Older Americans Act (OAA)

By Rap Lewis

Unless you’re independently well-to-do, there’s a very good chance that in your retirement years you will sooner or later need one or more of the services provided under the Older Americans Act (OAA). Yet even among older Americans, the provisions of the OAA are not widely known – and its value is far too little appreciated.

Its importance grows as the nation’s aging population expands. In 2008, the Federal Inter-Agency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics reported that roughly 42% of adults over the age of 65 have physical limitations or need assistance with eating, bathing, dressing, or other activities of daily living. That percentage seems certain to increase.

These older adults require supportive services such as home health care, nutrition programs, transportation, or respite care for their caregivers. These are the crucial services that enable the elderly and people with disabilities to stay in their own homes and communities, rather than to spend their final years in a nursing home.

That’s where the “Aging Services Network” comes in. And the OAA is a critical element in that network. Congress will reauthorize the OAA in 2011. Professionals and advocates in the field of aging are preparing to engage Congress on the urgency of adequate funding for critical programs.

The aging network includes the U.S. Administration on Aging and 56 State Units on Aging. Delivering services at the community level are 629 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and 246 Title VI Native American aging programs. For 30 years, these local agencies have successfully provided aging services in communities throughout the country.

Administering the many aging programs in Seattle and King County, for example, is Seattle-King County Aging and Disability Services, commonly called ADS. In all, there are 13 AAAs in Washington State.

Aging services are funded by a combination of federal appropriations, delivered through the OAA, and state-funded programs that wrap around and supplement those funded by Congress.

The economic recession hasn’t spared these programs. Fifty-six percent of states report that their AAAs will be forced to cut back because of state budget crises. Waiting lists are long and growing for many vital home and community based services.

The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging is urging Congress to respond with appropriations that measure up to the emergency. The association has identified the following legislative priorities:

• Invest in the OAA and state Medicaid programs to prevent states from slashing services in response to their budget crises; work to create the jobs that will be essential to serve an aging population, especially in health care and long-term care.

• Rebalance the long-term care system through the enactment of pending legislation called “Project 2020,” providing real, on-the-ground support and services to older adults and people with disabilities to help them delay or avoid institutionalization. Investing in these services will reduce the need for far more costly Medicaid and Medicare programs. (Washington Senator Maria Cantwell is a vigorous proponent of Project 2020.)

• Increase overall OAA funding by at least 12%. Give special attention to funding three programs: (1) Title III B Supportive Services, which gives states and local agencies funding that can be applied flexibly; (2) a long-overdue increase in Title VI grants for Native Americans, described by the association as “the most economically disadvantaged elders in the nation”; and (3) as called for by President Obama, a 31% increase in funding for the National Family Caregiver Support Program to assist family members caring for older loved ones.

• Livable communities: Policy makers and public officials should take the needs of aging Americans into account in decisions affecting housing, land use, transportation, public safety, recreation, lifelong learning and civic engagement.

• Transportation: Congress should increase funding for transit programs to offset crippling cuts in service at the community level. Improved transportation services are especially needed for the elderly and persons with disabilities in rural areas.