SCSEP State Plan is intended to foster coordination among the various SCSEP grantees and sub-recipients operating within the state and to facilitate the efforts of stakeholders, including state and local boards under the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA), to work collaboratively through a participatory process to accomplish the SCSEP goals (20 C.F.R. § 641.300).

The Plan is developed using the Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) issued by the US. Department of Labor for the relevant program year. The purpose of the state plan is to describe the statewide provision of authorized activities for eligible individuals under SCSEP.

The plan describes current operations and longer-term strategies that are implemented in a four-year period. The goal is to ensure constant improvement in overall services and, more specifically, ensure the target population secures unsubsidized employment. The plan is reviewed annually during the four-year period to guide the ongoing operations and strategies of SCSEP in Georgia.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) considers the state plan an opportunity for DAS to take a long term, strategic view of the SCSEP program in the state. The document highlights SCSEP’s role in workforce development, trend changes in demographics, economy, and labor market in the state. The plan addresses the role of SCSEP relative to other workforce programs and initiatives, as well as other programs serving older workers. The plan is designed to help Georgia grantees monitor the program and plan long-term strategies to achieve and sustain SCSEP goals, effectively.

If Georgia chooses to participate the SCSEP state plan demonstrates improving the well-being of Georgia’s older population through employment training and unsubsidized employment.

The State APS entity receiving the Federal award of funding under 42 U.S.C. § 1397m–1 must develop the State plan in collaboration with other State APS entities, as applicable, and other APS programs.

The plan is submitted to the Office of Elder Justice and Adult Protective Services in ACL. The first state plan is due May 8, 2028, and the plan shall be updated at least every 5 years.

The plan shall include at a minimum:

The first Georgia Alzheimer’s & Related Dementias (GARD) State Plan was signed by Governor Deal in 2014 (SB 444) after a study committee was formed by the General Assembly. The purpose of this state plan is to create a unique blueprint to address the growing challenges of dementia in Georgia. During the development of the GARD State Plan, work groups formed to collaborate on addressing the goals within the State Plan. Later, the ongoing requirement for a GARD State Plan and GARD Advisory Council were codified at O.C.G.A. § 49-6-90 et seq (HB 751).

The GARD State Plan serves multiple functions, including:

The GARD State Plan and the GARD Advisory Council are described more fully in Section 7002 of MAN5200.

Amendments to the GARD State Plan are submitted every four years to the Governor along with a progress report.

The first Georgia Senior Hunger State Plan was developed in 2017 at the direction of Governor Nathan Deal. The goal is to update the goals and accomplishments in alignment with the State Plan on Aging. Then a new Senior Hunger State Plan may be developed when the goals of the previous Senior Hunger State Plan have been achieved.

The Senior Hunger State Plan may include the following elements: