17—4.9 (231) Procedure for designation of an AAA.
	 4.9(1) Notice. The department shall advertise the need for applications from qualified entities by sending notice to all units of local government, known groups of older individuals, and potential service providers in the affected PSA. In addition, the department shall publish a notice in the official newspapers as designated for each county served by the AAA a minimum of 45 days in advance of the deadline for submitting applications. The notice shall state the precise deadline for requesting application packets as well as for submittal of completed applications.
	 4.9(2) Requests. Interested applicants shall send a letter of intent to apply and a request for an application packet to the Department on Aging, Jessie Parker Building, 510 East 12th Street, Suite 2, Des Moines, Iowa 50319. This material must be received by the department prior to the deadline for requests as established in the notice provided pursuant to 4.9(1).
	 4.9(3) Application content. The application shall contain, at a minimum, the following information for the entity:
	  a.   	 Indications of organizational stability;
	  b.   	 Administrative ability and staffing proposals;
	  c.   	 Organizational structure;
	  d.   	 Services offered;
	  e.   	 Fiscal history and management capabilities;
	  f.   	 Proposed methods for development of an advisory council whose members are representative of the PSA and the population served;
	  g.   	 Ability to meet the requirements of this chapter and others governing administration, operation and reporting requirements for AAA;
	 4.9(4) Public hearing.
	  a.   	 The department shall hold a minimum of one public hearing which shall be chaired by the director or the director’s designee for the purpose of providing presentations by applicants and receiving comments from the public.
	  b.   	 The department shall designate a date, time and place for the hearing and publish notice at least two weeks in advance. If possible, the ICN network will be used to minimize travel for those wishing to participate.
	  c.   	 The department may receive oral and written comments from interested persons prior to the hearing. These comments shall have the same weight and effect as those received at the hearing.
	  d.   	 Presentations and comments at the hearing shall be time-limited and shall be prearranged with the department.
	 4.9(5) Department review of applications and comments. Subsequent to the public hearing, the applications shall be sorted according to types of agencies and in the order of preference categories as given in 4.9(7). The department shall review all applications and comments based on the criteria established by this chapter to determine the applicants qualified for an on-site assessment. A synopsis of this information shall be prepared for the commission.
	 4.9(6) On-site assessment. The purpose of the assessment is to verify information provided in the application.
	  a.   	 The department shall make arrangements for the assessment with the qualified applicant(s).
	  b.   	 A written tool shall be used to conduct the assessment.
	  c.   	 The department shall present to the commission a written report of the assessment and a written recommendation regarding the designation of an AAA.
	  d.   	 The basis for the recommendation shall be the application review, the public comments, and the on-site assessment.
	 4.9(7) Preference process. Preference categories may be found in subrule 4.5(4).
	  a.   	 The department shall determine whether any applicants in the first preference category are qualified.
	  b.   	 If there is more than one qualified applicant in this category, the more qualified applicant will be determined by review, comparison and analysis of how well each applicant meets the criteria set forth in this chapter.
	  c.   	 When the more qualified applicant has been determined, the designation may be offered to that applicant.
	  d.   	 If for any reason that applicant is unable to accept the designation, the department may offer the designation to the second more qualified applicant in the first category, or the more qualified applicant in the second preference category shall be determined. A review, comparison and analysis shall be made between the applicant selected in the second preference category and the second-place applicant under the first category.
	  e.   	 The designation may be offered to the more qualified of the two applicants. If for any reason that applicant is unable to accept the designation, the same process shall continue through the preference categories as given in this rule.
	 4.9(8) Commission action. When designating an AAA, the commission shall consider the following:
	  a.   	 The synopsis of the application review as performed by the department;
	  b.   	 The findings of the on-site assessment; and
	  c.   	 Recommendations of the department.
	 4.9(9) The commission shall act on the designation of an AAA at its next meeting after receiving the department’s recommendation.
[ARC 8489B, IAB 1/27/10, effective 1/7/10]