If you are willing to contact your representative regarding the Older Americans Act of 1965 amendment, we would appreciate your support. Below is a little about the amendment as well as a letter you can use.
S. 4776 would amend the Older Americans Act (OAA) of 1965, which authorizes services to the elderly. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) administers most programs authorized by the act, including congregate and home-delivered meals, home and community-based supportive services (such as assistance with transportation, in-home care, and adult day care), and support for caregivers. The Department of Labor (DOL) administers the Senior Community Service Employment program, which provides low-income senior citizens with work-based job training and community service opportunities. The authorization for OAA programs expires at the end of fiscal year 2024; those programs received discretionary appropriations totaling $2.3 billion that year.
S. 4776 would authorize the appropriation of $15.2 billion over the 2025-2029 period for OAA programs; $12.2 billion would be authorized for programs administered by HHS and $3.0 billion for programs administered by DOL. Assuming appropriation of the specified amounts, and based on historical spending patterns, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $12.6 billion over the same period and $2.5 billion after 2029.
For this estimate, CBO assumes that S. 4776 will be enacted near the beginning of fiscal year 2025. The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall within budget function 500 (education, training, employment, and social services.)
Here’s a sample letter you can print by clicking here: bill 4776.pdf
Dear [Senator NAME]:
On behalf of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman in Fort Wayne, Indiana, we are writing to urge you to support advancing the bipartisan Older Americans Act (OAA) Reauthorization Act of 2024 (S.4776), which we expect to be considered by the Senate in early December.
The bipartisan Senate bill, amended with the House’s input, includes critical updates to the law that help agencies like ours better serve older adults and their family caregivers. Because the Act expired in September, it’s imperative that Congress act quickly this year to ensure the continued health and well-being of the 11 million older adults and family caregivers who receive OAA services in communities across the country.
Sincerely,
[NAME, affiliation, address, etc.]