Administration on Aging 

Release of the FY 2012 Budget Request to Congress 

Monday, February 14, 2011 

On February 14, 2011, the Administration on Aging’s (AoA) Fiscal Year 2012 budget request to 

Congress of $2.251 billion was released as part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

(HHS) budget request. The FY 2012 request continues to support a vibrant, far-reaching array of 

services and supports for older Americans and their caregivers; elevates our focus on preventing 

elder abuse and promoting elder justice; and includes a new, voluntary insurance program for 

American workers that will allow participants to purchase services and supports so they can 

remain as independent as possible under a variety of future health circumstances. 

The budget proposes increases of +$21.5 million to support an enhanced focus on elder rights 

and elder justice, including +$16.5 million for State Adult Protective Services (APS) 

demonstrations. Authorized by the Elder Justice Act of 2010, these resources will allow AoA to 

provide leadership and program coordination as well as develop and disseminate best practices 

across State and local APS agencies. Of these funds, +$1.5 million will be targeted for coalition 

building, training and technical assistance, elder rights program development, and research for 

preventing and addressing elder abuse within Tribal nations. In addition to these APS 

improvements, the budget provides an additional +$5 million to improve resident advocacy to 

elders and adults with disabilities who live in long-term care settings through increased support 

to the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. 

In keeping with the efforts of the White House Task Force on Middle Class Families to assist 

families struggling to care for their aging relatives, AoA’s FY 2012 request provides an 

additional +$95.5 million for programs that provide caregivers with services, supports and 

respite. The request proposes an additional +$40 million for the National Family Caregiver 

Support Program (including +$2 million for Native American caregivers) to provide information, 

assistance, counseling, training, and respite care support to family and informal caregivers; as 

well as an additional +$48 million for Home and Community-Based Supportive Services such as 

adult day care, transportation assistance, and minor home modifications that help caregivers to 

care for their loved ones at home. Services that will be provided with these funds include: 

• 7 million hours of respite care or temporary relief from caregiving responsibilities; 

• More than 6 million hours of adult day care; and 

• Over 18 million rides for critical daily activities such as visiting the doctor, the pharmacy, 

or grocery stores. 

The President’s request also includes $10 million for the Lifespan Respite Care Program, an 

increase of +$7.5 million, to improve the quality and access to respite care for family caregivers 

of children or adults of any age with special needs. Caregiving responsibilities demand time and 

money from families who too often are already strapped for both. These programs will help 

families balance these dual responsibilities so that older adults and people of all ages who have 

chronic conditions and disabilities can remain in the community for as long as possible. 
AoA’s expanded emphasis on community living is further strengthened in the FY 2012 budget 

by the transfer of the State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) from the Centers for 

Medicare and Medicaid Services, as well as the decision to develop the Community Living 

Assistance for Services and Supports (CLASS) program within AoA. 

SHIPs, funded at $47 million, provides one-on-one counseling to help aging and disabled 

beneficiaries and coming-of-agers navigate complex health and long-term care decisions. This 

transfer will enable grantees, about two-thirds of which are State Units on Aging, to enhance 

efficiency and better complement AoA’s Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) that 

serve as community level “one-stop shop” entry points for people of all ages who have chronic 

conditions and disabilities. 

The request also includes $120 million in administrative funding for the CLASS program. This 

voluntary insurance program for participating adults that will allow participants to prepare 

themselves financially to be able to afford the services and supports that they may one day need 

to remain independent and in the community. 

The FY 2012 budget also proposes to shift the Senior Community Service Employment Program 

(SCSEP), authorized under Title V of the Older Americans Act, from the Department of Labor to 

AoA. The FY 2012 request for SCSEP is $450 million, a reduction of -$375 million, of which 

-$225 million reflects a one-time special appropriation in response to the economic downturn. 

This proposal reflects the recognition that the SCSEP program can be at its most effective when 

its services are closely integrated with the supports that are provided by AoA’s existing aging 

services programs. The wages earned by participants while in this program and after finding 

unsubsidized employment, will be key to allowing more seniors to remain independent and in 

their communities.