Assets include both strengths (e.g., skilled, dedicated staff) identified through the internal assessment and opportunities (e.g., new grants, new program funding) identified through the external assessment. Strengths are internal to the aging network, whereas opportunities are external. Once the major issues and needs have been identified, it is important to further analyze the assets that may be applied to addressing both. A process that relates assets with priority issues and needs is likely to yield a realistic assessment of the aging network's ability to act on them.

Key Considerations

• Specific assets may be broadly applied across the whole system.
• Other assets may be directly related to specific issues or needs that have been identified.

Questions Specific to This Decision Point

• What assets does the state agency on aging/AAA have that support the network's leadership role in home and community based services/long-term care reform?
• What assets will support efforts to address specific issues and needs?
• What opportunities are available now (and/or likely to be available during the planning period) to support the network's leadership role in home and community based services/long-term care reform?
• Which current/anticipated opportunities will support efforts to address specific issues or needs?

Who Participates?

• Representatives of all internal stakeholders
• Program participants
• SUAs
• AAAs
• Providers
• Advocates
• Tribal Organizations

A State or Area Plan Working Group consisting of a team of representatives might be convened to address Asset Identification and the next four Decision Points. This would naturally lead to the development of the State Plan/Area goals and objectives.

With regard to logistics, the Working Group could be convened for one or more face-to-face meetings or, alternatively, meet via e-mail. A combination of these methods could also be used. The Working Group can be involved at different levels of decision-making. For example:

• The Working Group could sift through the results of the internal and external assessments to identify and prioritize major issues.
• State and local agency staff could develop a "first cut" of the issues and present this preliminary list of major issues to the Working Group for their response. The Working Group could then be invited to finalize and prioritize the list of issues.
• Staff could develop a final list of issues to be addressed in the current planning cycle and the work group could be invited to prioritize the issues to be addressed in the State Plan.

Key Decision Points

1. Mission & Values
2. Environmental Scanning
3. Issues Identification
4. Needs Identification
5. Assets Identification
6. Barriers Identification
7. Goals & Objectives
8. Outcomes & Performance Measurement
9. The Plan