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KY Senior Medicare Patrol Program
Senior Medicare Patrol is a national program that offers Medicare counseling and assistance to beneficiaries and their families.
The mission of the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program is to empower seniors to prevent health care fraud and abuse through outreach and education. The SMP program recruits and trains senior volunteers and professionals such as doctors, nurses, accountants, investigators, law enforcement personnel, attorneys, teachers, and others to help Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries become better health care consumers. The SMP program teaches senior citizens how to prevent, detect, and report Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse.
SMP has grown to a national program with sites in every state and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U. S. Virgin Islands. The program is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging.
History
In the summer of 2001, the Kentucky Association of Senior Service Corps was awarded a three year demonstration grant from the Administration on Aging to operate a Senior Medicare Patrol project called Kentucky Seniors Saving Medicare (KSSM). The purpose of the project was to educate Medicare beneficiaries, their caregivers, and the general public on how to avoid fraud, waste, and abuse in the Medicare program. This would be accomplished by recruiting volunteers; training them and having them educate others on Medicare.
Six local projects were initially established under the Retired and Senior Volunteer Programs (RSVP) in 40 Kentucky counties. These included: Paducah-McCracken County Senior Citizens, Morehead State University, Central Kentucky Community Action Agency, Pennyrile Allied Community Services, Brighton Center, and the Louisville Metro Community Action Partnership. An additional program was later added at the West Kentucky Allied Services.
After the initial three year grant, an additional 12 month extension was awarded before the new grant application process was due. Another three year grant application was submitted and approved. This grant began in July 2005 and added two additional responsibilities: educating people about the new Medicare prescription drug benefit and expanding the program from the original 40 counties in KY to all 120 counties.
For more information about Senior Medicare Patrol, call Michelle List, Social Service Program Coordinator at 502.574.6960 or visit the National SMP website at www.smpresource.org.
For an application to volunteer for the Senior Medicare Patrol program, please click here (PDF) click here (Word Doc).
The Kentucky Senior Medicare Patrol program (KYSMP) is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging.
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Volunteer for the Senior Medicare Patrol program click here (PDF)
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