Funding for the Older Americans Act and Other Administration on Aging Programs

Angela Napili
Information Research Specialist

Kirsten J. Colello
Specialist in Health and Aging Policy

The Older Americans Act (OAA) is the major federal vehicle for the delivery of social and nutrition services for older persons. These include supportive services, congregate nutrition services (meals served at group sites such as senior centers, schools, churches, or senior housing complexes), home-delivered nutrition services, family caregiver support, community service employment, the long-term care ombudsman program, and services to prevent the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older persons. The OAA also supports grants to older Native Americans and research, training, and demonstration activities. Administration on Aging (AOA) in the newly established Administration for Community Living (ACL), in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) administers most OAA programs except for the Community Service Employment for Older Americans (CSEOA) program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The AOA also administers several programs authorized under the Public Health Service Act, such as the Alzheimer’s Disease Supportive Services Program and the Lifespan Respite Care Program. Funding for these programs is provided through appropriations legislation for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS-Education).

FY2012 funding for OAA programs totals $1.913 billion, a 1% decrease from the FY2011 funding level of $1.932 billion. The FY2012 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 112-74) funds most OAA programs at FY2011 levels, minus a 0.189% across-the-board rescission required by the act. However, no funds were provided for Program Innovations, a reduction of $19.1 million from FY2011. Funding for AOA’s Program Administration activities increased by $3.1 million to $23.1 million for FY2012. Alzheimer’s Disease Supportive Services funding was reduced by $7.4 million to $4.0 million for FY2012.

The President’s FY2013 budget request proposes $2.027 billion for AOA activities. Within that amount, it proposes $1.907 billion for OAA programs, 0.3% less than the FY2012 level. The budget proposal would eliminate $6.5 million in discretionary OAA funding for Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) also funded by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, as amended). It proposes increasing funding for Alzheimer’s Disease Supportive Services from FY2012 levels by $5.5 million, to $9.5 million, and proposes $8.0 million in new funding for Adult Protective Services demonstration activities. The FY2013 budget request also proposes to transfer administration of the CSEOA program from DOL to AOA, and administration of the State Health Insurance and Assistance Program from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to AOA.

Since enactment of OAA, Congress has reauthorized and amended the act numerous times. In the past, OAA reauthorization has included extending the act’s authorization of appropriations for a five-year period. The last OAA reauthorization occurred in 2006, when Congress enacted the Older Americans Act Amendments of 2006 (P.L. 109-365), which extended the act’s authorization of appropriations for FY2007 through FY2011. The authorization of appropriations for OAA programs expired at the end of FY2011. However, Congress has continued to appropriate funding for OAA authorized activities for FY2012. On January 26, 2012, Senator Sanders introduced S. 2037, the Older Americans Act Amendments of 2012. The bill would make various amendments to OAA and would extend the authorization of appropriations for most OAA programs through FY2017. This report provides details of FY2011 and FY2012 funding, and the President’s FY2013 budget request, for OAA authorized activities, as well as for other programs administered by AOA under other statutory authorities.


Date of Report: June 5, 2012
Number of Pages: 43
Order Number: RL33880
Price: $29.95

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