Quick Tips: OAA Title III-C2, 

Home-delivered Meals

Quick Tips are informal documents about the Older Americans Act (OAA) Title III-C 

Senior Nutrition Program (SNP). These sheets highlight flexibilities of the federal OAA 

statute and address common misunderstandings about the OAA. Below each point 

are links to reference materials and inspiration from successful program projects.i 

Nutrition Requirements of the Older Americans Act — Contains basic 

requirements of the Title III-C nutrition program. 

The OAA does not specify what time of day or days of the week meals must be 

served. While some local service providers choose to serve lunch Monday 

through Friday, others serve only breakfast or dinner and offer meals on weekends.

Understanding Title III-C Flexibilities — A guide to OAA flexibilities related to the 

Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Daily Reference Intakes.

The OAA allows cold, frozen, hot, and shelf-stable meals to be served to 

eligible participants. Delivering hot or cold meals along with frozen meals may 

help with managing meal routes and can benefit clients who are eligible for more 

than one meal per day. All meals must meet OAA nutritional guidelines. 

From the Kitchen to the Table — Food safety for home-delivered meal drivers.

Options for Contracting Meals — Sourcing meals externally.

The OAA allows for a variety of service delivery models, including Grab-and-Go 

meals from congregate meal sites, food trucks, or restaurant voucher programs. A 
home-delivered meal (HDM) is delivered to a program participant or picked 

up by a participant and is not eaten in a congregate meal setting organized 

by the local service provider. Your state unit on aging (SUA) or area agency on aging 

(AAA) may allow a designated recipient to pick up meals.

Title III-C1 and C2 Service Delivery Decision Tree — Tool for classifying specific 

nutrition service delivery models under the OAA.

New York Café Helps Older Adults Stay Well: Takeout Meals with Vouchers — 

Restaurant vouchers.

Food trucks can be used to supply HDMs. Food trucks can be a contracted 

service or operated by the nutrition program. The mobility of a food truck can 

broaden the service delivery area to reach new seniors who do not or cannot attend 

a congregate meal site.

Meals in Motion — Using food trucks to innovate.

Food Truck 101 for Senior Nutrition Programs — Meal program innovation.

The OAA does not require HDMs to ONLY be served to older adults who are 

homebound. In fact, the OAA does not define homebound. The basic 

requirements for both congregate and HDM programs are the same:

• Age 60 and older. 

• In the greatest social and economic need. 

Review state and local policies for information on prioritizing and targeting HDMs to 

those in the greatest social or economic need in your area. Many characteristics 

may qualify a person for HDM services besides being homebound, such as:

• Disabling conditions, including limited physical mobility or cognitive 

impairment.

• Isolated by reason of illness or incapacitating disability or otherwise isolated.

Nutrition Services of the Older Americans Act — ACL’s overview of nutrition services 

authorized by the OAA. See Home-delivered Nutrition Services (OAA Section 336, 

sometimes called C2). 
Shelf-stable meals may be purchased from a vendor or prepared by the local 

service provider. These meals are best suited for emergency use due to the 

lack of fresh foods and the challenges of meeting nutritional requirements. In 

general, shelf-stable meals should meet the following characteristics:

• Non-perishable items that can safely be stored, unopened at room 

temperature.

• Ready-to-use portions.

• Minimal preparation needed.

• All meal components are supplied.

• Instructions on how to assemble meals are provided.

• Do not require a significant amount of a participant’s own materials (e.g., 

sauces, flavorings).

Local and National Shelf-stable/Frozen Meals Vendor Template — A blank template 

for providing participants with listings of meals that meet their needs.

Building Emergency Shelf-stable Meals — Characteristics of shelf-stable meals with 

factors and tips for senior nutrition providers to consider if building their own 

emergency shelf-stable meals.

 

 

Additional Quick Tip Sheets 

• Congregate Meals

• NSIP

• OAA Basics

• Funding Options

• SNP Nutrition Guidelines

• Nutrition Service Reporting

Find more resources at the Nutrition and Aging Resource Center.

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In many areas the OAA gives SUAs the authority to add other requirements beyond those that are 

included in the OAA. So certain practices, which might be allowable under the OAA and perhaps 

included in this document, might be handled differently in some states or local areas. These documents 

only reflect information about the OAA nutrition program from a federal perspective; state and local 

variances are NOT covered.