The Older Americans Act Amendments of 2006
Washington, DC (September 28, 2006) – Today, the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 6197, a bill authorizing the Older Americans Act for fiscal years 2007-2011. Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15), ranking member of the Select Education Subcommittee of the Education and Workforce Committee, has jurisdiction over this legislation and worked with colleagues from both sides of the aisle to ensure its passage.
The Older Americans Act provides grants to states for community planning and services programs, as well as for research, demonstration and training projects in the field of aging. Over the years, grants provided funds to Area Agencies on Aging for local needs identification, planning, and funding of services, including but not limited to nutrition programs in the community as well as for those who are homebound; programs which serve Native American elders; services targeted at low-income minority elders; health promotion and disease prevention activities; in-home services for frail elders, and those services which protect the rights of older persons.
“The Older Americans Act represents our continued commitment to meeting the needs of older Americans,” said Hinojosa. “These programs provide people with everything ranging from health and nutrition education to financial literacy to community involvement and protecting vulnerable older Americans from abuse.”
The Older Americans Act promotes greater access to services for individuals who are more comfortable in a language other than English. It maintains the structure of the Senior Community Service Employment Program and reaffirms the dual purpose of the programs – employment and community service. It strengthens the very successful family caregiver program. It promotes greater choices and health and nutrition education so that our seniors can remain at home and in their communities. It promotes financial literacy for family caregivers and seniors so that older Americans physical and mental health is not jeopardized by poor financial health. It strengthens our system of protecting older Americans from abuse. Finally, it recognizes that seniors are a growing resource for the aging network.
“As our nation’s population of Baby Boomers continues to age, we must ensure that the proper programs are in place to guarantee their well-being and provide a better overall quality of life,” Hinojosa continued. “I hope that as we move forward with the appropriations process when we return after the elections, we will remember that the Older Americans Act programs are cost-effective. We know that every dollar spent providing a meal or supporting seniors so that they can remain at home and in their communities not only improves their quality of life, but saves entitlement spending on long-term care. That is the genius of the Older American Act.”