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Many times, persons are in need of direction on where to go to have their needs met. The services listed under this section will assist an individual and/or family with gaining information about community care options, benefit programs, referral and/or payment procedures, and health information.



Information on both AAASC and community services is made available to community members through radio programs, newspaper articles, brochures, videos, the Agency newsletter, telephone or personal contact, and presentations to groups/organizations. As part of an initial interview and evaluation of a particular situation, helpful information is made available to the consumer and his/her family. Care Management staff assist with referrals to AAASC services and/or other service providers, as appropriate. This assistance may also include the completion of forms for Medicare and supplemental insurance reimbursement, Fuel Assistance, Rent and Property Tax Rebates and the PACE prescription drug program.

Nursing Home Transition (NHT) is the process of assisting and empowering people who want to move from a nursing facility back to a home of their choice in the community. NHT includes: providing outreach and education to consumers, nursing facility staff, families, and community, members about NHT; identifying individuals who want to move out of nursing facilities as consumers of the NHT process; educating consumers so they have information they need to make well-informed decisions about their transition; empowering consumers to direct their own transition; connecting consumers to the services and resources they have identified and chosen as needed supports for living independently in the community; advocating for consumers to ensure that their transition plan is what they want and need, or providing them with the tools to be self-advocates if they so desire.

Outreach services include the Agency’s attempts to seek out and identify those who need services, but lack access to them due to a disability, communication barriers, isolated home location, and/or aloneness. Outreach is also the ongoing process for identifying additional community resources to meet a person’s needs.

Understand Your Medicare, Medicaid, and Long Term Care Benefits

APPRISE is a free and confidential health insurance counseling program designed to assist Pennsylvanians with Medicare. The Pennsylvania Department of Aging created APPRISE to help Medicare beneficiaries better understand their health insurance options and make sound decisions about what is best for them. APPRISE counselors can answer your questions about original Medicare, Medicaid, supplemental insurance, Medicare Advantage Plans, long term care insurance, and Medicare prescription drug plans. Our counselors can:

  • Help you decide which Medicare health plan is right for you by explaining how each plan works, its benefits, its coverage amounts, and its costs
  • Help you understand your health insurance benefits by reviewing your Medicare Summary Notice or Explanation of Benefits, which explain what services have been paid for, what you may owe, and what your appeal rights are
  • Explain various assistance programs that may help pay your Medicare deductibles and Part B premium and assist you with the necessary applications
  • Explain the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (Part D) and the various assistance programs that may help pay the premiums, deductibles and co-pays

If you or a family member needs assistance with Medicare-related issues, please contact the Agency’s APPRISE Coordinator at 814-443-2681 (toll free 800-452-0825)

The program is operated under a contract with the Area Agency on Aging of Somerset County, with funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Aging and the Administration on Community Living.

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Transportation services are available to persons age 60 and older to and from community locations through the Somerset County Transportation Program. Trips are scheduled to meet the most important needs first, with an emphasis on health maintenance and daily living activities such as medical appointments, grocery shopping, senior community center activities and banking. Other trips for shopping or recreation are scheduled as space is available. Transportation is available to individuals requiring wheelchairs. These services are arranged one day in advance through a telephone reservation system. Please call Community Action Partnership for Somerset County/Tableland Services, Inc. 814-445-9628 or 1-800-452-0241. Assistance with other transportation options, can be provided by calling the Area Agency on Aging at 814-445-2681 or 1-800-452-0825.

The need for legal counsel to draft wills, Power of Attorney and living wills, are addressed through the Agency’s Legal Assistance Program. Each service is offered one-time to an individual who qualifies. For more complicated and extended long-term legal needs AAASC supplies a list of local attorneys who accept reduced fees or an individual can contact the American Association of Retired Person’s Legal Hotline.


© Somerset County 2018
1338 South Edgewood Avenue, Somerset PA 15501 T: 814-443-2681 T: 800-452-0825