Lifespan Respite Care Program: Grants to New States and States Re-Establishing Their Core Respite Infrastructures

ACL is seeking applications from eligible state agencies that will establish, or reestablish, state and local coordinated Lifespan Respite Care systems and deliver respite care and related services to family caregivers of children and adults across all age groups, disabilities, and chronic conditions as defined in the statute. Eligible states applying must fall within one of the following two categories: 1) New States who have not previously received a grant under this program. 2) Returning States who have had at least one (1) Lifespan Respite Program grant, but whose programs have gone dormant or lapsed since federal funding ended and, thus, desire to re-establish their core state respite infrastructures, rather than apply for a Program Enhancement grant. ACL will fund at least three (3) cooperative agreements for the 3-year project period. All programs must from the outset, address the respite needs of all populations regardless of the age, disability, or chronic condition of the care recipient population. Funded applicants shall use grant funds for new and emergency respite services; activities to recruit and train respite workers and volunteers; assist caregivers with gaining access to needed respite services; continue or increase efforts to target underserved populations across the lifespan, and provide other authorized services as outlined in the Act. It is ACL’s expectation that all grantees will, no later than the second and third years of the grant project period, provide respite services while continuing to expand and enhance the statewide respite infrastructure.

Based on statutory requirements for the Lifespan Respite Care Program authorized by Congress in 2006 under Title XXIX of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C 201), and the Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act of 2020, awards may only be made to eligible state agencies administering the state’s program under the Older Americans Act of 1965 or Title XIX of the Social Security Act (Medicaid), or those designated by a Governor to administer the state’s program under this title. The eligible state agency must be an Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) and work in collaboration with a public or private nonprofit statewide respite care coalition or organization.Awardees under this funding opportunity will work with ACL to implement the data collection and reporting requirements, under Section 2904 of the Lifespan Respite Reauthorization Act of 2020. Foreign entities are not eligible to compete for, or receive, awards made under this announcement.