SC COG and AAA network to Participate in 1-Year Pilot to Provide Long-Term Care Assistance
PRESS RELEASE: Oct. 14, 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Chris McKinney (803-774-1384)
Santee-Lynches COG partners with sister agencies to reduce the number of people waiting on a long-term care decision.
SUMTER, SC –Santee-Lynches Council of Governments (COG) signed a contract to participate in a 1-year pilot project to expand Long-Term Care (LTC) Outreach, LTC community education, and to complete and submit LTC applications via an online portal. The pilot is designed to demonstrate proof-of-concept that an online portal along with a dedicated service representative can be used to effectively provide state-wide coverage and greatly streamline the LTC application process. Currently in South Carolina there are approximately 12,000 LTC applications in the system awaiting a decision. Through the pilot, the dedicated person to work with families will ensure all required information and documentation is gathered and submitted into the online portal for a decision by the South Carolina Department of Health & Human Services, which will hopefully lead to faster decisions across the state. Earlier in the summer Santee-Lynches COG participated in a smaller regional—scale pilot, the 4-week process proved to be very efficient as three of four families were able to successfully submit a complete application, whereas typically the application process requires significantly more time.
To execute the pilot across the state, Santee-Lynches COG will partner with the Appalachian COG Area Agency on Aging (AAA), Central Midlands COG AAA, Lowcountry COG AAA, Lower Savannah COG AAA, Upper Savannah COG AAA, Waccamaw COG AAA, Catawba AAA, Pee Dee AAA (Vantage Point), and the Trident AAA. The South Carolina COGs are a network of professional organizations that work together to positively influence the quality of life and economic development across the state and the AAAs have a mission to help seniors live and age with dignity across our state. The COGs and AAAs are very efficient and effective at service delivery state-wide and make the perfect collaboration to help address urgent needs of many South Carolinians. Chris McKinney, Santee-Lynches COG Executive Director, stated, “We are extremely excited to participate in the pilot to solve a pressing state-wide problem for a growing number of people. The three free-standing AAAs and the seven COG AAAs have a proven track record of caring for one of the most vulnerable populations. We are very hopeful that we collectively will increase the quality of life for many families.”
About Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments
Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments is a premier organization committed to optimizing our region’s unique strengths for a better tomorrow. Our mission is to deliberately enhance the quality of life and provide opportunities for the advancement of our region. Santee-Lynches serves the counties and cities of Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee and Sumter. To learn more, visit santeelynchescog.org.
Santee-Lynches COG is a member of the South Carolina Councils of Government (SC COGs). The SC COGs are a network of the 10 regional councils of governments working to positively affect quality of life and economic development in South Carolina. SC COGs serve as an extension of local and county governments to provide technical assistance, secure state and federal dollars to address critical issues, and advocate at a state and national level for economic and quality of life improvements for South Carolina. To learn more, visit sccogs.org or visit santeelynchescog.org.