MSSP can provide or arrange for a wide array of services, including:

• Full assessment and care coordination
• Purchase of needed services and medical devices
• Transportation
• Medical care
• Homemakers
• Home safety modifications
• Legal assistance
• Senior companions
• Home-delivered meals
• Money management
• Day activity programs
• Counseling
• Government benefits
• Emergency help with problems such as abuse or eviction notices
• Services are available in English, Russian, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin and Vietnamese.

Eligibility

MSSP is available to all San Francisco residents aged 65 or older who are covered by Medi-Cal and need assistance with two or more Activities of Daily Living (ADL).

Fees

Most services are covered by Medi-Cal and are free of charge to the individual. MSSP is funded by the State and Federal government, administered through the California Department of Aging.

Payment Options	Medi-Cal
Fees Covered By

In 1977 then Speaker, Leo McCarthy from San Francisco, introduced legislation which was passed by the California Legislature which authorized the Multipurpose Senior Services Project (MSSP) as a four-year research and demonstration project. The objective of the project was to obtain information on cost-effective methods of preventing inappropriate institutionalization of seniors. The State obtained an 1115 Medicaid waiver to fund the research and demonstration project.

San Francisco MSSP was one of the original 8 sites selected in California to participate in the research and demonstration project. The San Francisco MSSP began accepting clients in 1980. The San Francisco MSSP was able to serve 400 clients per month.

In 1982 legislation was passed for the conditional continuation of MSSP beyond June 30, 1983. MSSP was now an ongoing program as long as it proved cost-effective and the State could obtain federal authority to fund the program through a Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Care Waiver. In 2000-01, MSSP became a state-wide program with 41 sites and 11,789 clients. In FY 07/08, the San Francisco MSSP had the capacity to serve 557 clients per month.

MSSP + IOA

The State of California Department of Aging awarded IOA the contract to provide services for the Multipurpose Senior Service Program (MSSP) in 1982, a contract that has been renewed every year to the present.

At the present, we have a caseload of 501 clients with 12.9 Care Managers. Care Managers include Registered Nurses, Master Degree Social Workers/Marriage and Family Therapists and non-Master Degree Care Managers.