What does streamlined eligibility look like for Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) recipients and subrecipients—and how can we help them get there?
That’s the question that we’re setting out to answer through the Linking Eligibility Across the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (LEAP)—Dissemination Assistance Provider project. Officially launched in August 2024, LEAP is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB). Our overarching goal is to increase access to care for people with HIV by promoting efficiencies in RWHAP eligibility determination and confirmation processes. This blog provides updates about the project, including key findings and resources.
Why Linking Eligibility?
Streamlined eligibility processes across RWHAP Parts are critical for simple client access, program efficiency, and compliance with program requirements. That’s why RWHAP recipients and subrecipients have been encouraged to explore adopting eligibility practices that limit documentation burdens for clients. This includes streamlining application forms to avoid collection of extraneous information, and creating eligibility confirmation policies and timelines that reduce burden.
Learn about LEAP
As they start streamlining eligibility, RWHAP recipients and subrecipients must navigate program requirements, technology investments, and increased collaboration across RWHAP Parts and with external partners. LEAP helps recipients and subrecipients do this through a combination of assessment, peer-to-peer learning, and dissemination of findings and best practices that explore and highlight opportunities for streamlining across the eligibility process.
Identifying Promising Practices and Current Gaps
To kick off the project, the LEAP team gathered information to inform the LEAP team’s peer-to-peer sharing and resource development.
Environmental Scan Findings
Our team conducted an extensive environmental scan that identified the key components necessary for streamlined eligibility (right). We identified several broad gaps that must be addressed within RWHAP jurisdictions to achieve these goals, including needs for standardizing eligibility policies and language; enhancing data and information technology (IT) infrastructure; minimizing client burden; and ensuring workforce development.
Consultation Meeting Report Out
In February 2025, our team held a two-day consultation with RWHAP administrators from RWHAP Part B/ADAP (AIDS Drug Assistance Program), Part A, and Part C.
Participants discussed the challenges they’ve navigated while streamlining eligibility, including:
- Investing in data platforms and vendors to help share eligibility data across RWHAP Parts. This type of investment takes both resources and organizational buy-in, which was not equally available across jurisdictions.
- Navigating RWHAP Policy Clarification Notice (PCN) 21-02 could be challenging, with differing interpretations across RWHAP Parts.
- Sharing eligibility data (both across RWHAP Parts and with external entities) may depend on state data privacy statutes and regulations, and RWHAP recipients need support to navigate data sharing agreements.
Sharing Our Findings More Broadly
Our team is drawing from the assessment findings and peer-to-peer sharing to develop information, tools, and resources to address the five strategy areas below.
Find Eligibility Resources
New resources will be available soon to support streamlined eligibility processes. In the meantime, additional eligibility tools are available to assist RWHAP recipients and subrecipients:
- ACE TA Center: Access, Care, and Engagement Technical Assistance (ACE TA) Center builds the capacity of the RWHAP community to help people with HIV to access and use their health coverage to improve health outcomes.
- ADAP Technical Assistance: The ADAP TA cooperative agreement provides focused training and TA to ADAP coordinators, AIDS directors, and RWHAP Part B administrators, including on eligibility and enrollment systems.
- HRSA HAB Policy Notices: Includes relevant policy clarification notices (PCNs) and other guidance on eligibility and enrollment requirements for RWHAP recipients and subrecipients.
The Linking Eligibility Across the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Parts (LEAP)—Dissemination Assistance Provider is a Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Initiative, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB).