State Health Care Workforce Planning/Implementation

Section 5102 of the Affordable Care Act authorizes grant funding for states to enable the gathering of information on the health care workforce and a better coordination and implementation of workforce planning and analysis.

Approximately $5 million is available in FY 2010 to fund new state planing and implementation grants. Planning grants of up to $150,000 will be awarded for one year. Implementation grants will be awarded for two years.

Generally the grants will go to state workforce investment boards. The Health Resources and Services Administration, which serves as the federal fiscal and administrative organization, will make grant awards by Sept. 30, 2010.

Arkansas Implementation

The Arkansas Workforce Investment Board decided not to apply for the grant funding. The grant required all state workforce investment boards applying for funding to have a specific member make-up (representatives from a health care employer, a labor organization, a public two-year institution of higher education, etc.). The Arkansas Workforce Investment Board does not consist of members from all of the required types of organizations, and the grant deadlines did not provide sufficient time for the Workforce Investment Board to add new members.