Senate Aging Committee Holds Hearing to Highlight the Importance of the Older Americans Act

Press Release

Since 1965, the Older Americans Act (OAA) has supported and improved the lives of seniors--particularly those who are low-income--through programs that promote nutrition, support caregivers, offer employment opportunities, and prevent abuse and neglect. This critical law was last reauthorized in 2016 for a period of three years and is due to expire at the end of September 2019.

In an effort to highlight the importance of the OAA ahead of the Senate's consideration of its reauthorization, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Bob Casey (D-PA), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Aging Committee, held a hearing today titled, "The Older Americans Act: Protecting and Supporting Seniors as they Age." Chairman Collins and Ranking Member Casey are leading the bipartisan coalition of Senators working on the reauthorization, which includes Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) as well as Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

"I am committed to ensuring that the Older Americans Act continues to match the goals we set to permit seniors to age with dignity, respect, and community," said Senator Collins. "My chief goal is to get across the finish line, on time, a robust and bipartisan Older Americans Act that will strengthen support for its bread and butter programs, while providing more flexibility for states to meet local needs. I have focused on five priority areas: family caregivers, nutrition, social isolation, transportation, and elder justice. By enriching the lives of seniors, the Older Americans Act improves the lives of all Americans."

"The Older American's Act represents our commitment to the generations before us who helped build our country, and it lifts up seniors who need our help now," said Senator Casey. "More than 400,000 Pennsylvanians rely on programs funded by the Older Americans Act and we must ensure it is re-authorized before it expires."

Today's hearing demonstrated how the aging network--which consists of the federal Administration on Aging, State Units on Aging, local Area Agencies on Aging, and local service providers--operates to provide services to older adults in communities across the nation.

For instance, in the last year alone, OAA programs:

Served more than 700,000 caregivers; and

Provided seniors across the country with 358 million meals.

In addition to improving the wellbeing of seniors, OAA programs are also cost effective. The average annual cost of serving one senior Meals on Wheels is $1,854, compared to the average of $2,262 it costs to stay for a single day in the hospital and the approximately $3,100 it costs to stay just ten days in a nursing home. By providing seniors with a hot meal, the Older Americans Act improves nutrition and keeps seniors out of the hospital, allowing them to age in their homes and communities. In fact, every $1 invested into the Older Americans Act generates $3 to help seniors stay at home and out of the hospital through low-cost, community-based services.

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