Older Americans Act moves closer to reauthorization

House passes Older Americans Act reauthorization, first since 2006

If your county provides services to the elderly, there’s actually some good news coming out of Congress. On March 21, the House passed a three-year reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, which had been without reauthorization since 2006.

The bipartisan House bill, in the form of an amendment to the Senate’s OAA reauthorization in 2015 (S. 192), increases overall authorization levels by 6.7 percent over three years, with the following annual growth factors: FY17, 2.49 percent; FY18, 2.09 percent; and FY19, 2.04 percent, according to the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a).

The House bill deviates slightly from its Senate companion legislation, n4a analysis shows. It level-funds the Administration on Aging’s program administration for all three years in order to boost — to 7 percent over three years —the authorization level of some Title III programs that suffered during the 2013 sequester. Other noteworthy provisions in both House and Senate bills include:

Elder Abuse: The bill requires the Administration on Aging (AOA) to provide, as appropriate, training on elder abuse prevention and screening for states, area agencies on aging and service providers.

Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program: The legislation strengthens the program by clarifying that the ombudsman’s role includes advocating for residents unable to communicate their wishes. The measure would also:

• ensure that residents receive private and unimpeded access to an ombudsman
• require ombudsmen to participate in training provided by the National Ombudsman Resource Center
• clarify that ombudsmen may continue to serve residents who are transitioning from a long-term care facility to a home care setting
• allow ombudsmen to assist all residents of care facilities, regardless of age; and
• clarifying the ombudsman office is a “health oversight agency” for purposes of federal law governing heath information privacy, known as “HIPAA.”

Health and Economic Welfare: The bill clarifies the role of the assistant secretary for aging to include supporting state and local efforts that promote the health and economic welfare of older individuals through a number of activities, including the dissemination of education materials and best practices.

Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC): Aging and Disability Resource Centers are “one-stop shop” single entry points for information about long-term services available to older Americans. The bill improves ADRC cooperation and coordination with area agencies on aging and other community-based entities in providing information and referrals regarding available home- and community-based services for individuals who are at risk of residing, or currently reside, in institutional settings. It also updates the definition of Aging and Disability Resource Center to be consistent with current practice and current law, by emphasizing independent living and home- and community-based services.

Senior Centers: The bill requires the assistant secretary to identify model programs and provide information and technical assistance to states, area agencies on aging and service providers to support the modernization of multipurpose senior centers.

Home Care: The bill requires the assistant secretary, in coordination with states and national organizations, to develop a consumer-friendly tool to assist older individuals and their families in choosing the best home and community-based services for them.

Promotes Evidence-Based Support: Consistent with current practice, the bill requires “evidence-based” disease prevention and health promotion services. It also encourages states to provide falls prevention and chronic condition self-management programs. Furthermore, under the legislation, grant funding may be used to deliver oral health screenings among other disease prevention and health promotion services. Finally, the bill directs the assistant secretary to provide technical assistance to, and share best practices on how to collaborate with health care entities. This collaboration includes Federally Qualified Health Centers, in order to improve care coordination for individuals with multiple chronic illnesses.

Program Alignment: The bill aligns the employment services provided under the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) with the employment services carried out under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and other related jobs programs.

First passed in 1965 at the relative end of the baby boom, the OAA directs funding to the states according to a formula based on their proportional share of the nation’s population of individuals 60 and older. States are required to pass those funds on to area agencies on aging (AAA). AAAs coordinate programs and services for senior citizens at the local level, with nearly 30 percent of the 622 AAAs nationwide operating within a county government.

The Senate is expected to approve and the president to sign the OAA reauthorization.

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Autumn Campbell, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, and Jack Peterson, NACo legislative assistant, contributed to this report.