Older Americans Act (OAA)

This report details the findings from a survey of the 56 state and territorial agencies on aging and disabilities regarding home modifications. The extent to which State Units on Aging contribute to maximizing access to home modification and repair has not been well understood. This report seeks to expand understanding of the role of these state agencies in coordinating access to and providing policy oversight and financing of home modification and repairs.

This report provides a summary of changes that states have made to their systems for connecting individuals to benefits and explores state agency changes, challenges, and opportunities related to benefits access and enrollment during the COVID-19 crisis. Data and findings are drawn from the ADvancing States 2020 COVID-19 Membership Survey.

The National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP released an update version of the Caregiving in the US report for 2020. The report contains updated data from research conducted since the report’s last release in 2015. Included in the report are data about caregiver prevalence and demographics, care recipient demographics, types of care caregivers provide, caregiver training and information needs, and other results from the research.

The Administration for Community Living compiled all of the OAA COVID-19 guidance into one, comprehensive guide. This reference guide includes information on disaster declarations, as well as guidance for nutrition, ombudsman, elder justice, and other supportive services programs. Information on fiscal guidance and reporting requirements are also included. Additionally, questions and answers from all-state calls have been added to the reference guide.

On July 2nd, ADvancing States, in partnership with n4a, Meals on Wheels America, and NANASP, submitted a letter to Congress requesting additional funding for OAA programs to continue providing COVID-related services and supports. The letter requests an additional $1.1 billion for these services, which was the combined total of OAA funding provided in the Families First Coronavirus Response and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Sercurity Acts.

The Congressional Research Service has published an updated report on The Elder Justice Act. The report provides background on the legislation, breaks down the provisions in the Act, lays out different funding mechanisms, and highlights pertinent issues for Congress to consider.

This issue brief is the first publication from the Aging and Disabilities Technology Workgroup. The paper seeks to define key IT terms for agency staff and explain how they relate to the technology that is currently used in aging and disabilities services as well as emerging opportunities in the field.

This brief includes the latest (FY 2018) Medicaid HCBS enrollment and spending data from KFF’s 18th annual 50-state survey. It contains data about per-enrollee spending on HCBS by target population and HCBS waiver waiting lists. This issue brief also includes tables with detailed state-level data. One key finding analyzed here is that most HCBS enrollees receive services provided at the state option.

Like many states, Michigan is facing a looming workforce shortage as their aging population grows. This policy brief from the Michigan Aging & Adult Services Agency highlights the challenges and opportunities in addressing the state's direct care workforce (DCW) issues. Challenges that have led to this shortage include low wage levels, lack of affordable comprehensive training, and low job appreciation and respect. This paper identifies various strategies for overcoming these issues.

This report looks at how federal agencies can better meet the nutritional needs of older adults. The study examines how older adults' nutrition is connected to health outcomes and the extent to which federal nutrition guidelines address older adults' nutritional needs. It also outlines the challenges program providers face in meeting older adults' nutritional needs. GAO makes a series of recommendations for HHS and USDA to improve federal nutrition assistance programs for this population.