Find Federal Agency

• WHAT IS ITS MISSION?
• HOW IS IT STRUCTURED?
• PRIMARY FUNCTIONS
• PROGRAMS
• BUDGET INFORMATION
• HISTORY
• CURRENT POLITICAL ISSUES
• SUCCESSES AND FAILURES
• FUTURE DIRECTIONS
• AGENCY RESOURCES
• FAST FACTS
• AGENCY PUBLICATIONS
• BIBLIOGRAPHY

PARENT ORGANIZATION: Department of Health and Human Services
ESTABLISHED: 1965
EMPLOYEES: 175

Contact Information:
ADDRESS: 330 Independence Ave. SW Washington, DC 20201
PHONE: (202) 401-4541
TOLL FREE: (800) 677-1116
TDD (HEARING IMPAIRED): (202) 401-7575
FAX: (202) 260-1012
E-MAIL: esec@ban-gate.aoa.dhhs.gov
URL: http://www.aoa.dhhs.gov
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR AGING: Jeanette C. Takamura

WHAT IS ITS MISSION?

The mission of the Administration on Aging (AoA) is "to enable the Department [of Health and Human Services] to respond to the diverse needs of our aging population." The agency focuses on fulfilling the goals of the Older Americans Act, which details the services that are to be provided to senior Americans. The AoA leads the nation in promoting the vision that aging is a process, not a stage of life.

HOW IS IT STRUCTURED?

The Administration on Aging (AoA) is an independent entity within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a cabinet-level department in the executive branch of the federal government. The AoA is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and it operates ten regional offices throughout the country. The agency works closely with state and local area agencies on aging in planning, coordinating, and delivering services funded by it to meet the unique needs of seniors. The AoA is headed by the assistant secretary for aging, who is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

PRIMARY FUNCTIONS

The Administration on Aging (AoA) provides funding for a range of programs that offer services and opportunities for older Americans, especially economically-disadvantaged and low-income minority seniors,

according to the provisions of the Older Americans Act. The agency builds the nation's knowledge and understanding of aging through research, project demonstrations, training, and technical assistance, which are provided to community organizations. As the lead government agency relating to aging, the AoA also advises the Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies on the needs and characteristics of older Americans.

PROGRAMS

Title III of the Older Americans Act directs the Administration on Aging (AoA) to fund programs designed to assist both active older persons and those at risk of losing their independence. Title III funds pay for state and local supportive services, nutrition services, and senior centers. One of the most widespread programs funded by the AoA is the Elderly Nutrition Program. Begun in 1972, the program provides nourishing meals and companionship to more than three million older people each year. Because of this program, older persons who might otherwise be isolated or lonely, or those who cannot grocery shop or prepare meals, have the opportunity to obtain low- or no-cost nutritious meals at senior centers that also provide social activities. The nutrition program also delivers meals to home bound seniors, and volunteer deliverers often spend additional time visiting with recipients and assisting them with other needs. The meals provide forty to fifty percent of suggested daily nutrients, and participants have more social contact than they otherwise might.

The AoA also funds programs for seniors in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. One of the most important programs for older Americans is the Ombudsman Program, for which state and local ombudsmen speak and act on behalf of the 2.5 million residents of care facilities. Complaints are made and investigated through this program, and anyone may register a complaint. These include complaints regarding accidents, menus, personal hygiene care, staff attitudes, unanswered calls for assistance, or any other issue that is detrimental to a resident's well being. After an investigation an ombudsman works with the necessary agencies and officials to resolve problems. The program also operates at the state and federal levels to resolve major issues affecting large numbers of residents. The Ombudsman Program assisted more than 100,000 people in 1996 and served many more through input on regulations governing care facilities.

BUDGET INFORMATION

The budget for AOA was approximately $871 million in 1998. All funds for the AOA are appropriated by Congress and correspond to the services or service areas specified in the title sections of the Older Americans Act. Thirty-four percent of the budget is allocated to Title III-B, ombudsmen, elder abuse, and supportive services. Nutrition services, under Title III-C, receive 56 percent of the total budget for congregate meals (43 percent) and home-delivered meals (13 percent). Two percent of the AOA budget pays for administrative

BUDGET: Administration on Aging

costs. The remaining funds pay for Title III-D, in-home services for the frail and elderly (1 percent); Title III-F, preventative health services (2 percent); Title IV, research and training demonstrations (1 percent); Title VI, grants to Indian tribes (2 percent); and Title VII, protection of vulnerable older Americans (1 percent); and Alzheimer's disease demonstrations (1 percent). State Agencies on Aging receive Title III funds based on the number of older persons in the state and then allocate funds to local Area Agencies on Aging (AAOA) based on older persons in the service areas. AAOAs provide direct services or contract with other organizations to provide services.

HISTORY

The U.S. government has traditionally provided limited financial assistance for older Americans, from pensions for widows of soldiers of the American Revolution (1775-83) to Social Security, which was established in the 1930s to provide old-age benefits to workers. But it was not until 1965, when the federal government passed the Older Americans Act, that there was a comprehensive plan for social services for aging citizens. The Older Americans Act established the Administration on Aging (AoA) to carry out the provisions of the act. The AoA was created in a climate of federal expansion in many areas of human services to counteract the poverty of older Americans. By the 1960s people were living much longer, so there were more older Americans with diverse needs.

The National Nutrition Program for the Elderly was added to the Older Americans Act in 1972, and Grants to Indian Tribes was added in 1978. Services to native Hawaiians were added in 1987. In 1992 the AoA was charged with leading a task force to evaluate and plan for the needs of the growing aging population, which was expected to double by the turn of the century. Amendments to the act created a separate elder rights title, including ombudsman services, legal assistance, and services to prevent abuse. The position of the commissioner on aging was also elevated to that of assistant secretary, reflecting President Bill Clinton's commitment to senior Americans.

CURRENT POLITICAL ISSUES

In the mid-1990s Republicans in Congress attempted to reduce the federal programs they believed should be run by states and localities. Because programs funded by the Administration on Aging (AoA) were coordinated and administered by states and localities, the agency became a target for elimination. Those favoring termination of the AoA said the federal government was not intended to meet all needs of all segments of the population. They argued that the federal budget should be brought into balance and that federal funds should support programs affecting all citizens or those concerned with the national interest. They proposed that each state have the right to decide its own funding levels for services to the aging and prioritize which services should be provided, without federal guidance or oversight.

Supporters of the AoA, including the administration of President Bill Clinton and senior citizens' organizations, defended the AoA and the need for continued federal involvement in issues and services related to aging. They said the AoA, through the Older Americans Act, provides a minimum level of service to a population heavily made up of low-income and ill people. AoA services must be guaranteed to all seniors by federal law, they argued. These groups also pointed out that longer life expectancy and the growing numbers of aging persons have necessitated comprehensive national planning, as seniors impact economies, health care systems, tax bases, and legal issues.

Opponents of the AoA could not gather enough votes in Congress to eliminate the agency. The AoA continues to operate, but issues related to its role are revisited during congressional budget debates.

SUCCESSES AND FAILURES

In the 1990s the Administration on Aging (AoA) expanded its programs to meet the needs of aging persons who were still active. The AoA's Older Americans Act Eldercare Volunteer Corps uses the talents of more than half a million senior volunteers who assist with programs supported by the act. The corps also supports volunteer programs that place senior volunteers in preschool, school, and after-school programs as tutors, mentors, role models, and surrogate grandparents. Senior volunteers also work with Head Start program children and their parents. They act as counselors to troubled youth and as providers of respite care for handicapped children. More than three million Americans have benefited from the services of senior volunteers and many millions of dollars have been reallocated because of savings made possible by senior volunteer services.

The AoA has also implemented an effective Disaster Preparedness and Response program to assist older persons in their homes and local communities within 48 hours of presidentially-declared disasters. Through this program states target special assistance at older persons, including case management, temporary relocation assistance, identification of losses, filing of claims, and facilitation of chore services, meals, repairs, and transportation. The AoA released $500,000 in April 1997 to assist older persons affected by flooding in the Ohio River Valley. These funds payed for individual assistance to seniors and made it possible for services such as meal delivery to continue.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

The Administration on Aging's future challenges lie in maintaining service levels while planning for a growing aging population. To this end the agency has established an initiative on redefining retirement, which laid the foundation for changing behaviors, attitudes, and choices in planning for aging. The initiative seeks to educate and motivate baby boomers so that they will make better choices now to protect their futures. The initiative will bring together public- and private-sector leaders to begin a process of setting national planning objectives for an aging society. Partnerships will also be established with other federal agencies and with state governments to explore the impact of an aging population on economies and policy making. A National Academy on Aging will serve as a resource for information on policy issues associated with the Older Americans Act, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

AGENCY RESOURCES

The Elder Care Locator is a public service of the Administration on Aging (AoA) that provides a national directory of local support services for aging Americans. It provides names and telephone numbers of organizations within a specific location in the United States. Information is available for a variety of services including meal programs, home care, transportation, home repair, recreational and social activities, volunteer programs, and legal services. Search the Elder Care Locator on-line at http://www2.ageinfo.org/naicweb/elderloc or call 1-800-677-1116.

The National Aging Information Center, operated by the Administration on Aging, is a central source for a wide range of policy and program materials and demographic and statistical data on the health, economic, and social status of older Americans. Staff provides responses to user inquiries, or the center's bibliographical databases can be searched on-line at http://www.ageinfo.org/bibinfo.html. Call the center at (202) 619-7501, fax (202) 401-7620, or E-mail naic@ban-gate.aoa.dhhs.gov.

To assist seniors in accessing the wealth of on-line information regarding services for seniors, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Health Care Financing Administration, provided senior centers with computers in 1997. In doing so the HHS made it easier to access up-to-date information of interest to seniors, particularly the AoA Web site at http://www.aoa.dhhs.gov.

AGENCY PUBLICATIONS

The National Aging Information Center collects and makes available Title IV projects, AoA reports, statistical data, newsletters, training materials, and books on aging and aging issues. A complete list of available materials can be viewed on-line at http://www.aoa.dhhs.gov/naic, and materials may be ordered by calling (202) 619-7501 or by faxing (202) 401-7620.