Announcement/Press release

ACL has awarded a five-year grant totaling over $6 million to establish a national center to expand and strengthen the direct care workforce across the country. In support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to strengthening the care economy, this initiative will provide technical assistance to states and service providers and facilitate collaboration with stakeholders to improve recruitment, retention, training, and professional development of the direct care workers who provide the critical services that make it possible for people with disabilities and older adults to live in their own homes and communities.

The recently released U.S. Census report shows that poverty rose for older people this past year. To make ends meet, millions of older adults are grappling with high-risk debt. RRF Foundation for Aging has announced a Call to Action to help curb rising debt.

On October 13, 2022 the Social Security Administration announced an 8.7 percent cost-of-living increase in 2023 Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits – the largest in over 40 years. Approximately 70 million people will see an increase in their Social Security benefits next year.

ACL released its first comprehensive report on the accomplishments of Older Americans Act (OAA) Title III, VI, and VII programs. Enacted in 1965, the OAA created the foundation for a comprehensive system of services and supports that enables millions of older adults in this country to continue to live independently as they age. Today, programs funded by the OAA provide essential services to older adults, targeting those with the greatest economic or social need, particularly low-income and minority persons, older individuals with limited English proficiency, and older persons living in rural areas. The programs play a vital role in helping to maintain the health and well-being of millions of older adults and their caregivers.

Applied Self-Direction is accepting session proposals for the 2023 Self-Direction Conference: Virtual Series happening this spring. Sessions should focus on best practices and innovations related to self-direction and include a range of perspectives including state program staff, people and families who self-direct, Financial Management Services providers, support brokers, and policymakers.

VA has expanded the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) to include caregivers of eligible Veterans of all service eras. Previously, PCAFC was only available to eligible Veterans who served on or after September 11, 2001. This expansion opens the program to eligible Veterans of all eras, including those who served after May 7, 1975, and before September 11, 2001. Over the past two years, PCAFC has added approximately 20,000 active Veteran and Family Caregiver participants. This final phase of PCAFC expansion will enhance the health and well-being of thousands more Veterans by supporting their caregivers.

People with disabilities are especially vulnerable to the impacts of disasters. To help policymakers understand the need to include people with disabilities in emergency disaster plans, Mathematica researchers created interactive disability natural disaster maps that show how many people with disabilities are living in areas at higher risk of natural disasters.

ACL is announcing a new grant award to develop a NTAC. The grant of $485,000 over a one-year period has been awarded to the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), which will be partnering with the UMass Boston Institute for Community Inclusion, USAging, and DJB Consulting. NTAC also will work closely with people who need or use transportation services, the transportation sector, and an array of national, state and local organizations throughout the country. This award seeks to expand access to transportation for people with disabilities and older adults by increasing awareness and adoption of transportation accessibility strategies, inclusive planning, and mobility on demand transportation systems.

NATC, funded by ACL and administered by the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA), provides self-paced eLearning courses for APS professionals throughout the United States. While designed to support APS professionals, NATC is also available to allied professionals interested in learning more about adult maltreatment and APS. NATC has 24 free online courses on topics relating to APS, as well as hundreds of resources providing additional knowledge across the various topics. The eLearning courses are free and can be completed at your own pace. Some topics include: An overview of Adult Protective services; Power and control dynamics; Trauma-informed practices; The aging process and neuro-cognitive disorders.

The 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers is now available for public comment for 60 days. Comments will be used to inform the ongoing work of two Congressionally mandated caregiving advisory councils, and inform future updates to the strategy. The strategy is intended to serve as a national roadmap for better recognizing and supporting family and kinship caregivers of all ages, backgrounds, and caregiving situations. It includes nearly 350 actions the federal government will take to support family caregivers in the coming years and more than 150 actions that can be adopted at other levels of government and across the private sector to build a system to support family caregivers.