Barriers include both weaknesses (e.g., insufficient, untrained, or unqualified staff) and threats (e.g., recent efforts to reduce funding for aging services) identified by the Environmental Scan. Weaknesses are internal to the state aging network. Threats are external. Once issues and needs have been identified, it is important to identify and analyze the barriers that may inhibit the state's ability to plan and problem solve. Planning that relates identified barriers to priority issues and needs is likely to yield a realistic assessment of the aging network's ability to act on them.
Key Considerations

• Barriers can directly affect the Aging Network's leadership and support of state and local home and community based services and long-term care reform.
• Other barriers may be tied to specific issues and needs that have been identified.
• The relationship between assets and barriers should be considered in terms of the effects on (1) SUA/AAA leadership and (2) specific issues and needs.

Questions Specific to This Decision Point

• What barriers are likely to stand in the way of the Aging Network's leadership role in home and community based services and long-term care reform?
• What barriers will inhibit efforts to address specific issues and needs?
• What are the current anticipated threats to the network's leadership role in home and community based services and long-term care reform?
• Which threats are likely to have a negative impact upon efforts to address specific issues or needs?

Who Participates?

• Internal stakeholders
• Program participants
• SUAs
• AAAs
• Providers
• Advocates
• Tribal Organizations

The Work Group can be involved at different levels of decision-making:

• The Work Group could sift through the results of the internal and external environmental scans to identify and prioritize major issues.
• Staff could develop a "first cut" of the issues for Work Group response. The Work 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 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