Update from Washington: Older Americans Act Priorities

This summer, the United States Senate passed the Older Americans Act (OAA) Reauthorization Act (S. 2120) through unanimous consent. S. 2120 is a bipartisan bill with support, in both the House and the Senate.  It reflects the realities of a bipartisan Hill process and the input of dozens of aging organizations over the past two years.

The bill will allow Area Agencies on Aging to best serve older adults and caregivers by updating parts of the Older Americans Act to meet older adults where they are now.

The bill’s next step is in the House of Representatives, where the House Education and Workforce Committee has jurisdiction. We encourage lawmakers in the House to pass S 2120 bill into law before the end of the year, likely as part of a year-end spending package.

 The Act has been unauthorized since 2024, and it is critical that the 119th Congress get this bipartisan effort across the finish line to ensure the continued health and well-being of the 14 million older adults and family caregivers who receive OAA services in every congressional district in the country. Also, despite Congress temporarily funding the government until December, the Older Americans Act still needs to be fully funded for fiscal year 2027.

US Aging in the national association of Area Agencies on Aging and as an organization it watches carefully for policies that help older Americans

When Congress returns to Washington, DC in November, US Aging urges advocates to ask lawmakers to provide modest funding increases for all OAA programs-- but especially programs that have been historically underfunded including Older Americans Act (OAA) Title III C Nutrition Programs, Title VI Native American Aging Programs and Title VII’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. Furthermore, US Aging also urges Congress to avoid another government shutdown this year, as last year's 43-day government shutdown caused service disruptions and delays for the Aging Network.

The North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging encourages advocates to consider contacting their members of Congress who represent them in the Kansas House and ask them to do everything they can to move these important legislative priorities forward with all deliberate speed.

Legislative alert adapted from information provided by US Aging. Banner photo of US Capitol by Andy Feliciotti on Unsplash