50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands. The SMP projects use this funding to provide local outreach, education, and assistance to Medicare beneficiaries through a trained workforce, many of which are volunteers. SMP projects teach Medicare beneficiaries to protect their Medicare numbers, to detect billing discrepancies on their Medicare statements, and to report suspicious activity for further investigation. In addition, SMP projects actively disseminate fraud prevention and identification information through the media, outreach campaigns, and community events. As a result of these efforts, beneficiaries contact the SMP projects with inquiries and complaints regarding potential Medicare fraud, errors, and abuse. SMPs provide in-depth counseling and assistance to help beneficiaries who present with questions and issues. With this funding opportunity, ACL anticipates awarding up to 1 cooperative agreement to support SMP projects in Vermont.