Customized On-Site TA HAB'S Technical Assistance Contract

Many types of TA and training are available to Ryan White Grantees and Planning Councils. Among the options is Customized TA—tailored to help programs implement specific Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program requirements that will lead to improvements in health care access and quality of life for persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). TAC TA is available through HRSA/HAB Project Officers. A long-standing principle of TAC TA is that assistance is designed to work with programs to address their needs. The TAC is administered by the Division of Training and Technical Assistance within HRSA's HIV/AIDS Bureau.

Types of TA Available

Customized TA includes onsite consultation, virtual and live training, and topical TA materials. On-site TA is delivered by peers and other consultants, who are listed on a roster maintained by the TAC. Based on identified need, TA is flexibly designed to support grantees and planning bodies to improve their operations in such areas as:

  • ADAP
  • Clinical practice
  • Comprehensive plan development
  • Consumer involvement
  • Cultural Competency
  • Federal policy and regulation
  • Fiscal issues such as billing, sliding fee scales, fiscal procedures, and tracking program income
  • MIS systems and reporting
  • Needs assessment
  • Performance measurement
  • Priority setting and resource allocation
  • Program planning and design
  • Program management
  • Stigma
  • Unmet need

How to Request TA

The HAB Project Officer is the primary point of contact for grantees and planning bodies to discuss their technical assistance needs. Requests for TA can come from the Ryan White grantee (or the planning council, with grantee approval) or the HRSA/HAB Project Officer. To initiate the technical assistance request process, contact your HAB Project Officer. All TA must be approved by HRSA/HAB.

Steps in the TA Process

Following are typical steps in arranging on-site TA

Step 1: Decide What TA is Needed
The grantee should answer these questions to find out if they are ready for the TA:

  • What TA is needed (e.g., topics), in what form (e.g., phone consultation, on-site training, meeting facilitation, written materials), and what type of expertise?
  • What would the TA do (e.g., improve grantee operations, improve planning, help meet Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program requirements)?
  • When is the TA needed?
  • What grantee/planning body members will receive the TA and follow-up on it?

Step 2: Request the TA
If TA cannot be secured locally, a written request for TA is submitted to the Project Officer. The grantee and Project Officer discuss the TA request. The HAB Project Officer determines if the grantee TA need can be met by the TAC and submits a TA request form for review and approval within HRSA/HAB.

Step 3: TA is Delivered.
TAC staff identify a consultant to address the TA need.  The TAC then sets up a conference call with the consultant, Project Officer, and grantee/planning council to map out a TA plan.  Arrangements are then made by the TAC for the on-site visit(s). TA is also evaluated to see what impact it had.

Step 4: TA Report is Prepared (With TA Tools) and TA is Evaluated
After the on-site TA is delivered, the consultant prepares a TA report and submits it to the TAC.  Ideally, the report includes one or more TA tools that can be shared with other programs—expanding the pool of resources available to Ryan White programs.  Several months later, the on-site TA is evaluated to gauge its long-term impact.