As we close out May, Older Americans Month, it’s a good time to tell Congress to reauthorize the Older Americans Act to continue to fulfill our social contract with older adults. Read about m4a’s priorities for this authorization.
The current authorization expires in September 2024
The Older Americans Act was first enacted in 1965. Along with Medicare and Social Security, it provides a crucial financial and social safety net for older adults. The Older Americans Act is the primary federal mechanism for funding health and health-related social services for older adults. The OAA has seven sections, Title I through Title VII, each defining various aspects of the Act.
Congress must reauthorize the Act periodically, and the current authorization expires on September 30, 2024. Ensuring that Congress reauthorizes the Act is a key priority for m4a, and our member area agencies on aging are actively working with our congressional delegation on needed revisions and timely passage.
A national network powered by local providers
OAA services are provided through the aging network — a national network of federal, state, tribal and local agencies. The legislation designates a unit on aging in each state and 618 area agencies of aging across the nation, each operating in a defined planning area. AAAs contract with local service providers to provide services in their communities. Minnesota has six regional AAAs and the Minnesota Indian Area Agency on Aging, representing Minnesota tribal nations.
The Aging Network
The OAA defines a collaborative process for making funding decisions as close as possible to the end user to ensure that services meet the community’s specific needs. M4a believes that this process is key to the aging network’s success.
Making it feasible to stay at home
Title III of the OAA provides funding for a broad range of home and community-based services for older adults.
Older Americans Act Title III Services
In 2023, Minnesota’s AAAs awarded $33.3 million to 158 provider organizations, serving 119,537 people. (Does not include funds allocated to the Minnesota Indian Area Agency on Aging.)
OAA in Minnesota in 2023
Many of the services made possible by OAA funding are make-or-break supports that allow older adults to stay in their homes rather than move to a more restrictive and usually more expensive assisted living apartment or a nursing home. For example, after a health incident, an older adult is more likely to be able to return home if they can count on home-delivered meals, rides to their doctor appointments and periodic help with housekeeping. Older American Act services are available to anyone aged 60+ and are not means-tested, although the legislation requires that services are targeted to those with the greatest need. OAA funding often serves people who might otherwise fall between the cracks — people who have too much income to qualify for low-income subsidies but too little income to meet the increasing costs of living with a fixed income.
Our priorities for reauthorization
Reauthorizing the Older American Act this year is critical, and m4a has the following priorities for the reauthorization:
- Significantly increase authorized funding levels to meet the present and urgent needs of a rapidly growing older adult population and the rising costs of service delivery.
- Ensure area agencies on aging can meet their missions by securing health care and other private funding to serve more older adults.
- Eliminate the option for state units of aging approval of contracts when Older Americans Act funds do not support the activities under those contracts.
- Unify and modernize nutrition funding streams and programs to reflect recent innovations, the changing needs of consumers and the goal of local decision making inherent in the Act.
- Expand Title VI—Grants for Native American Aging Programs—to include a dedicated supportive services funding stream and boost the capacity of grantees through more robust training and technical assistance.
- Increase the administrative funding ceiling by two percentage points to ensure quality program oversight, development and coordination amid rising costs and eroding OAA funding.
Your voice matters!
Our congressional delegation needs to hear from you. Contact your representatives and ask them to reauthorize the Older Americans Act before its authorization lapses this September.
Do you have questions? Contact your local AAA for additional information.