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C-1210 Overview
Revision 21-0; Effective January 15, 2021
AAAs must develop long-range emergency preparedness plans and coordinate disaster activities with local and state emergency response agencies, relief organizations and local and state governments. AAAs must detail coordination activities in area plans and provide information to HHSC as requested during a disaster.
C-1211 Emergency Conditions, Inclement Weather, Disasters and Holidays for Nutrition Services
Revision 21-0; Effective January 15, 2021
The meal provider must ensure there are sanitary and safe conditions for storing, thawing and reheating meals when the provider distributes chilled, frozen, or other meals for emergency conditions, inclement weather, disasters or holidays. The meal provider must also ensure the person can physically manage the meals.
The meal must be labeled and provide the expiration date in large print with instructions for storing, thawing, and reheating, as appropriate.
Meal providers must develop and keep written procedures to address congregate meal site closures and suspension of HDMs for emergency conditions, inclement weather, disasters, and holidays. AAA’s meal provider contract must address the provision of congregate and HDM services during meal site closures. AAAs, subrecipients, and their meal providers must define emergency conditions, inclement weather, disasters, and holidays and include those terms in the contract for OAA meals.
Meal providers must ensure people receiving meals are aware of the date, or approximate date, the meal service will resume when they stop meals due to an emergency, inclement weather, disaster or holiday.
AAAs must ensure meal providers:
- keep food, facilities, and equipment available for emergencies and disasters according to a plan developed by the meal provider, who gives priority to program participants 60 years or older; and
- adopt written procedures ensuring the availability of food for eligible people during emergencies, inclement weather, disasters, and holidays.
C-1212 Congregate Meal Site Closure
Revision 22-1; Effective March 1, 2022
The decision to close a meal facility or change meal service is the responsibility of a meal provider’s executive management. HHSC does not have the authority to insist a nutrition provider remain open or close due to a health emergency or natural weather situation.
When a congregate site must temporarily close, the site must activate its emergency preparedness plan or business continuity plan. Meal providers must detail how they will provide meals for people at high nutritional risk in their plans. A score of six or higher shows a high nutritional risk on the DETERMINE Your Nutritional Risk Checklist.
Meal providers may provide chilled, frozen or shelf-stable meals to people who participate in the program for consumption at home during the site closure. The meal consumed at home rather than at the congregate site is reimbursed as a HDM.
The congregate meal provider’s executive management must notify the AAA of the closure. If the temporary site closure exceeds the length of time outlined in the site’s plans, the AAA and the meal provider must work together to decide how they will continue to serve people.
Promotion of socialization is one of the purposes of the nutrition program so meal providers may not set up a regular take out meal service. AAAs must ensure they, and their subrecipients, resume regular congregate meal services upon conclusion of the emergency or other situation.
Related Policy
Nutritional Risk Assessment, D-1060