As a Navigator Cooperative Agreement awardee, we will serve residents in all three counties of the state of Delaware (DE), (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex), by providing outreach, education, and assistance to uninsured, consumers who want to enroll in a Federally-facilitated Exchange (FFE) Marketplace plan. Our budget year two amount for the Non-Competing Continuation Application (NCCA) for our Cooperative Agreement to Support Navigators in FFEs is $881,770.00. We have not proposed any sub-Recipients or sub-Awardees. Our Navigators will target underserved, vulnerable and diverse individuals in communities that often experience lower access to health coverage including: minority populations; young adults turning 26 years old; new mothers and individuals with children; Medicaid-eligible consumers without coverage; groups with high risk for multiple health problems and/or pre-existing conditions; individuals who face significant financial or housing hardships or food insecurity; individuals with limited English proficiency; groups that encounter barriers to accessing primary health care services (e.g., economic, cultural, and/or linguistic); rural populations; low income; and individuals with mental health or substance-related disorders.
We are cognizant that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and state Medicaid agencies have begun planning for the eventual end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) and the expiration of the continuous enrollment condition authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. We plan to work with the DE Division of Medicaid & Medical Assistance and offer assistance with their unwinding plan. We welcome the opportunity to assist Medicaid and CHIP enrollees, who will lose coverage when the PHE expires, select and enroll in a Marketplace plan so they can receive continuity of care. We requested access to and are waiting to be trained on the Application for Social Services and Internet Screening Tool (ASSIST) so Navigators can also help Medicaid eligible consumers submit an application. Having the ability to help consumers enroll in Medicaid and CHIP, as well as the Marketplace, enhances the free services we provide to residents of Delaware.
To ensure more Delaware residents receive health care coverage and with our expansion of services into Kent County this budget year, we will reach additional uninsured consumers. Having access statewide allows us to propose project goals, which are realistic and attainable. We expect to triple the number of consumers we interact with and enroll in a Marketplace plan from the previous budget year.
We have the workforce to continue assisting consumers during the 2023 plan year. We are retaining five full-time (FT) Navigators, one part-time (PT) Navigator, and one FT Lead Navigator to assist consumers for the duration of the 2022-2023 budget year. Staffing for 2023 Open Enrollment (OE) will be 6 FT and 1 PT Navigator representing FTE breakdown at 86% and 14% respectively of total Navigators and Post Enrollment (PO) will be 6 FT and 1 PT Navigators representing FTE breakdown at 86% and 14% respectively of total Navigators. All seven Navigators will be federally trained and re-certified in September prior to the October 1, 2022 deadline.