Michigan Office of Services to the Aging Receives Grant from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Contact: David Dekker (517) 373-4082

Agency: Community Health

LANSING - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently awarded the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging (OSA) a $2 million grant to train personal care aides (PCAs) serving clients in MI Choice, which is the state's Medicaid home and community-based waiver program. The three year grant is made possible by the Affordable Care Act funds.

The project entitled, Building Training…Building Quality (BTBQ), will be carried out by a partnership of OSA, the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and PHI, a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of direct care worker jobs.

"Currently, there are no mandatory training requirements in Michigan for PCAs," says OSA Deputy Director Peggy Brey. "This grant provides the opportunity to develop curricula and mobilize the aging and disability networks to increase and improve the skills of the long term care workforce." Skill building to ensure provision of high quality personal assistance includes training on home management skills, prevention of adult abuse and neglect, and dementia.

OSA is the state agency responsible to advocate for adults age 60 and better and caregivers, as well as administering federal and state funds and managing grants for aging services delivered through Michigan's 16 area agencies on aging and 1,800 local service providers. The MI Choice program serves Medicaid-eligible persons of all ages who are eligible for long term care supports and services, but who want to receive them in their own homes.