Each of the state's 11 area agencies on aging are now fully functioning as Aging Resource Centers, with the final center completing the transition process in November 2008. The centers are working to enhance the elder service system by

• making their information and referral data system more publically accessible and compatible with the Department of Elder Affairs' data system;
• taking a more active role with the Nursing Home Diversion Program; and
• developing a standard measure to assess the timeliness of the Medicaid eligibility determination process.

The department expects to spend most of its Fiscal Year 2008-09 appropriation for Aging Resource Centers to support center staff who help seniors seeking Medicaid services. To provide more flexibility in how centers use their staff, the department is pursuing federal approval of a method to use federal funding for center staff that spend a portion of their time on Medicaid-related activities.