Within the Kansas Attorney General’s office are several divisions that work on issues important to seniors. The office’s investigators and assistant attorneys general evaluate complaints, investigate scams and prosecute violations of the law. Through education and outreach, the office helps protect senior Kansans from becoming victims of crime.

The major functions of the department are to regulate and review companies for financial solvency and regulatory compliance, and to educate and assist consumers and license agents selling insurance products in the state.

The Kansas Department on Aging is responsible for the administration of Older Americans Act programs, distribution of Medicaid long-term care payments, and regulation and survey processes for several adult-care home licensure categories.

The Kansas Long-Term Care (LTC) Ombudsman Office advocates by improving the quality of care and quality of life for long-term care residents. The LTC Ombudsman program provides a free resident advocate program.

The Licensure and Certification Division promotes excellence in the health care and living conditions of the 18,000 individuals residing in Kansas nursing homes through the application of federal and state regulatory standards. Through initial licensure processes and ongoing annual surveys, state surveyors review a variety of aspects of nursing home care. Federal and state regulations ensure that residents receive care that meets accepted standards. Other regulations ensure that residents’ rights are protected and that residents are protected from abuse, neglect and exploitation. In addition, the surveyors examine the physical environment to ensure that facilities provide safe and sanitary conditions for residents. This division is also responsible for: surveyor training and orientation; survey quality improvement efforts; policy and procedure development; survey management; enforcement activities; and complaint intake, referral and investigation management. Many of the activities of the division are performed under contract to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The division is required to survey all nursing facilities within an overall 12-month average, with no individual facility exceeding 15 months.

The mission of the Kansas Health Consumer Coalition is to advocate for affordable, accessible and quality health care in Kansas.

The 27 licensed Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) have a combined staff of more than 4,500 people providing mental health services in every county of the state in more than 120 locations. Together, they form an integral part of the total mental health system in Kansas.

The Disability Rights Center of Kansas (DRC), formerly Kansas Advocacy & Protective Services (KAPS), is a 501(c)(3) public interest legal advocacy agency empowered by federal law to advocate for the civil and legal rights of Kansans with disabilities. DRC is designated by the state of Kansas as the official Protection and Advocacy System for Kansas. As such, DRC advocates for the rights of Kansans with disabilities under state or federal laws (ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, Federal Medicaid Act, Kansas Act Against Discrimination, etc.).

The vision of the state plan for independent living in Kansas is an inclusive community that enables Kansans to live in the environment of their choice.

Kansas Advocates for Better Care (KABC) was founded in 1975 as Kansans for Improvement of Nursing Homes. It advocates for more than 90,000 Kansans who require long-term care. KABC is a nonprofit organization funded by donations.

Kansas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (KAHSA), also known as LeadingAge Kansas, is an association of 160 not-for-profit service providers dedicated to serving the needs of aging Kansans. It advances policies and promotes practices and learning that empower members to help seniors live fully as they age.

The Kansas Public Health Association brings together individuals and organizations from all across the state for public health, including researchers and academicians, health service providers, health advocates, local and state administrators, nurses, doctors, private and public organizations, safety net clinics and health foundations. It is the oldest and largest Kansas public health organization.

The Kansas Association of Centers for Independent Living represents 12 Centers for Independent Living (CILs). CILs provide services to people with disabilities of all ages, and also provide assistance to businesses and other entities in the community offering services to people with disabilities. They advocate at state and national levels for the rights of all people with disabilities to live in the communities of their choice.

AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a membership that advocates for people ages 50 and older. Since 1958, AARP has lobbied for senior issues, including the passage of Medicare in 1965. AARP offers support from staffed offices in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved represents 41 primary care safety net clinics across Kansas that serve the uninsured and underinsured, regardless of their ability to pay.

The Kansas Association of Local Health Departments (KALHD) is a nonprofit association dedicated to strengthening local health departments for the purpose of improving and protecting the health of all Kansans. KALHD’s membership consists of 99 of the 100 local health departments in Kansas.

The Kansas Health Care Association (KHCA) is a statewide nonprofit association that represents more than 200 long-term care providers. Founded in 1951, KHCA is the largest association of its kind in Kansas. Its members are composed of for-profit and not-for-profit facilities consisting of nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, nursing facilities for mental health, intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded, and hospital-based long-term care units. Its members provide nursing health care to more than 20,000 convalescent and chronically ill Kansans.

The Kansas Home Care Association is a trade group that provides support and advocacy for those in the home health care industry.

Wisconsin Physicians Service (WPS) is a Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC), a company contracted by the CMS to process Medicare claims. WPS processes Medicare Part A and Part B payments and claims for Jurisdiction 5, which consists of Iowa, Kansas, MIssouri and Nebraska. WPS also administers Part A and Part B legacy contracts. The Part A legacy contracts are former Mutual of Omaha providers who will eventually transition to Jurisdiction 1 (covered by Palmetto Government Benefit Administrators). They cover Hawaii, Delaware and New York. The Part B legacy contracts cover Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program helps Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries avoid, detect and prevent health care fraud. The goal is to protect older people and to preserve the integrity of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The federal program was created in 1996 by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and amended in 2006 by Titles II and IV of the Older Americans Act.

The Senior Health Insurance Counseling of Kansas (SHICK) program, called the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) in many other states, is a national program that offers counseling and assistance to people with Medicare and to their families. Coordinators provide counseling on Medicare benefits, Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (Part D), Social Security, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. SHIP, formerly the Information, Counseling and Assistance (ICA) grants program, was created under section 4360 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990. This act authorized the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to make grants to states for health advisory services programs for people with Medicare.

Kansas Foundation for Medical Care, Inc. is the Quality Improvement Organization (QIOs) for Kansas. QIOs are private, mostly not-for-profit organizations, staffed by doctors and other health care professionals, who are trained to review medical care, to help beneficiaries with complaints about the quality of care and to implement improvements in the quality of care available throughout the spectrum of care. QIOs are required under Sections 1152-1154 of the Social Security Act.

Long-term care ombudsmen are advocates for residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. They resolve complaints and educate seniors and long-term care providers about their rights and good care practices. They also provide information to the public on nursing homes and other long-term care facilities and services, residents' rights, and legislative and policy issues. In 1978, an amendment to the federal Older Americans Act required every state to have an ombudsman program that addresses complaints and advocates for improvements in the long-term care system. The ombudsman program is administered by the Administration on Aging (AoA). The Kansas Long-Term Care (LTC) Ombudsman Office advocates for more than 28,000 long-term care residents and nearly 650 facilities.

The Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) were established under the Older Americans Act (OAA) Comprehensive Services Amendments in 1973 to respond to the needs of Americans 60 and older in every local community. The amendments added a new Title V, which authorized grants to local community agencies in every state. The AAAs provide a range of options that allow older adults to choose the home- and community-based services and living arrangements that suit them best. The 11 Area Agencies on Aging coordinate and provide services for seniors in all 105 Kansas counties.

Jeff Korsmo served as the chief administrative officer for the Mayo Clinic before becoming president and CEO of Via Christi Health. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration at St. John’s University and his master’s degree in management from Purdue University. He is originally from Rochester, Minn.

This Senate committee considers matters relating to the health and well-being of senior citizens in Kansas.

This House committee considers matters relating to the health and well-being of senior citizens in Kansas.