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THE OLDER AMERICANS ACT: STRENGTHENING

COMMUNITIES TO SUPPORT THE NEXT

GENERATION OF OLDER AMERICANS

FIELD HEARING

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON SELECT EDUCATION

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION 

AND THE WORKFORCE 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

April 3, 2006, in Edinburg, Texas

Serial No. 109–33

Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and the Workforce

(

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/house 

or 

Committee address: http://edworkforce.house.gov 

(II)

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE 

HOWARD P. ‘‘BUCK’’ McKEON, California, Chairman

Thomas E. Petri, Wisconsin, Vice Chairman 

Michael N. Castle, Delaware 

Sam Johnson, Texas 

Mark E. Souder, Indiana 

Charlie Norwood, Georgia 

Vernon J. Ehlers, Michigan 

Judy Biggert, Illinois 

Todd Russell Platts, Pennsylvania 

Patrick J. Tiberi, Ohio 

Ric Keller, Florida 

Tom Osborne, Nebraska 

Joe Wilson, South Carolina 

Jon C. Porter, Nevada 

John Kline, Minnesota 

Marilyn N. Musgrave, Colorado 

Bob Inglis, South Carolina 

Cathy McMorris, Washington 

Kenny Marchant, Texas 

Tom Price, Georgia 

Luis G. Fortun ̃ o, Puerto Rico 

Bobby Jindal, Louisiana 

Charles W. Boustany, Jr., Louisiana 

Virginia Foxx, North Carolina 

Thelma D. Drake, Virginia 

John R. ‘‘Randy’’ Kuhl, Jr., New York 

[Vacancy] 

George Miller, California, 

Ranking Minority Member 

Dale E. Kildee, Michigan 

Major R. Owens, New York 

Donald M. Payne, New Jersey 

Robert E. Andrews, New Jersey 

Robert C. Scott, Virginia 

Lynn C. Woolsey, California 

Rube ́n Hinojosa, Texas 

Carolyn McCarthy, New York 

John F. Tierney, Massachusetts 

Ron Kind, Wisconsin 

Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio 

David Wu, Oregon 

Rush D. Holt, New Jersey 

Susan A. Davis, California 

Betty McCollum, Minnesota 

Danny K. Davis, Illinois 

Rau ́l M. Grijalva, Arizona 

Chris Van Hollen, Maryland 

Tim Ryan, Ohio 

Timothy H. Bishop, New York 

[Vacancy]

Vic Klatt, Staff Director 

Mark Zuckerman, Minority Staff Director, General Counsel 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON SELECT EDUCATION 

PATRICK J. TIBERI, Ohio, Chairman

Cathy McMorris, Washington Vice Chairman 

Mark E. Souder, Indiana 

Jon C. Porter, Nevada 

Bob Inglis, South Carolina 

Luis P. Fortun ̃ o, Puerto Rico 

Howard P. ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon, California, 

ex officio 

Rube ́n Hinojosa, Texas 

Ranking Minority Member 

Danny K. Davis, Illinois 

Chris Van Hollen, Maryland 

Tim Ryan, Ohio 

George Miller, California, ex officio 

(III)

C O N T E N T S 

Page

Hearing held on April 3, 2006 ................................................................................ 1

Statement of Members: 

Hinojosa, Hon. Rube ́n, Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Select Education, Committee on Education and the Workforce .................... 3

Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 5

Tiberi, Hon. Patrick J., Chairman, Subcommittee on Select Education, 

Committee on Education and the Workforce .............................................. 1

Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 3

Statement of Witnesses: 

Anzaldua, Rosa, program participant, Amigos del Valle, prepared statement ............................................................................................................... 6

Dominguez, Armando, Assistant Director, Center on Aging and Health, 

University of Texas-Pan America ................................................................ 13

Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 15

Gonzalez, Joe, Director, Area Agency on Aging of the Lower Rio Grande 

Valley, prepared statement .......................................................................... 31

Perez, Jose T., Executive Director, Senior Community Outreach Services, 

Inc. ................................................................................................................. 20

Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 22

Additional testimony submitted ............................................................... 35

Sullivan, Marlon, Senior Director of Staffing, the Home Depot ................... 16

Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 19

Urban, Karl, Manager, Policy Analysis and Support, Texas Department 

of Aging and Disability Services .................................................................. 7

Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 9

(1)

THE OLDER AMERICANS ACT: 

STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES 

TO SUPPORT THE NEXT GENERATION 

OF OLDER AMERICANS 

Monday, April 3, 2006

U.S. House of Representatives 

Subcommittee on Select Education 

Committee on Education and the Workforce 

Edinburg, TX 

The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 8:45 a.m., in room 

1.102, International Trade and Technology Building, the University 

of Texas-Pan American, 1201 West University Drive, Edinburg, 

Texas, Hon. Patrick Tiberi [chairman of the subcommittee] presiding. 

Present: Representatives Tiberi and Hinojosa. 

Staff Present: Ricardo Martinez, Legislative Assistant; Moira 

Lenehan-Razzuri, Legislative Assistant; Kate Houston, Legislative 

Assistant; Angela Klemack, Legislative Assistant; Lucy House, Legislative Assistant. 

Chairman TIBERI. Good morning. A quorum being present, the 

Subcommittee on Select Education of the Committee on Education 

and the Workforce will come to order. 

We are meeting today to hear testimony on ‘‘The Older Americans Act: Strengthening Communities to Support the Next Generation of Older Americans.’’

I ask the members to consent for the hearing record to remain 

open for 14 days to allow Members’ statements and other extraneous material referenced during the hearing to be submitted to 

the official hearing record. 

[Pause.] 

Without objection, so ordered. 

Good morning. Thank you all for joining us for this hearing on 

the Select Education Subcommittee of the Committee on Education 

and the Workforce. I want to extend my thanks to the University 

of Texas-Pan American and the University’s staff for so graciously 

hosting this hearing and the breakfast this morning, which was 

outstanding. I also want to thank my friend and my colleague, Mr. 

Hinojosa, for welcoming me once again to the 15th district in the 

great state of Texas. You have been very accommodating and it’s 

been a very warm visit. 

2

I must also congratulate my friend and his alma mater, University of Texas, on their NCAA Football Championship, with, of 

course, the ‘‘help’’ of my alma mater, Ohio State, for making that 

all possible. I do hope that UT will ‘‘return the favor’’ in September. 

Hopefully you will be as accommodating as we were this past year. 

It is great to be back here in Edinburg and McAllen, and, Mr. 

Hinojosa, you and your staff have been so gracious to the committee staff and my staff and myself. It’s been a great visit. I look 

forward to coming back again for a future hearing somewhere in 

the 15th district, preferably right here. It’s been a great place to 

come visit. 

This is the first of two field hearings we are going to have on the 

Older Americans Act. Field hearings offer Members of Congress a 

unique opportunity to listen to witnesses who can give us a local 

perspective on an issue. Field hearings are an important part of 

this reauthorization process because we often gain valuable insights that would be otherwise missed. It is with particular interest 

that I have traveled here to Texas where the ideas and challenges 

shared can be different than those expressed by my constituents in 

Ohio. 

Indifferent to residence in Texas or Ohio, the Older Americans 

Act recognizes the specialized needs of all seniors. These needs may 

include meals and nutrition, transportation, employment, recreational activities and social services, information about prescription drug benefits or long term care, just to name a few. We are 

fortunate that the United States has a sound infrastructure to support these needs. In fact, our robust aging network includes 655 

local and 56 state agencies on aging. This year, the federal government invested nearly $1.8 billion to support the delivery of these 

services. 

Today, supporting the needs of older Americans is as important 

as ever. It is estimated more than 36 million people in the U.S. are 

over the age of 65, making it the fastest growing group in our country. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by the year 2050, persons over age 65 will reach 90 million and comprise almost a quarter of the total U.S. population. These astounding statistics make 

the upcoming reauthorization of the Older Americans Act all the 

more important. 

Over the course of the following months, this Subcommittee will 

be examining the current program, learning about evolving issues 

facing older Americans, listening to seniors in their own words, and 

laying out a plan for strengthening services to seniors that are authorized by this Act and relied upon by millions of aging Americans 

each year. We will work with President Bush, and we will work 

with you and other senior advocates, to ensure that the federal government is making the most out of the taxpayers’ investment in 

the programs authorized by the Act. 

I am pleased to have with us a distinguished panel of experts to 

help us frame the issues for this hearing. I look forward to hearing 

your recommendations on issues and actions for the Subcommittee’s deliberation. Before I introduce our witnesses, I will yield to 

my colleague, Mr. Hinojosa, for his opening statement. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Tiberi follows:]

3

Prepared Statement of Hon. Patrick J. Tiberi, Chairman, Subcommittee on 

Select Education, Committee on Education and the Workforce 

Good morning. Thank you for joining us for this hearing of the Select Education 

Subcommittee of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. I want to extend 

my thanks to the University of Texas-Pan American and the University’s staff for 

so graciously hosting this hearing. I also want to thank my friend and colleague, 

Mr. Hinojosa, for welcoming me once again to the 15th district in the great state 

of Texas! He and his staff deserve much of the credit for organizing today’s hearing. 

I am pleased to be here for the first of two field hearings on the Older Americans 

Act, which this Subcommittee is scheduled to consider this Spring. Field hearings 

offer Members of Congress a unique opportunity to listen to witnesses who can give 

us a local perspective on an issue. Field hearings are an important part of this reauthorization process because we often gain valuable insights that would be otherwise 

missed. It is with particular interest that I have traveled here to Texas where the 

ideas and challenges shared can be different than those expressed by my constituents in Ohio. 

Indifferent to residence in Texas or Ohio, the Older Americans Act recognizes the 

specialized needs of all seniors. These needs may include meals and nutrition, transportation, employment, recreational activities and social services, information about 

prescription drug benefits or long term care-to name a few. We are fortunate that 

the United States has a sound infrastructure to support these needs. In fact, our 

robust aging network includes 56 state and 655 local agencies on aging. This year, 

the federal government invested nearly $1.8 billion to support the delivery of these 

services. 

Today, supporting the needs of older Americans is as important as ever. It is estimated that more than 36 million people in the United States are over the age of 

65, making it the fastest growing age group in our country. According to the U.S. 

Census Bureau, by the year 2050, persons over age 65 will reach nearly 90 million 

and comprise almost a quarter of the total U.S. population. These astounding statistics make the upcoming reauthorization of the Older Americans Act all the more important. 

Over the course of the following months, this Subcommittee will be examining the 

current program, learning about the evolving issues facing older Americans, listening to seniors in their own words, and laying out a plan for strengthening the services to seniors that are authorized by this Act and relied upon by millions of aging 

Americans each year. We will work with President Bush, and we will work with you 

and other senior advocates, to ensure that the federal government is making the 

most out of the taxpayer’s investment in the programs authorized by the Act. 

I’m pleased to have with us a distinguished panel of experts to help us frame the 

issues for this hearing. I look forward to hearing your recommendations on issues 

and actions for this Subcommittee’s consideration. Before I introduce our witnesses, 

I will yield to my colleague, Mr. Hinojosa, for his opening statement. 

Mr. HINOJOSA. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate so much your opening remarks, and I want to also say that 

I am going to be switching from dark glasses to light-colored glasses because I broke my prescription glasses yesterday, and I can’t 

read without them. But my staff said that if I tried to substitute 

with these, these other glasses, that I won’t look as conspicuous, 

but these are really the strong magnification that I can certainly 

read it much, much better, so forgive me if I switch back and forth. 

I have been to the Chairman’s University of Ohio State, Ohio 

State University, and their courtesies and their hospitality and everything that has been shown both to me and my staff has been 

outstanding, so I’m glad that we are able to return that same hospitality and to show you how much we appreciate the times that 

you have come to the Rio Grande Valley and been able to see the 

potential in our area, potential in our people, and that all we need 

is for the federal government to continue to invest in human capital, in higher education, in infrastructure and those things that we 

have seen the last ten years that I have been in Congress. 

4

Your support on what happened last week on the passage of the 

Higher Education Act has, in that large piece of legislation, a program that was extremely important, as you learned back a year 

ago when you came for one of the hearings that postgraduate studies of master’s and doctoral programs are something that will benefit this area a great deal. 

Raising the level of education attainment has made a significant 

difference over the last ten years in our area, where we’ve seen unemployment drop from 22 percent down to 6 percent. 

And, again, your presence and your support in Washington for 

all of these programs that we’ve made you aware as being very important to us has been very beneficial, and again I wanted to publicly thank you for that. 

Chairman TIBERI. Thank you. 

Mr. HINOJOSA. I would also like to thank the University of 

Texas-Pan American for hosting us again today. This is the Select 

Education Subcommittee’s home here in this South Texas area. 

The University plays a vital role in our community and is a central 

player in improving the quality of life across the region. I am always proud to bring my colleagues as our chairman to this area so 

that they can visit and see that there is great potential. 

Most of all, I would like to thank the witnesses and all of the 

members of our community for joining us today. This hearing on 

the reauthorization of Older Americans Act is of critical importance. Our local aging network, our state agency and national organizations are vital links in our web of support for older Americans. 

This region is known for its dynamic growth and its youth. However, we also have a growing population of older Americans. As 

with the Hispanic population across the nation, many of our seniors are low income and rely on their families for their primary 

care. 

Many are more comfortable in Spanish than they are in English 

and need assistance navigating our health and social service systems. 

The Older Americans Act of 1965 is the landmark legislation 

that articulated our core values as a nation. The Act begins with 

a declaration of objectives, which includes the following: ‘‘Retirement in health, honor and dignity—after years of contribution to 

the economy.’’

This is a statement of our national obligation to older Americans. 

The Older Americans Act represents our commitment to meeting 

that obligation. This law provides for supportive services, as the 

Chairman read, that includes so many things; especially transportation, housekeeping and personal care. It provides nutrition services both at home and in community settings, and it provides preventative health services and supports family members. 

Finally, it protects the rights of vulnerable older Americans by 

combating consumer fraud and protecting seniors from abuse. That 

is something very important to us in South Texas. 

Your testimony today will help us understand how the programs 

in the Older Americans Act programs are working in this community. This region is a model for best practices on how to serve older 

Hispanic Americans. We will be looking for your suggestions and 

recommendations about how we can make improvements and exVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:50 Aug 18, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 H:\DOCS\SE\4-3-06\27-977.TXT DICK
5

pand the reach of these programs during the upcoming reauthorization. 

As we prepare for that, it is my hope that the chairman and I 

will continue the Select Education Subcommittee’s tradition of bipartisanship. Together, Chairman Tiberi and I can work in ways 

that will strengthen and improve the programs that provide critical 

support to older Americans. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am looking forward to today’s hearings and working with you to see that we come up with a reauthorization that will take us the next five to six years and be able to 

strengthen our support and the work that we do together. 

Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Hinojosa follows:]

Prepared Statement of Hon. Rube ́n Hinojosa, Ranking Minority Member, 

Subcommittee on Select Education, Committee on Education and the 

Workforce 

Good Morning. I would like to welcome Chairman Tiberi to South Texas again 

and thank him for calling this hearing. 

I would also like to thank the University of Texas Pan American for hosting us 

again. This is the Select Education Subcommittee’s home in the Rio Grande Valley. 

The university plays a vital role in our community and is a central player in improving the quality of life across the region. I am always proud to bring my colleagues 

here to visit. 

Most of all I would like to thank the witnesses and all of the members of our community for joining us today. This hearing on the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act is of critical importance. Our local aging network, our state agency, and 

national organizations are vital links in our web of support for older Americans. 

This region is known for its dynamic growth and its youth. However, we also have 

a growing population of older Americans. As with the Hispanic population across 

the nation, many of our seniors are low-income and rely on their families for the 

primary care. Many are more comfortable in Spanish than English and need assistance navigating our health and social service systems. 

The Older Americans Act of 1965 is the landmark legislation that articulated our 

core values as a nation. The Act begins with a declaration of objectives, which includes the following: 

‘‘Retirement in health, honor, dignity—after years of contribution to the economy.’’

This is a statement of our national obligation to older Americans. 

The Older Americans Act represents our commitment to meeting that obligation. 

This law provides for supportive services, such as transportation, housekeeping, and 

personal care. It provides nutrition services, both in the home and in community 

settings. It provides preventative health services and supports family caregivers. Finally, it protects the rights of older vulnerable older Americans by combating consumer fraud and protecting seniors from abuse. 

Your testimony today will help us understand how the programs in the Older 

Americans Act programs are working in this community. This region is a model for 

best practices on how to serve older Hispanic Americans. We will be looking for your 

suggestions and recommendations about how we can make improvements and expand the reach of these programs. 

As we prepare for the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, it is my hope 

that the Chairman and I will continue the Select Education Subcommittee’s tradition of bipartisanship. Together, we can work together to strengthen and improve 

the programs that provide critical support to older Americans. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am looking forward to today’s hearing. 

Chairman TIBERI. Thank you, Mr. Hinojosa. You do look good in 

those dark glasses. 

We have a very distinguished panel with us today, and before I 

ask them to give their testimony, let me introduce all four of them 

who are with us. 

6

Mr. Karl Urban is Manager of Policy Analysis and Support at the 

Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services. Before assuming his current position, Mr. Urban served in a variety of capacities 

with the state government, including as Deputy Director of the 

Texas Department on Aging, where he oversaw implementation of 

the state’s Aging Texas Well initiative. Mr. Urban also held posts 

in the Texas Governor’s Office and the Texas Health and Human 

Services Commission. 

Mr. Armando Dominguez is Assistant Director of the Center on 

Aging and Health at the University of Texas-Pan American. In this 

capacity, he oversees NIH-sponsored research on communities and 

the elderly. In addition, Mr. Dominguez is a lecturer on sociology 

and the sociology of health. He earned a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Texas-Pan American. 

Mr. Marlon Sullivan is the Senior Director of Staffing at the corporate office of Home Depot in Atlanta, Georgia. In this capacity, 

he oversees enterprise-wide staffing operations encompassing all 

domestic and international retail stores, distribution centers, call 

centers, and the U.S.-based Home Depot headquarters. Mr. Sullivan has been involved in Home Depot’s innovative partnership 

with SER-Jobs for Progress, a nonprofit organization providing job 

training and employment assistance to seniors through the Senior 

Community Service Employment Program. 

Mr. Jose T. Perez is the Executive Director of Senior Community 

Outreach Services, Inc., and has the been the director of the Senior 

Companion Program for more than 30 years. His mission as an advocate for older Americans and as Director is to ensure that individuals age with dignity, purpose and security in an elderly friendly environment. Mr. Perez earned a degree in Community Services 

from the University of Texas-Pan American and holds several certificates on issues affecting the elderly. 

And, finally, our last witness was unable to join us due to a family emergency, Ms. Rosa Anzaldua is unable to be with us. Her testimony will be entered into the record. 

[The statement of Ms. Anzaldua follows:]

Prepared Statement of Ms. Rosa Anzaldua, Program Participant, Amigos 

del Valle 

My name is Rosa Anzaldua, I am presently a resident at a property that Amigos 

Del Valle Inc. manages it is Villas Residencial/Casa #7 in Mercedes Texas, I moved 

into this property on October 6, 1999. I was born on March 8, 1934 in Mercedes 

and I am the 5th child of 10 children. I have volunteer in different organization to 

assist other people, I volunteered in the Head Start Program, the food bank, I am 

a volunteer Circus Clown and I would visit the children, I visit the surrounding 

nursing homes and visit with the people that are sick, I am also a committee member for my church, in 2004 I was in film named Harvest of Redemption our screenwriter and director was Mr. Eddie Howell. 

I am currently an active participant with Amigos Del Valle; I participate in their 

meals program and live in their housing project. We have about 43 elderly people 

living in Villas Residencial/Casa #7 and we also have participants that are provided 

transportation and the other participants drive themselves to the Center, we gather 

everyday at the center and we socialize and we have different kinds of activities, 

we also have presentations on programs that are available to us. Our meals are a 

well balance meal and our donation is 25 cents if we have them if we do not have 

the 25 cents then we can still have our meal. The meal program has helped a lot 

of our elders because they do deliver meals to their participants that can not make 

it to the center. If more funding was available for this type of programs more monies should be given to Amigos Del Valle to serve more clients. Amigos Del Valle has 

7

vehicles to transport our participants from and to the center if additional monies 

could be given to Amigos Del Valle more services would be provided to us to keep 

us active. Every day we also come to the center to talk and keep each other company we also play different kind of games. All Amigos Del Valle Centers are unique 

in their own way. Help Amigos continue to provide us with more services. 

I am very comfortable and happy in Villas Residencial/Casa #7 I have my own 

apartment and I feel very independent I feel good in being able to decide what I 

am going to do each day I feel safe living in Villas Residencial/Casa #7 and when 

ever we have a problem in our apartment the staff that is available here is very 

helpful, they attend to us and they make sure we are comfortable and happy, they 

fix whatever problems we have in our apartments even after hours. The staff is very 

knowledgeable in their work. 

Amigos Del Valle has 8 different properties around the valley and the assistance 

that is given to us is a great help because being in a fix income we need to be careful with our monies we are in a tied budget. Amigos Del Valle has help us in having 

a safe place to live. 

Chairman TIBERI. Before the panel begins, I would ask that each 

of our witnesses please limit their statements to five minutes. Your 

entire written testimony will be included in the official hearing 

record. With that, I will recognize Mr. Urban. 

STATEMENT OF KARL URBAN, MANAGER, POLICY ANALYSIS 

AND SUPPORT, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF AGING AND DISABILITY 

Mr. URBAN. Thank you. Good morning, Mr. Chairman Tiberi, Mr. 

Hinojosa. 

Chairman TIBERI. Good morning. 

Mr. URBAN. My name is Karl Urban, and I am from the Texas 

Department of Aging and Disability Services. It is nice to be here 

in the Rio Grande Valley where my good friend Joe Gonzalez is the 

area Agency on Aging Director, and Dr. Elena Gonzalez is here, 

who is a former board member of the Texas Department on Aging, 

so it is always nice to be down here in the Valley to see my friends. 

The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services was created in September of 2004 as part of the major reorganization of 

the Health and Human Services delivery system in Texas, and that 

has given us a great opportunity to kind of be a role model for a 

lot of the things that I think we want to think about in the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act. 

The Older Americans Act has served this nation very well, and 

Texas is a great example of that with our response to the hurricanes this past summer. When thousands and hundreds of thousands of evacuees came to Texas, they were met by an Aging Network that was on the ground in local communities, able to meet 

their particular needs; the fact that there was this network in 

place, not only in Texas but across the country, that allowed the 

response to be so effective and so quick to this particular crisis. 

That is perhaps the greatest strength of the Older Americans 

Act, is that it has created in local communities this network that 

has a flexible system of supports and services that’s responsive to 

local needs and that is, in fact, driven by local decision-making. 

The State Unit on Aging, which I serve in, and the AAA, serve 

as a vital voice in ensuring that our communities prepare for the 

rapidly aging population that you mentioned a minute ago. And so 

this growth in the older population sets the framework for three 

things that I would like to mention this morning. 

8

The first thing is that the Older Americans Act should continue 

to allow states and local communities to address the particular 

needs of local communities. In Texas, and as we sit here in the Valley, those concerns are the rural nature of our state, as well as the 

predominant Hispanic population. 

The second thing is, the Older Americans Act should to enhance 

the ability of states to best meet the long-term service and support 

needs of older Texans and all persons with disabilities. 

And, finally, the Older Americans Act should empower state and 

local communities to plan and prepare for this rapidly growing 

aging population. 

First let me talk a little bit about the unique population needs. 

Texas is a state of great the diversity, and I think the lower Rio 

Grande Valley epitomizes this diversity. Three things are important: One, it’s predominantly Hispanic; two, there are very rural 

areas in this part of the state; and, three, there are still despite 

the economic of growth that we see around us, areas of poverty 

that need to be addressed. 

Given this diversity, the fact that the Older Americans Act allows states and local communities to target populations is a very 

good thing. As part of our Aging Texas Well initiative, we conducted some forums across the state to ask what’s going on in rural 

communities and how we can better serve those communities, and 

we learned several things. 

One, there is a great pride in local communities in their ability 

to, within that community, take care of themselves, but this is 

made more difficult by a number of different factors, and these include in some communities of Texas an eroding local economic base 

to support social services, a confusion about where to go to get information about services, and then just some just natural barriers 

such as great distances. And these create unique challenges for the 

Area Agencies on Aging that have to serve these areas. These forums also pointed out that social isolation is a significant problem 

in a lot of these communities. 

The second thing I’d like to talk about is the ability of states to 

integrate services. This has become a growing priority, not just in 

the State of Texas, where we think in the creation of this we have 

somewhat of a model that would work, but it’s also a priority in 

Washington, from what I understand. And so as states try to rebalance their long-term care systems, as persons with mental retardation and developmental disabilities continue to grow older, this 

need to integrate services across population groups becomes ever 

more important, and I think there are a number of proposals that 

have been reported related to the Older Americans Act that would 

allow us to continue both at the federal level and at the state and 

local level to integrate services and better meet needs of all of our 

populations. 

The final thing I would like to talk about is the idea of empowering local communities to plan and prepare for an aging population. 

In 1997, Texas created an initiative called Aging Texas Well. 

Both Mr. Hinojosa and Chairman Tiberi mentioned the declaration 

of objectives from the Older Americans Act. We kind of take our 

9

mantra and our model for looking at Aging Texas Well from this 

declaration of objectives. 

As you said, it speaks to a number of different areas of life. It’s 

a very holistic overview of the well-being of older Texans, and we 

have modeled our Aging Texas Well initiative to look at the policy 

issues in all of those areas of life to improve the lives of older Texans, and both NAAAA and the National Association of State Units 

on Aging as well as the White House Conference on Aging have 

said that within the concept of the Older Americans Act we need 

to do more to help states and local communities to do the planning 

and the preparation that they need to do for this rapidly increasing 

older population. 

I don’t think it’s any accident that Texas, New York, and Florida 

have all established very specific initiatives within their states to 

help local communities prepare for the aging of the population. 

This is probably a model that needs to be replicated around the 

country. 

In conclusion, as you know I’m sure by now, the Older Americans 

Act was the number one priority of the delegates at the recent 

White House Conference on Aging. When the Texas delegation was 

talking about priorities, it was one of their top priorities, as well, 

and I think that reflects on the fact that the Older Americans Act 

has served this nation very well, both in times of crisis and on a 

day-to-day basis. And, as we look to the future, it should be a 

mechanism for helping us plan and prepare for a future in which 

we’re going to be a much older state, a much older nation. 

With that, I would be glad to answer any questions. 

[The statement of Mr. Urban follows:]

Prepared Statement of Karl Urban, Manager, Policy Analysis and Support, 

Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services 

Good Morning Chairman Tiberi, Ranking Minority Member Hinojosa and members of the subcommittee. On behalf of the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, thank you for the opportunity to be here, in the home district of 

Representative Hinojosa, to discuss the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act 

(OAA). 

My name is Karl Urban. I am the manager of Policy Analysis and Support at the 

Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS), which serves as the 

State Unit on Aging in Texas . DADS was established in September 2004 as part 

of a major reorganization of the health and human services delivery system. I have 

been the manager of the Aging Texas Well initiative for many years. I will discuss 

both the creation of DADS and the Aging Texas Well initiative as they relate to the 

reauthorization of the OAA in a few moments. 

The OAA has served this nation well. There is no better example of this than our 

recent experience in Texas with Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. When hundreds of 

thousands of evacuees from the Gulf Coast fled to Texas, they were met with open 

arms. More than that, those over the age of 60 were met by an Aging Network that 

quickly mobilized to provide them with needed services. From the Harris County 

Area Agency on Aging (AAA) Director, who practically lived at the Astrodome, to 

AAA Directors in all the major cities and along the Gulf Coast, the people of the 

Aging Network worked with DADS and their communities to meet the needs of current and new older Texans. At DADS, we commend AAA Directors Charlene Hunter 

James, Curtis Cooper, Holly Anderson, Colleen Halliburton, Claude Andrews, Glenda Rogers, and Debbie Billa, among others, for serving older Americans so well. 

Not to discount the importance of individuals, the fact that there was a network 

in place was critical. This network was able to include work with all the providers 

of long-term services and supports partners across the state as a direct result of the 

recent creation of DADS. Indeed, this is perhaps the most important aspect of the 

programs of the OAA—having in place in local communities a flexible system of 

services and supports that is responsive to local needs and driven by local decisionVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:50 Aug 18, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\DOCS\SE\4-3-06\27-977.TXT DICK
10

making. This network covers the entire country and was supportive during our time 

in need. For example, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging worked 

to send assistance from other AAAs across the country when we were working in 

the aftermath of the hurricanes last summer. 

In addition to service provision, the State Unit on Aging and AAAs serve as a 

vital voice in ensuring our communities prepare and plan for a rapidly growing 

aging population. Even though Texas is a relatively young state, the older population will grow by over 50 percent over the next 15 years. This growth sets the 

framework for three important issues that we would like to highlight in our testimony: 

1. The OAA should continue to allow Texas to address the unique population 

needs of our state, particularly those in rural areas and of Hispanics. 

2. The OAA should continue to allow and, in fact, enhance the ability of states 

to integrate services to best meet the long-term service and support needs of older 

Texans and all persons with disabilities. 

3. The OAA should further empower states and local communities to plan and 

prepare for an aging population. 

I would like to briefly address each of these three points. 

1. The OAA should continue to allow Texas to address the unique population 

needs of our state, particularly those in rural areas and of Hispanics. 

Texas is a state of great diversity. Texas recently passed a demographic milestone 

in which the combined minority populations became the majority in our state. While 

it will be a number of years before this is the same for the older population of 

Texas, minority populations are growing at a much faster rate than Anglo populations among those over age 60. The Lower Rio Grande Valley epitomizes this diversity. In the Valley at least three different factors affect the delivery of OAA services to older Texans: 1) the population is predominantly Hispanic; 2) there are highly rural areas with less infrastructure to support delivery of services; and 3) there 

are great pockets of poverty, which increase the need for services. 

According to Census data, the absolute size, ethnic and racial diversity, and poverty rate distinguish older Texans from the national population. Texas has the 

fourth largest population of older adults (3.1 million) in the nation, and has the second largest older Hispanic population in the nation (604,963). Among the over 60 

population, Hispanics are one of the fastest growing groups. They currently make 

up about 19 percent of the older population but are expected to make up 25 percent 

by 2020. In the 14 counties along the Texas/Mexico border, older Hispanics account 

for nearly 71 percent of the older population. 

Economic conditions along the border have not kept up with the rest of the state. 

Estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that for border counties, 

especially rural border counties, unemployment is generally substantially higher 

than that of non-border areas. Only 19 percent of older Hispanics have a high school 

diploma (versus 70 percent for Anglos). Older Hispanics report a median income of 

$8,400—about 50 percent less than African Americans and nearly 120 percent less 

than elderly Anglos. Twenty-five percent of older Hispanics are uninsured. With the 

prevalence of conditions such as diabetes 80 percent higher among Hispanics than 

in the rest of the population, OAA initiatives such as disease management services 

and health promotion and nutrition programs are critical for this population. Older 

Hispanics are also more likely to be caregivers of young children than are their 

counterparts. Nearly 50 percent report living with grandchildren, with 30 percent 

serving as the primary caregiver of those children. The National Family Caregiver 

Support program, especially with its inclusion of grandparents, is an important program for this population. 

Along the Texas-Mexico border, nearly half a million people live in substandard 

conditions known as ‘‘colonias’’. Though colonias exist in other parts of the state—

such as rural East Texas—their prevalence along the border presents a great need 

for services. Residents are predominantly Hispanic, young, and untrained. Most 

have very low incomes, inadequate health care, and live in unsound or unsafe housing. Despite the commonalities among colonias, there is great variability in areas 

such as population density and level of development. There is no single prescription 

for addressing all of the problems in a given area. 

In recent years, Texas has made progress in improving conditions along the border. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) implemented a 

Colonias Initiative in September of 2000 to create a coordinated, interagency system 

for providing services and training to colonia residents. The initiative included partnerships with other HHSC agencies and service organizations, such as DADS and 

AAAs, to enhance the infrastructure of services and supports. Working with Community Resource Centers in these regions, AAAs are able to provide information and 

assistance to help residents obtain much needed services. AAAs have also taken 

11

part in coordinated efforts to increase enrollment among residents in programs such 

as Medicaid and Medicare. These efforts can be particularly challenging given the 

geographical diversity, low population density, cultural and language barriers in 

these regions. However, the outreach efforts and the development of local partnerships lay the groundwork for future efforts to strengthen needed infrastructure in 

these regions. 

The last reauthorization of the OAA included rural within the definition of target 

populations. Texas contains many rural counties in which over 30 percent of the 

total population is over the age of 60. As part of our Aging Texas Well initiative, 

we recently conducted a series of forums in rural communities across Texas. We 

learned several things. First, there is great pride in these communities in their ability to care for one another. However, a number of factors limit the ability of communities to support older Texans. These include an eroding local economic base to support social services, confusion and lack of information about where to go to get services, and natural barriers such as great distances. These barriers create unique 

challenges for AAAs that serve these areas. For example, the cost of providing home 

delivered meals, personal attendant or caregiver services often are higher due to 

lack of economies of scale and the cost—both time and monetary—involved in traveling great distances. In some areas, it is more difficult to find traditional providers 

and, when they exist, to find workers. One way we have addressed these problems, 

for example, was by implementing a voucher system for respite services under the 

National Family Caregiver Support program. 

The rural forums also pointed out that social isolation is a significant problem 

among older Texans. The need for socialization and social contact is a critical factor 

in successful aging. Older adults who engage in social activities are more likely to 

remain mentally and physically stimulated, thereby maintaining better overall 

health and quality of life. Texas recently conducted an Aging Texas Well Indicators 

Survey, with 26 percent of the respondents indicating loneliness is a problem. Four 

to five percent of the respondents said they talked or spent time with family members, friends or neighbors only on a monthly basis; 25 percent reported that they 

did not have daily contact with family members, friends or neighbors. (See Texas 

Department of Aging and Disability Services, Aging Texas Well: Indicator Survey 

Results, 2005, found at http://www.dads.state.tx.us/news—info/publications/studies/

atw—results—report.pdf.) OAA programs such as telephone reassurance, nutrition 

programs and Senior Centers remain a valuable way to combat social isolation. 

Given the challenges presented by these unique population characteristics, the 

targeting provisions of the OAA provide AAAs the flexibility to be responsive to 

these unique population needs without being overly prescriptive. 

2. The OAA should continue to allow and, in fact, enhance the ability of states 

to integrate services to best meet the long-term service and support needs of older 

Texans and all persons with disabilities. 

In anticipation of the growing number of older Americans that may need longterm services and supports, there is a growing desire around the country to ‘‘re-balance’’ long-term care systems. Texas was at the forefront of this movement, particularly for aging persons and persons with physical disabilities. For example: 

In the early 1980s, Texas began offering home and community-based services as 

an alternative to institutionalization. Since then, while home and community-based 

services have grown significantly, there has been no growth in nursing facility utilization despite a significant growth in the older population. 

In the late 1990s, Texas was the first state to develop the Money Follows the Person concept, which has now been written into federal law in the most recent Deficit 

Reduction Act. In Texas, we have used the Money Follows the Person concept to 

move over 10,000 people out of nursing facilities and into the community. AAAs, 

particularly through the nursing facility ombudsman program, have played a role 

in this effort. 

Texas was one of the first states to apply innovative thinking to integrating access 

to services across populations. Texas applied for and received funds in the first 

round of Real Choice System Change grants to test a system navigation function. 

The purpose of these grants, which were administered through AAAs, was to help 

individuals and their families ‘‘navigate’’ the often confusing system of services that 

are available to persons who are aging or have disabilities. In both areas where it 

was implemented, the results supported development of an Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) model even before specific grants were available for ADRCs. 

Texas was also one of the first states to test the concept of managed care for longterm care through the Star-Plus program in Houston, which is now being expanded 

to more areas of the state. 

In Texas, home and community based Medicaid services are not delivered through 

the Aging Network. However, the Aging Network provides a crucial role in the sysVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:50 Aug 18, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\DOCS\SE\4-3-06\27-977.TXT DICK
12

tem of long-term services and supports. Through access and assistance services, including benefits counseling, AAAs help individuals and their families understand 

public and private benefits. Through care coordination services, AAAs assist in obtaining those benefits. In addition, OAA services help fill in gaps in services caused 

by the more rigorous rules of Medicaid and for individuals waiting eligibility determination. AAAs have also taken a lead role in community planning to improve local 

systems of access, with the goal of creating a seamless system of services. 

In September 2004, Texas created DADS as the sole state agency focused on delivering long-term services and supports to persons who are aging and have disabilities. The agency serves as the State Unit on Aging and administers institutional 

and community based Medicaid services to persons with physical and cognitive disabilities. DADS has a functional, not population-based, administrative structure to 

ensure the continued integration of services to persons who are aging and have disabilities. 

I would like to discuss one example of why this matters. One of the realities of 

an aging population is the increasing number of persons with cognitive and physical 

disabilities who are living longer lives. Testimony at a White House Conference on 

Aging Listening Session indicates ‘‘the mean age at death for persons with MR/DD 

rose from 19 years in the 1930’s to 66 years in 1993, an increase of 247 percent.’’ 

The number of adults with MR/DD age 60 or older in the United States is expected 

to be 1.2 million by 2030, twice what it was estimated for 2000.’’ (See Aging with 

a Developmental Disability 2005 White House Conference on Aging Listening Session Testimony 12/8/2004, Chicago Illinois.) The aging of persons with cognitive disabilities, in particular, creates new challenges for the Aging Network. The challenges of integrating new populations into the aging network include having the 

right mix of home and community based services so that individuals can age in 

place, and overcoming issues such as ‘‘turfism’’, lack of proper training, and the lack 

of knowledge among the disability community about services available through the 

Aging Network. 

In creating DADS, our desire is overcome these challenges. The OAA recognizes 

these same challenges. The Administration’s proposal to create Aging and Disability 

Resource Centers, consumer directed options and more choice in its programs are 

philosophically consistent with the functional design of DADS and the integration 

of services in Texas. In doing so, we believe states need to have the flexibility to 

design service delivery systems at the local level that are responsive to needs and 

desires of the local community. 

3. The OAA should further empower states and local communities to plan and 

prepare for an aging population. 

In 1997, Texas began an initiative called Aging Texas Well. Administered by the 

State Unit on Aging, under the general advocacy and planning provisions of the 

OAA, the purpose of Aging Texas Well is to ensure Texans prepare for aging in all 

aspects of life and that state and local social infrastructure facilitates aging well 

throughout the lifespan. The importance of the initiative has been further recognized by passage of a resolution by the Texas Legislature (SCR 36, 75th Texas Legislature) and, most recently, by an executive order by Governor Rick Perry (RP 42). 

The Declaration of Objectives of the OAA provides the conceptual framework for 

Aging Texas Well. When the original OAA was passed, these Objectives, which are 

related to employment, housing, health and other life areas, were ahead of their 

time in recognizing the importance of a holistic approach to the wellness of older 

persons. A second key element of Aging Texas Well is its focus on individuals taking 

responsibility to prepare for aging and on communities supporting that preparation. 

A final critical element is the recognition that aging well requires a lifespan approach focused on long-term living. 

Aging Texas Well seeks to ensure state policy is responsive to the needs of older 

Texans, consistent with the mandates of the OAA to review state policy. It also 

drives efforts to work with local communities to strengthen capacity to support older 

Americans, again consistent with the mandates of the OAA. (More information is 

available at www.agingtexaswell.org.) 

For example, one of the great successes of Aging Texas Well has been our internationally recognized Texercise program. Texercise uses evidence-based practices 

through partnerships with the private and non-profit sectors to create locally based 

programs to improve the nutritional and physical activity habits of older adults. 

AAAs participate in these programs as part of their mandate under the health promotion provisions of the OAA. (More information about Texercise is available at 

www.texercise.com.) 

One of the strengths of the OAA is the implicit mandate to the Aging Network 

to take a proactive role in preparing our communities for the aging of the population. This mandate could be made more explicit in the Act. The need for this type 

13

of proactive planning has been acknowledged by the delegates at the recent White 

House Conference on Aging, by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging 

and by the National Association of State Units on Aging. New York (Project 2015), 

Texas (Aging Texas Well) and Florida (Communities for a Lifetime) have all begun 

projects to plan and prepare states and communities for the realities of an aging 

population. The OAA could dedicate resources and provide encouragement for other 

states to do the same. 

In conclusion, as you may be aware, reauthorization of the OAA was the highest 

ranked resolution of the White House Conference on Aging. It was also one of the 

top priorities of the Texas delegation to the Conference. This reflects the fact that 

the OAA has served this country well by creating at the local level a system of services to respond on a day-to-day basis, and in times of crisis, to the needs of older 

Americans, their families and caregivers. It has been successful because of its emphasis on developing community participation and resources. 

On behalf of the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, thank you 

for this opportunity to testify. I will be glad to answer any questions. 

Chairman TIBERI. Thank you. We’re going to go ahead and hear 

from the other three witnesses, and then we’ll ask questions. 

Mr. Dominguez? 

STATEMENT OF ARMANDO DOMINGUEZ, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, CENTER ON AGING AND HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF 

TEXAS-PAN AMERICA 

Mr. DOMINGUEZ. Thank you, sir. 

Chairman Tiberi, Congressman Hinojosa, welcome to the University of Texas, where the Center on Aging and Health has over 15 

years experience conducting basic and applied research with a goal 

of advancing the quality of life of our area seniors. With this in 

mind, we strongly suggest transformation as a major impetus underlying the process for reauthorization of the Older Americans 

Act. The new century challenges us to think well beyond the demographics and socioeconomic realities of the 1960s which figured 

heavily in formulating the first Older Americans Act and subsequent reauthorizations. 

In reauthorizing the Older Americans Act, we should seek a collective synergy in making possible its transformation. Transformation calls for identifying new possibilities for partnering, no 

longer limited to the young and the old or public and private, but 

for partnering between senior and senior, old and old. What do we 

mean by this proposed partnership between senior and senior? It 

means that we need to draw in the well-educated, economically secure and physically able baby boomer to partner with another senior not as lucky in benefiting from the options made possible by our 

society. This is particularly the case for our current minority population, but especially for our future population of boomers who, although not quite seniors yet, will be soon entering their rank. 

We are at the threshold of having a recognizable number of welleducated professionals and small business owners who were able to 

advance with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which 

opened doors previously closed for most, if not all, of us. Yet, just 

as the existence of this group is made quite explicit in our research, 

we are also painfully aware of another group of seniors who, because of adverse circumstances, which I will not go into at this 

time, have not equally benefited from these options. 

Still today, the largest number of Valley seniors are barely making it, if that, with the very minimum combination of SSI Social 

14

Security disbursed in Texas, which is less than $7,000 a year. 

These were hardworking people, they struggled all of their lives, 

yet for a myriad of reasons, agricultural work, unprincipled employers who did not contribute to the Social Security fund, find 

themselves barely surviving with practically no options in their 

lives. 

Our research indicates that this parallel demographic and socioeconomic trend will continue in our communities for quite a long 

time. What is different is that while seniors, poor in resources and 

education, will continue to be very much part of our horizon, we 

have another group that is not. This is the synergy that we call for. 

How to use the human capital of the accomplished in partnering 

with those who are not? Thus we call for a new approach, we need 

to revitalize by understanding this new population dynamic which 

is happening throughout the country and amongst most ethic and 

racial groups. 

In transforming our thinking about seniors and the services they 

need, let us not forget that research indicates that we do not stop 

learning because we have grown old. On the contrary, we continue 

and are capable of learning throughout life. Let us revitalize by acknowledging this fact and address the learning potential of seniors. 

Another key word here after partnering is learning potential. Seniors, regardless of income and education, can learn. And we have 

substantial proof that indicates that our Valley seniors with little 

education and resources succeeded in learning the basics of using 

a computer and communicating with others through the web. We 

successfully trained over 60 Valley seniors with an average of five 

years of education to use the computer and search the web for 

health-related information. This process yielded other intangible 

benefits like building their self-esteem, and, even more importantly, it has a major impact on their relationships with their children and their grandchildren. It opened whole new communication 

channel between generations and advanced the position of the elderly within their families. 

Underscoring the need for transformation is the shift from acute 

illnesses of the latter half of the past century to present chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and of course diabetes. Medicine does not have a magic bullet for chronic illness as it 

developed for acute illness. Medicine does not have a cure for 

chronic diseases, it provides care. Present and future services for 

the elderly must be revitalized to reflect this medical reality. 

Within this medical reality, there is also a shift that demands a 

better-educated patient. This is why partnering and learning potential are key words in revitalizing the act. Better educated seniors 

can mentor those with low health literacy to become better informed, to understand management of their diseases, health prevention, and, as important, to become better health care consumers, and by doing so save Medicare dollars from unnecessary 

medical procedures and waste. 

The well-educated senior can mentor other seniors in reaching 

out and modifying behaviors that may adversely affect their health, 

and in particular for Mexican-Americans of our area who many 

times subscribe to cultural norms toward external locus of control, 

15

fatalism, dependence on the medical delivery system for their care, 

and overall low health literacy. 

Finally, by transformation we mean the need not only to reform 

but to change the infrastructure to empower our own to make informed choices. Our own research at the Center on Aging and 

Health shows that through culturally sensitive approaches, older 

Mexican-Americans can learn to use a computer, eat healthier, exercise often, drink five glasses of water daily, and altogether modify 

their behaviors in ways that advanced not only their physical but 

mental health. Many doubted this could be achieved, but our outcomes have demonstrated time and again the success of our best 

practice models. This is why the new reauthorization needs to become an effort in transformation by emphasizing the learning potential of our seniors, of all races and ethnicities and socioeconomic 

classes, through a senior technology program, empowerment training, health literacy and consumerism, prevention and management 

of disease, and most importantly, by building partnerships between 

senior and senior. This is no longer a choice as we ready ourselves 

for the largest wave of seniors ever in our history, since baby 

boomers will soon enter this stage, this latter stage of life. 

Thank you. 

[The statement of Mr. Dominguez follows:]

Prepared Statement of Armando Dominguez, Assistant Director, Center on 

Aging and Health, University of Texas-Pan America 

Reauthorization of Older American’s Act 

The Center on Aging and Health has over 15 years experience conducting basic 

and applied research with the goal of advancing the quality of life of our area’s seniors. With this in mind, we strongly suggest transformation as a major impetus underlying the process for reauthorization of the Older American’s Act. The new century challenges us to think well beyond the demographics and socio-economic realities of the 60s which figured heavily in formulating the first Older American’s Act 

and subsequent re-authorizations. 

In re-authorizing the Older American’s Act we should seek a collective synergy 

in making possible its transformation. Transformation calls for identifying new possibilities for partnering, no longer limited to the young and the old or public and 

private, but for partnering between senior and senior, old and old. What do we 

mean by this proposed partnership between senior and senior? It means that we 

need to draw in the well educated, economically secure and physically able baby 

boomer to partner with another senior not as lucky in benefiting from the options 

made possible by our society. This is particularly the case for our current minority 

population, but especially for our future population of boomers who although not 

quite seniors yet, will be soon entering their rank. 

We are at the threshold of having a recognizable number of well educated professionals and small business owners who were able to advance with the passage of 

the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which opened doors previously closed for most, if not 

all, of us. Yet, just as the existence of this group is made quite explicit in our research, we are also painfully aware of another group of seniors who because of adverse circumstances, which I will not take the time to list, have not equally benefited from these options. Still, today the largest number of Valley seniors are barely 

making it, if that, with the very minimum combination of SSI Social Security dispersed in Texas which is less than $7000 a year. These were hard working people, 

they struggled all of their lives, yet for a myriad of reasons, agricultural work, unprincipled employers who did not contribute to the Social Security fund, find themselves barely surviving with practically no options in their lives. Our research indicates that this parallel demographic and socio-economic trend will continue in our 

communities for quite a long time. What is different is that while seniors, poor in 

resources and education, will continue to be very much part of our horizon, we now 

have another group that is not. This is the synergy that we call for. How to use 

the human capital of the accomplished in partnering with those who are not? Thus 

we call for a new approach, we need to revitalize by understanding this new popuVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:50 Aug 18, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\DOCS\SE\4-3-06\27-977.TXT DICK
16

lation dynamic which is happening throughout the country and among most ethnic 

and racial groups. 

In transforming our thinking about seniors and the services they need, let us not 

forget that research indicates that we do not stop learning because we have grown 

old. On the contrary, we continue and are capable of learning throughout life. Let 

us revitalize by acknowledging this fact and address the learning potential of seniors. Another key word here after partnering is learning potential, seniors regardless of income and education can learn. And we have substantial proof that indicates 

that our Valley seniors with little formal education and resources succeeded in 

learning the basics of using a computer and communicating with others through the 

web. 

We successfully trained over 60 Valley seniors with an average of 5 years of education to use the computer and search the web for health related information. This 

process yielded other intangible benefits like building their self esteem and, even 

more importantly, it had a major impact on their relationships with children and 

grandchildren. It opened a whole new communication channel between generations 

and advanced the position of the elderly within their families. 

Underscoring the need for transformation is the shift from acute illnesses of the 

latter half of the past century to present chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular 

disease, cancer, and of course diabetes. Medicine does not have a magic bullet for 

chronic illness as it developed for acute illness. Medicine does not have a cure for 

chronic diseases, it provides care. Present and future services for the elderly must 

be revitalized to reflect this medical reality. 

Within this medical reality there is also a shift that demands a better-educated 

patient. This is why partnering and learning potential are key words in revitalizing 

the act. Better educated seniors can mentor those with low health literacy to become 

better informed, to understand management of their diseases, health prevention and 

as important to become better health care consumers. And by doing so save Medicare dollars from unnecessary medical procedures and waste. The well educated senior can mentor other seniors in reaching out and modifying behaviors that may adversely affect their health, and in particular for Mexican-Americans of our area who 

many times subscribe to cultural norms toward external locus of control, fatalism, 

dependence on the medical delivery system for their care, and overall low health literacy. 

Finally, by transformation we mean the need not only to reform, but to change 

the infrastructure to empower our own to make informed choices. Our own research 

at the Center on Aging and Health shows that through culturally sensitive approaches older Mexican Americans can learn to use a computer, eat healthier, exercise often, drink 5 glasses of water daily and altogether modify their behaviors in 

ways that advanced not only their physical but mental health. Many doubted this 

could be achieved, but our outcomes have demonstrated time and again the success 

of our best practice models. This is why the new re-authorization needs to become 

an effort in transformation by emphasizing the learning potential of our seniors, of 

all races and ethnicities, and socio-economic classes through a senior technology program, empowerment training, health literacy and consumerism, prevention and 

management of disease, and most importantly, by building partnerships between 

senior and senior. This is no longer a choice as we ready ourselves for the largest 

wave of seniors ever in our history, since baby boomers will soon enter this stage 

of life. 

Chairman TIBERI. Thank you, Mr. Dominguez. 

Mr. Sullivan? 

STATEMENT OF MARLON SULLIVAN, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF 

STAFFING FOR THE HOME DEPOT 

Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee: 

I am pleased to have the opportunity to testify before you today 

and to represent The Home Depot. As mentioned earlier, my name 

is Marlon Sullivan. I am the Senior Director of Staffing for The 

Home Depot. 

As many of you here may know, Home Depot was founded in 

1978 in Atlanta, Georgia, and is currently the world’s number one 

home improvement retailer, operating more than 2,000 stores 

across North America. Today, Home Depot is a Fortune 13 comVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:50 Aug 18, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 H:\DOCS\SE\4-3-06\27-977.TXT DICK
17

pany, which caters to both do-it-yourselfers and professional customers who serve the home improvement, construction and building and maintenance market segments. 

The Home Depot currently operates in roughly all 50 U.S. states, 

the District of Columbia, nine Canadian provinces, Mexico, Puerto 

Rico, as well as most recently two sourcing offices that were opened 

in China. The Home Depot family of companies includes the Home 

Depot proper, which we call back at the home office ‘‘The Orange 

Box,’’ in addition to our EXPO design centers and The Home Depot 

Supply. 

Over the years it’s become very clear to us that one of our competitive advantages is that of our associates, and in particular its 

diversity of thought and cultural background that they bring. We 

really fundamentally believe that to build a workforce that reflects 

its community is the key to success. We also believe that diversity 

is the catalyst for innovative thinking, entrepreneurial spirit, and 

also for ways of building our communities. 

As a sign of our commitment, The Home Depot has joined forces 

starting back in 2002 with a number of national nonprofit and government agencies to develop key hiring partnerships. Just to name 

a few today, we have launched hiring partnerships with the following organizations and/or agencies, including, but not limited to: 

The Department of Labor, the AARP, the Department of Defense, 

Labor and Veterans Affairs, and four of the nation’s leading nonprofit Hispanic associations, which include ASPIRA; HACU, the 

Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities; the National 

Council of La Raza, and obviously SER—Jobs for Progress National. These partnerships allow us to not only reach out to the 

communities, but also provide us with a broad range of qualified 

candidates with diverse backgrounds, and they also provide a 

unique pipeline for us that will aid us in hiring the nearly 20,000 

net new jobs we will create in fiscal year 2006. 

And today I am particularly excited to talk about the hiring partnership with SER—Jobs for Progress National. It was launched 

back in February 2005 in approximately 40 markets. The scope of 

the partnership is fairly large, including more than 60 SER affiliates in five states, each of which are operating One Stops. As many 

of you know, One Stops today offer services not only to employers, 

but then also services to their job seekers, providing skill sets and 

training regarding job matching, career counseling, and et cetera. 

The success of the hiring partnership to date has enabled us to 

develop an active workforce of qualified associates with diverse 

backgrounds, but that is only one aspect of the partnership. An 

equally as impressive aspect of the partnership is SER operating 

as a SCSEP grantee of the U.S. Department of Labor, which affords us the opportunity to leverage the 26 SCSEP sites that currently exist through SER in 16 states. 

At each of these offices, the SER staff provide candidates who 

have an interest in applying online with hands-on training. They 

also provide them with the option to go to our Home Depot stores 

where they can apply via the kiosks, and then they also have the 

opportunity to apply out of their homes. The partnership also 

brings both SER and The Home Depot the opportunity to provide 

18

jobs on each of our web sites as well as provide promotional materials that are available to each of the candidates. 

We have had a number of successes through SCSEP, and I will 

share with you one in particular that I think you will find interesting. The SER affiliate in Cleveland has developed a customized 

program with a nearby Home Depot store there, and, in essence, 

a co-partnership led to the job preparation curriculum that provides each of the interested candidates with clear instructions for 

how to apply and ensuring they have the skill sets available. This 

particular partnership and the development, co-development of this 

curriculum, has been so successful that efforts are currently being 

made to expand and replicate the program statewide first, and potentially nationwide. 

The partnership is not only important in terms of increasing our 

ability to reflect our community, but it provides us with the ability 

to provide regular unsubsidized employment opportunities to many 

SCSEP participants, thus allowing us to mirror the changing U.S. 

demographics. A number of our panelists have already mentioned 

some of the 2000 census statistics, which include numbers such as 

the current population of 281 million people in the U.S., of which 

12 percent, some 35 million people, are 65 years of age or older, 

and the projection that by 2030, 20 percent of all Americans will 

have passed their 65th birthday, representing 70 million people. 

At The Home Depot, we believe knowledge, experience and passion never retires. We fundamentally know that mature workforce 

brings honed talent, sound judgment and solid experience. We will 

also know from our customers who have said on numerous occasions that senior workers for us has been very knowledgeable and 

customer-service oriented. Our research also points to the fact that 

the retention rate for those in the 50-plus sector is very strong; in 

fact, higher than the retail norms. 

Given the success of the SER hiring partnership in the first six 

months, we recently agreed to a partnership expansion back in October 2005 involving the participation in SER’s 502(e) project, 

which is a federally funded Older Worker Employment Training 

Program. This program allows the provision of technical skills 

training in preparation for unsubsidized employment in the private 

sector and targets high growth industry, thus The Home Depot interest in being a partner from the retail industry. 

The initial 502(e) markets include six geographies, three of which 

are located in Texas; that being San Antonio, Houston, Fort Worth; 

and then also Miami, Cleveland, and Los Angeles. In each of these 

locations, there are roughly 23 participants who receive a two week 

pre-employment training, roughly 80 hours in total of training, 

and, of those numbers, we will totally have about 140 total applicants who are currently part of this program applying for jobs at 

The Home Depot today for opportunities not limited to but including Lot Associates, Cashiers, Sales Associates, Sales Specialists 

and Management positions. 

In conclusion, we fundamentally believe a partnership with SER 

and a number of our existing hiring partners provides us with a 

competitive advantage, a highly qualified and diverse workforce. 

We also are honored to enable for the ongoing regular and unsubsidized employment of our SCSEP participants, and also are very 

19

proud to be an active proponent of lifelong retooling and upgrading 

of the nation’s workforce. 

Thank you. 

[The statement of Mr. Sullivan follows:]

Prepared Statement of Marlon Sullivan, Senior Director of Staffing, the 

Home Depot 

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, I am pleased to have the opportunity to testify before you today and represent The Home Depot, Inc. My name 

is Marlon Sullivan, and I am the Senior Director of Staffing for the Home Depot. 

In this capacity, I oversee enterprise-wide staffing operations, encompassing all domestic and international retail stores, distribution centers, call centers, and the US 

based Home Depot headquarters, also known as the Store Support Center. My 

team’s responsibilities include policy design, practices development, operational improvement, technological innovations, strategic workforce planning, field implementation, and strategy development for the Staffing function. 

The Home Depot, founded in 1978 in Atlanta, Georgia, is the world’s #1 home improvement retailer, operating more than 2,000 stores across North America. Today, 

Home Depot is a Fortune 13 company, which caters to both do-it-yourselfers and 

professional customers who serve the home improvement, construction and building 

maintenance market segments. The Home Depot currently operates in 50 U.S. 

states and in the District of Columbia, nine Canadian provinces, Mexico, and Puerto 

Rico as well as two sourcing offices in China. The Home Depot family of companies 

includes The Home Depot, EXPO Design Centers and The Home Depot Supply. 

Over the years it has become clear that one of our key competitive advantages 

is our associates and the diversity of thought and cultural background they bring 

to the workplace. That withstanding, the Home Depot seeks to build a workforce 

that reflects its communities. We believe that diversity is the catalyst for innovative 

thinking, entrepreneurial spirit and new ways of building our communities. We are 

convinced the greater the diversity of our people, the greater our ability to serve 

our customers and communities. 

As a sign of our commitment, The Home Depot has joined forces with national 

nonprofits and government agencies to develop key hiring initiatives. To date, The 

Home Depot has hiring partnerships with the following organizations and agencies: 

Department of Labor, the AARP, the Department of Defense, Labor and Veterans 

Affairs, and four of the nation’s leading non-profit Hispanic organizations, including 

the ASPIRA Association, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities 

(HACU), the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), and SER—Jobs for Progress National. These partnerships allow us to reach out to the communities in which we 

operate, and provide our company with a broad range of qualified candidates with 

diverse backgrounds. In addition, these hiring partnerships provide The Home 

Depot with a unique pipeline to assist the company in its hiring for the nearly 

20,000 net new jobs it will create in 2006. 

Today I am here today to talk about our hiring partnership with SER—Jobs for 

Progress National, which was launched in February 2005 in approximately 40 markets. The scope of the hiring partnership is very board, as it includes more than 

60 SER affiliate One Stops nationwide. The success of the hiring partnership to date 

has enabled us to develop an active workforce of qualified associates with diverse 

backgrounds. 

As a Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) grantee of the US 

Department of Labor, SER’s partnership also affords us the use of its 26 SCSEP 

project sites in 16 states. This aspect of the hiring partnership enables us to provide 

regular, unsubsidized employment opportunities to many SCSEP participants, thus 

building an employment base that mirrors the changing US demographics. 

According to the 2000 census, the U.S. population is more than 281 million. Of 

that, the 65 and older population makes up about 12% of our country’s citizens, 

roughly 35 million people. In essence, Baby Boomers are maturing at twice the rate 

of the rest of the population. In fact, demographic projections show that by 2030, 

that population will more than double, with 20% of all Americans, or about 70 million people, having passed their 65th birthday. 

At The Home Depot, we believe knowledge, experience and passion never retires. 

We know that a mature workforce brings with it honed talent, sound judgment and 

solid experience—precisely the skills and attributes we value in our talent pool. Our 

research indicates that our customers feel that mature workers are very knowledgeable and customer-service oriented. It also points to the fact that the retention rate 

with the 50+ sector is very strong—higher than the retail norms. 

20

Given the success of the SER hiring partnership in its first 6 months, The Home 

Depot agreed to a partnership expansion in October of 2005 involving participation 

in SER’s ‘‘502(e)’’ project, a federally funded older worker employment training program. The initial 502(e) markets include: San Antonio, Houston, Fort Worth, Miami, 

Cleveland and Los Angeles. As part of SER National’s 502(e) On the Job Training 

Program (OJT), 23 participants in each of the 6 markets underwent 2 weeks of preemployment training. The 80 hours of training included skills such as computer basics, customer service, interview best practices and preparing for the Home Depot 

application. Having recently completed training, the 138 total applicants are currently applying on line for Home Depot opportunities, which include but are not limited to Lot Associate, Cashier, Sales Associate and Sales Specialist. 

In conclusion, the success of the hiring partnership with SER—Jobs for Hire National enables Home Depot to enhance its competitive advantage by developing a 

highly qualified, diverse workforce. In turn, we are able to provide regular, unsubsidized employment opportunities to many SCSEP participants. Meanwhile, the recent expansion of the SER hiring partnership to include the 502 (e) OJT further empowers the Home Depot to positively impact our communities by playing an active 

role in promoting lifelong retooling and upgrading of the nation’s workforce. 

Chairman TIBERI. Thank you. 

Mr. Perez? 

STATEMENT OF JOSE T. PEREZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 

SENIOR COMMUNITY OUTREACH SERVICES, INC. 

Mr. PEREZ. Good morning. I want to thank the Committee Chairman, Congressman Tiberi, and Congressman Ruben Hinojosa for 

allowing me this opportunity to testify before the House Subcommittee on Select Education. 

My name is Jose Perez, Executive Director of Senior Community 

Outreach from Alamo. I also serve as vice president of the National 

Association For Senior Companion Project Directors, and I also 

served as a delegate for the 2005 White House Conference on 

Aging. 

Senior Community Outreach Services is a nonprofit organization 

whose mission statement is to establish a comprehensive system of 

community services that would respond to the talent and everyday 

needs of older persons and to see senior citizens of our community 

have the opportunity to live independently, meaningful and dignified lives in their own home and community. 

People are living longer, and the family support system they once 

counted on to help them as they age is not always there now. Families live miles apart due to economics, while adult daughters, who 

were the primary source of care for elderly parents, are now working to support their immediate families. However, care is still needed for a much longer time than before, due to the increasing longevity of today’s seniors. The answer for some of these long-term 

care needs can be provided by in-home service provider agencies 

and the utilization of volunteers. 

For the elderly, the absence of in-home support care often makes 

a difference between living independently at home or premature 

placement in a care facility, and may place their family caregiver 

at significant risk of being overextended, take a toll on family earnings, workplace productivity, and the loss of quality of family life. 

The Senior Companion—I work for the Senior Companion Program, which is a wonderful and compassionate program. The Senior Companion Program currently administered through the Corporation for National and Community Service has been serviced in 

21

the Rio Grande Valley for the past 30 years. Congress established 

the Senior Companion Program in 1973 to utilize low income volunteers to serve and provide assistance to home-bound elderly and 

enable them to continue living independently as long as possible. 

At the same time, the program offered healthy seniors age 60 and 

older the opportunity to serve their community by volunteering. 

Today, the Senior Companion Program has 16,000 volunteers, 

providing over 15 million hours of service to 80,000 clients, over 

227 projects across the country and Puerto Rico. Senior companions 

serve 20 hours per week and receive a small tax-free stipend 

which, by law, does not affect any other benefits they may be receiving. Companions also receive liability insurance, a meal, and 

travel allowance while in service. 

Services of the Senior Companion Program are flexible enough to 

meet the needs of the older person. For example, a senior companion through a care plan can provide assistance in personal care, 

meaning dressing, grooming, bathing, toiletry and exercising, or 

provide assistance in home management, preparing a meal, light 

house keeping, escort service, shopping, tidying, dusting and cleaning, provide protective services, oversee and overlooking or looking 

in on a individual’s physical or mental well-being, seeing that 

there’s no abuse or neglect of those elderly living alone, providing 

information or referrals or arrange services from the community, 

respite care services for family caregivers by providing relief from 

the constant demands of ongoing caring, provide an opportunity to 

take a well-deserved nap, bathe, or go shopping or just take a short 

vacation. 

The cost of having a Senior Companion Program volunteer in the 

Rio Grande Valley is 5,475 per year. We have 110 volunteers servicing the Rio Grande Valley. These companions service 330 clients, 

for a total of 114,840 hours. The total of the project cost is 602,250 

per year. This same service outside the program, there’s an estimated cost of 1,952,280 per year. 

The Senior Companion Program has demonstrated the cost effectiveness of providing in-home care support services to the family 

caring for loved ones at home and to frail, isolated elderlies striving 

to maintain independence. In anticipation of the baby boomer population coupled with the current growth of elderly already in need 

of support services, to continue to live independently, the expansion 

of the Senior Companion Program and other volunteer-modeled 

programs is imperative. 

My recommendation is the funds should be made available to 

programs that engage senior volunteers to serve as support resource to frail older persons still living at home. In doing so, we 

can prevent early institutionalization and save the government and 

families the expensive of institutional care. One idea is to amend 

the Title 3(e) of the Older Americans Act Family Caregiver Support 

Program to establish subprograms of volunteer organizations to 

conduct family caregiver activities in order to promote independent 

living and the lay institutional placement for older individuals 

through the use of volunteers, including low income volunteers. 

Grants should be awarded on a competitive basis to use and employ the use of volunteers to help older persons requiring long-term 

care. 

22

Also, my recommendation is to encourage, enable and facilitate 

collaboration and partnerships among national, state and local organizations of government that currently provide volunteer and 

paid work opportunities for people of retirement age, in terms of 

retirement age from all economic backgrounds, and to generate 

more resources to support elders as volunteers and to attract baby 

boomers by expanding and realigning their portfolio to include 

more informal time limit, episodic and project-based volunteer service opportunities, as well as full-time, part-time and episodic pay 

work opportunities, especially in the area of community services, 

intergenerational involvement, independent living and long-term 

care. 

Another recommendation is to combat ageism by encouraging the 

federal government to provide education and public awareness that 

emphasizes elders as givers of service instead of consumers of service, to publicize the positive contribution older adults make to their 

community every day, and that focuses on the value of volunteering 

for people’s well-being, physical and mental health, independence 

and self-esteem. 

The 2005 White House Conference on Aging delegates voted and 

made recommendations on the top ten resolutions, and reauthorizing the Older Americans Act was number one. 

The second was to develop a coordinated, comprehensive longterm care strategy by supporting public and private sector initiatives that address financing, choice, quality service delivery and 

the paid and unpaid work force. 

Thank you for this opportunity. 

[The statement of Mr. Perez follows:]

Prepared Statement of Jose Perez, Executive Director, Senior Community 

Outreach Services, Inc. 

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen, I want to thank the committee Chairman 

Congressman Patrick Tiberi and Congressman Ruben Hinojosa for allowing me this 

opportunity to testify before the subcommittee on Select Education. 

Today, I am going to testify on the services provided by Senior Community Outreach Services; Specifically, the Senior Companion Program with the hope of making recommendations to the committee on how to strengthen communities and improve programs and services for seniors. 

My name is Jose T. Perez, Executive Director of Senior Community Outreach 

Services, Inc. We are a non-profit organization whose mission statement is to establish a comprehensive system of community services that would respond to the talents and every day needs of the older person and to see all senior citizens of our 

community have the opportunity to live independent, meaningful, and dignified lives 

in their own homes and community. 

Statement 

People are living longer, yet the family support system they once counted on to 

help them as they age is not always there now. Families live miles apart due to 

economics, while adult daughters who were the primary source of care for elderly 

parents are now working to support there immediate families, However care is still 

needed and for a much longer time than before due to the increasing longevity of 

today’s seniors. The answer for some of these long-term care needs can be provided 

by in-home service agencies and the utilization of volunteers through the Senior 

Companion Program. 

There is a growing need for long term care and independent living services for 

the aged and infirm older persons. It is estimated that 80% of the care given to the 

frail older person comes from informal sources such as, relatives or friends who assumes the burden of providing around the clock care. According to the U.S. censes, 

by 2020 the 65+ population will increase from 33 million or 12.7% to 53 million. 

23

Substantial portions of the elderly, especially the very old, requires assistance 

with necessary daily activities such as dressing, bathing, shopping, or meal preparation. Most frail older persons currently living in the community rely primarily on 

family members and friends for personal care, household assistance, transportation, 

help with medications and emotional support. At present, there are more than 11 

million health impaired Americans who experience difficulty in performing activities 

of daily living, 5 million or 50% are elderly, while the remainder are the severely 

disabled and children. For these individuals institutionalization can be avoided only 

by having some source of support for their personal care. Because family caregivers 

undergo great sacrifice, studies have shown that a breakdown in the physical and/

or emotional health of a caregiver can precipitate institutionalization for the impaired individual. 

For the elderly the absence of in-home support care often makes the difference 

between living independently at home or premature placement into a care facility 

and/or may place the family caregiver in significant risk of being over extended, taking toll on family earnings, workplace productivity, and the lose of quality of family 

life. 

Senior Companion Program 

The Senior Companion Program currently administered through the Corporation 

for National and Community Service has been servicing the Rio Grande Valley for 

the past 30 years. Congress established the Senior Companion Program in 1973 to 

utilize low-income volunteers to serve and provide assistance to homebound elderly, 

and enable them to continue living independently as long as possible. At the same 

time, the program offers healthy seniors age 60 and older the opportunity to serve 

their community by volunteering. Today in 2006 the Senior Companion Program has 

over 16,000 volunteers providing over 15,000,000 hours of service to over 80,000 clients in over 221 projects across the country and in Puerto Rico. 

Senior Companions serve 20 hours per week and receive a small tax-free stipend, 

which by law does not affect any of the benefits they may be receiving. Companions 

also receive liability insurance, a meal, and travel allowance while in service. 

Services Senior Companion Program are flexible enough to meet the needs of the 

a signed orlder person for example: 

1. Provide assistance in personal care; dressing, grooming, bathing, toiletry, and 

exercising 

2. Provide assisstance in home management, preparing meals, light house keeping, escort services, shopping, tidying, dusting, cleaning, washing dishes, sweeping, 

laundering and more. 

3. Providing protective services, over seeing or looking in on the individual’s mental and physical well being. Seeing that there is no abuse or neglect of those elderly 

living along. 

4. Provide information and referral or arrange services from the community, such 

as, arranging transportation to the doctor or shopping, food stamps, etc. 

5. Respite care services for family caregivers by provide relief from the constant 

demands of ongoing caring. Provide an opportunity to take a well deserve nap, bath, 

go shopping, or just take a short vacation. 

The Alliance on aging research estimates that annually, the United States spends 

$27 billion more in health care cost for seniors who lose their ability to live independently than if they had maintained their ability to live on their own. 

The Senior Companion Program is the most compassionate Program ever put out 

by the federal government, it is cost effective and it is a program where every body 

wins. The client wins because they have someone taking care of their needs, the 

family wins because they do not have to worry anymore for their love one is being 

care for, and the tax payers do not have pay for their care in an expensive facility, 

and the volunteer wins because of the opportunity to help someone in need and rip 

the rewards of appreciation of the clients. 

The cost of having a Senior Companion volunteer is $5,475 here in the Rio Grande 

Valley we have 110 volunteers in service. These Senior Companion services 330 Clients for a total of 114,840 hours per year. The total for this project is $ 602,250 

per year. This same service provided by a for profit business is estimated to be at 

a cost of $1,952,280 per year. 

Seniors as volunteers are a viable and untapped resource with 77 million baby 

boomers ready to retire, an abundance of seniors will be ready to volunteer if asked. 

The Senior Companion Program has demonstrated the cost effectiveness of providing in-home care support services to the families caring for loved ones at home 

and to the frail isolated elderly striving to maintain independence. In anticipation 

of the baby boom population, coupled with the current growth of the elderly already 

24

in need of supportive services to continue to live independently, the expansion of 

the Senior Companion Program and other volunteer model programs is imperative. 

Recommendation 

More Federal Agency Collaboration 

Funds should be made available to programs that engage senior volunteers to 

serve as a support resource to frail older persons still living at home. In doing so, 

we can prevent early institutionalization and save the government and families the 

expense of institutional care. 

One idea is to amend the Title III-E of the Older American Act/Family Caregiver 

Program to establish subprograms of volunteer organizations to conduct family caregiver activities in order to promote independent living and delay institutional placement for older individuals through the use of volunteers, including low income volunteers. Grants can be awarded on a competitive basis to use and employ the use 

of volunteers to help older persons requiring long-term care, including those receiving home health care and nursing care. ( Justification and recommendations are attached as provided by the National Association for Senior Companion Project Directors NASCPD) 

Encourage, enable, and facilitate, collaborations and partnerships among national, 

state and local organizations that currently provide volunteer and paid work opportunities for people of retirement age from all economic backgrounds to generate 

more resources to support elders as volunteers and to attract Baby Boomers by expanding and re-aligning their portfolios to include more informal, time-limited, episodic and project-based volunteer service opportunities as well as full-time, parttime, and episodic paid work opportunities, especially in the areas of community 

services, intergenerational involvement, independent living and long term care. 

Combat ageism by encouraging the Federal Government to provide education and 

public awareness that emphasizes elders as givers of services instead of consumers 

of services, that publicizes the positive contributions older adults make to their community every day, and that focuses on the value of volunteering for people’s wellbeing, physical and mental health, independence, and self esteem 

Again, Thank you for this great opportunity. 

Chairman TIBERI. Thank you, Mr. Perez. 

I’m going to ask one question. I would like to remind everybody 

that your entire testimony is going to be submitted in the record. 

I’m going to ask one question and then I will turn it over to my 

colleague, Mr. Hinojosa. 

Mr. Urban, I read in fact everybody’s testimony on the plane ride 

down here, so thank you very much for your time in preparing the 

testimony. But something struck me in your testimony that I would 

like you to expand on a little bit. 

In your written testimony, you talked or you wrote a little bit 

about several initiatives that Texas undertook to modernize delivery of your Aging Network, and a couple of them kind of stuck out, 

and I want you to just touch on those. One was your ConsumerDirected Care Initiative that you wrote about. Another one was 

Money Following the Person. Can you touch on those two a little 

bit and how they’ve worked in Texas? 

Mr. URBAN. Gladly, and I’ll start first with consumer-directed 

services. 

A number of states have implemented, and I think Arkansas is 

perhaps the most famous, what are known as Cash and Counseling 

Programs to improve, particularly in their Medicaid waiver programs, how individuals are empowered to make more choices and 

have more control over the services that they receive. We implemented a program that was similar in concept in Texas, in fact we 

got a Real Choice Grant to look at a Service Responsibility Option, 

is what we call it, model for helping empower consumers or clients 

to direct how their services go. So we have done that through our 

25

Medicaid programs, we’ve also done that in our Aging Network programs. 

When the National Family Caregiver Support Program was funded in Texas, in a number of our rural communities in particular, 

there are not that many providers, which my written testimony 

talks a little bit more about. And so we’re striving to figure out how 

to empower these consumers to help, A, find providers to help them 

with services such as respite, and one of the ways we were able to 

do that is through the voucher program in which we were able to 

give the client the cash to go out and recruit and hire and control 

their own provider of respite services to help them meet the needs 

of the person that they are providing care-giving to. 

In terms of Money Follows the Person, Texas was the first state 

to implement such a program, and it actually came through a rider 

to the appropriations bill in our legislative process, I think probably three sessions ago, and the basic concept was, when an individual is in an institution but could be served in a community, to 

take the individual when they transition from the institution back 

to the community and have that money from the institutional side 

of the budget follow the person to the community to ensure that 

there is funding in the community for the individual. 

About the same time that we adopted that rider to our appropriations bill, we implemented our Promoting Independence Plan, 

and our Promoting Independence Plan was directly in response to 

the Olmstead Supreme Court case. And so we had this very focused, focused initiative at the state level to try to reach into institutions and those individuals that would prefer services in the community to give them the support, services, and the transition assistance that they need in the community. So we would fill in the 

gaps with housing, the Aging Network would come in with supportive services that they might need in the transition period, the 

ombudsman would work with the individual along with other transition specialists to help move the individual to the community, 

and then, if they’re a Medicaid client, that money follows them into 

the community so we ensured that there were slots in the waiver 

programs for the individual. 

Chairman TIBERI. How does that work? How are seniors responding. 

Mr. URBAN. We have moved over 10,000 people out of institutions into the community across our state, and while it is often the 

case that the younger disabled community stakeholders and advocates are pushing very strongly for deinstitutionalization, what we 

have found in Texas is that many, many people that are over the 

age of 60 have made the move from the institution, from the nursing facility in particular, back into the community. 

So we applaud what Congress has done in the most recent Deficit Reduction Act to put in a very specific Money Follows the Person program. We think that we have learned a lot in Texas about 

how that works with our experience to do that, and we look forward to enhancing our efforts with the additional funding that will 

be available through the DRA. 

Chairman TIBERI. I will have someone from Ohio call you. 

Mr. URBAN. Please do so. 

Chairman TIBERI. Thank you. 

26

Mr. URBAN. And I will direct them to the person that can really 

help them with that particular program, as well. 

Chairman TIBERI. Great. Thank you. 

Mr. Hinojosa. 

Mr. HINOJOSA. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

I have questions for each of the panelists, and I’m going to start 

with the last presenter, Mr. Perez. 

My question was, it begs the question when I heard you say that 

the cost of having a senior volunteer is a little over $5,000 here in 

South Texas, and that we have 110 volunteers in service. You further said that the senior companion service is 330 clients for a total 

of 114,840 hours, cost of about $600,000 per year, and that the 

same service provided by a for-profit business would cost 2 million 

dollars. 

It reminds me of a hearing that we had in Mission, Texas, three 

weeks ago with 50 farmers who farm in the dry land up around 

McCook, just north of Edinburg, and they were showing us that if 

they planted their seed, that there was—because of the drought, 

there was little probability of it actually taking root and yielding 

what they were expecting from their sorghum crop, and their accountants were able to show us that by not planting this year, they 

would save the government some $500 million in agriculture for 

those that were suffering from the drought in the State of Texas. 

What I hear you say is that if we expanded our senior companion 

volunteer here in Texas it would save the government right here 

one and a half million dollars. 

It also reminds me of the impact that NAFTA had when this 

area displaced approximately 7,500 garment workers when they 

closed down Levis, Haggars, Fruit of the Loom, Dickies, and many 

of these garment workers had worked there for 20 years or longer, 

and trying to give them retraining has not been very successful 

with those with the lowest level of education. It seems to me that 

a program like this could help those displaced workers and that 

many, because of their age, would be wonderful senior companion 

volunteers, and $100 a week, $5,000 a year would be a win-win situation for those families and for the elderly who need this type of 

assistance. 

So I want to ask you, Mr. Perez, possibly you and your organization can counsel us as to how much more we should request from 

our appropriations committee in this very tight budget environment. Do you have any suggestions. 

Mr. PEREZ. We had our meeting last week at the National Association for Senior Companion Project Directors Staff, and we came 

up with a number——

Mr. HINOJOSA. Can you put the speaker closer to you, so folks 

can hear you in the back? Thank you. 

Mr. PEREZ. Okay. I just came back from a meeting with the National Association for Senior Companion Project Directors, and considering the deficit that this country is in, we are asking for $10 

million for 2007, and that is just to expand it and keep up with 

a portion of the growth of the needs here in the Valley and elsewhere in the nation. 

Mr. HINOJOSA. Thank you. 

27

Dr. Armando Dominguez, I congratulate you and the Valley for 

establishing the Center on Aging and Health. Now more than ever 

we need the teaching and research that those efforts have provided. 

Did the project on training, the 60 Valley seniors you mentioned 

in your statement training in computer literacy, include any of the 

senior-to-senior partnerships you mentioned. 

Mr. DOMINGUEZ. Not at that time. We took computers from the 

university warehouse surplus, refurbished them a little bit, placed 

them in senior centers throughout the three-county area, and there 

was a bit of that at the beginning. I can tell you that subsequently 

at one of the centers I get feedback of the strength of having computers hooked up to the Internet in these senior centers. There is 

an individual who walks up to me each time to thank me for that 

process, and she says that by going on the Internet she was able 

to help her son find medical help way out at the Mayo Clinic, because they’re from up north, and that she did it by going on the 

Internet, something she was afraid of. She had fear of computers, 

which we experience area-wide. And then she says a year later she 

used the computer yet one more time and was able to save herself 

money for auto insurance. 

And in this way, we see the beginning. We see how, and we come 

to then the conclusion that, indeed, by placing the computers at the 

senior, centers we see the beginning of this process where now she 

is able to help those less informed in this process, and thus we get 

this notion of growing this concept, of partnering between old and 

old; those who are capable and literate, help those who are less literate, especially with low health literacy. 

There is a great deal of information in Spanish about health care 

that was not available five years ago. 

Mr. HINOJOSA. Well, I can relate to that story, because I have a 

relative who is in his middle 70s, and he was diagnosed with leukemia. He is a cancer survivor, and he didn’t know how to use the 

computer. And about, I guess, eight years ago one of his children 

bought a computer for him, and they worked with him, and he says 

that as a result of that he’s been able to research all of the best 

hospitals in the country—MD Anderson, where he has already been 

to once, and the Mayo Clinic and others—and found everything he 

possibly can researching on leukemia, and your story is something 

that is very, very true, if we could just make the tools available 

and some assistance. 

I want to ask you one other question. With my experience on financial services, I work a great deal on financial literacy education 

programs. I was interested in your comments of trying to establish 

health literacy for seniors. Could you elaborate more on that idea? 

Mr. DOMINGUEZ. Certainly. Another research project we conducted had to do with nutrition and education for those with low 

health literacy. That came about and was conducted in the primary 

language of many of us. At home, we speak Spanish. So we conducted these series of health education classes. 

Each class had a specific topic that was linked to a specific menu 

dealing with that health topic. And this time of the year, as you 

know through our little breakfast this morning, we also include 

nopalitos. Nopalitos are the baby cactus leaf that is included—it’s 

28

in season right now, but in particular in our culture, it is a cultural 

identity food item for Lent. 

So the project was linked with school public health at the University Autonoma de Monterrey. The students came in and conducted these health studies, health topics. One of the topics this 

time of year was a juice made with the cactus and grapefruit and 

pineapple. To the day, they still ask me about the possibility of continuing that particular research project, and they ask about that 

particular menu. ‘‘Do you remember the portions I tried,’’ and et 

cetera. 

Again, from our research, we see here the potential for improving 

health literacy in this model that turned out to be a best practice 

model that was evaluated out of a research outfit out of Washington. They found us on the Internet, called us up, and they 

ranked us number two in the country for this type of activity. It’s 

called the Academy for Educational Development out of Washington, D.C., who was at that point under contract with the USDA. 

And here in our research we find the best practice model for improving health literacy among those that are not quite as fluent in 

English. 

Mr. HINOJOSA. Thank you for sharing those thoughts. After this 

is over, I would like to maybe visit with you on how in the last year 

we’ve created a caucus on the Financial Literacy Education Program that now has 67 members of Congress. 

Chairman TIBERI. Including me. 

Mr. HINOJOSA. Including our Chairman. 

Chairman TIBERI. That’s where you’re going with this. 

Mr. HINOJOSA. And I can tell you that it’s moving so rapidly because of the number of banks and federal agencies—actually, 

they’re not federal agencies; they’re federally-sponsored agencies 

like Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. It’s really, really moving forward, so I want to discuss this with you, because maybe the Chairman and I could start health caucus in Washington, and I would 

like to back to the Chairman so that he can ask some more questions. 

Mr. DOMINGUEZ. We welcome the opportunity. 

Chairman TIBERI. Thank you. 

Mr. Sullivan, let me ask you a question that you’ve probably 

been asked before. What can we do to encourage more employers 

to hire and retain older workers? Much as you have been a leader, 

Home Depot has been a leader in that; what can we do to encourage others to follow your lead? 

Mr. SULLIVAN. I think there are a couple of things. The first is 

what you guys have done today I think is a very important step, 

which is to be able to document in the public record the successes 

that a hiring partnership with a nonprofit and a for-profit can 

have, not just for both of those entities, but, more importantly, for 

the community, as well. 

I think the second is giving some thought potentially to the creation of a corporate council which sits with government to talk 

about the changes in U.S. demographics that is visible in the 2000 

census. Inevitably, corporate leaders either now or later will realize 

that these demographics will ultimately change their customer 

base, will change how their operating their business, and if their 

29

employee base doesn’t mirror the community, they’re going to be at 

a competitive disadvantage. Having those conversations, again, in 

an open forum with the data I think will also start to overcome 

some of the hesitancy that some of the corporations are having in 

making that change. 

I think, thirdly, there are things that corporations can do, like 

The Home Depot. Recently I presented at a functional presentation, 

nationwide HR conference, and talked about the hiring partnership. The responses that I received after that were phenomenal. 

Many of the folks within retail, even those that are not in retail, 

were very, very interested, and we were excited to be able to share 

the lists of the partners we currently have and encourage our peers 

to get involved, whether it be SER or any other hiring partner, to 

get involved. 

So those are just a few that we thought through. 

Chairman TIBERI. Thank you. Thank you for your input. 

Mr. Dominguez, obviously a lot of people in this room agree that 

disease prevention is preferable to disease treatment, whether it be 

physical activity, whether it be healthy nutrition, whether it be 

training someone on a computer. 

I think of my own mother and father, both of whom were immigrants to America, both self-taught. Both my parents now use the 

computer, both self-taught on the computer, and that’s one of the 

good things they’ve done, but for my mother to try to get my father 

out of the house for physical activity is, well, you might as well forget it. 

How do we as a society try to encourage seniors to break, in 

many cases, a lifelong habit of not doing things right? Whether it 

be eating right, whether it be lack of physical activity, what do we 

do to solve that dilemma? 

Mr. DOMINGUEZ. Behavior modification is, indeed, very troublesome. The way that we did it was, in its research, is adding a parenthetical phrase to a sentence, so it’s very small steps. One of the 

techniques that we utilized for increasing water intake that proved 

to be successful was for the individual to label a container with his 

or her name and pour, in the morning, the amount of water that 

is prescribed; five glasses of water. And, again, through research 

we see the benefits when we go into the senior centers and they 

say, ‘‘Oh, I still remember and I still have my jar with my name 

on it. I tell my children not to drink from it.’’ That way, at the end 

of the day we don’t say, ‘‘Well, was it three or was that four glasses 

that I had?’’ We know the amount that that individual consumed. 

And, as you point out, women are the caregivers primarily, the 

caretakers in the family. So through our training, through our research and these classes that we have, it was the women, and then 

they would invite the husband. 

‘‘But look, it’s so simple.’’ And then the exercises that we did 

were designed through our kinesiology department for an aging 

population, exercise and plays with the stretch band, and we have 

a video of that. So when they see their image projected as part of 

what we consider best practices, then the husband wants to come 

in for the next taping to be part of that. 

Chairman TIBERI. Thank you. 

Mr. Hinojosa. 

30

Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Sullivan, I’m so glad that you came, because 

I want to share a story with you. 

About a month ago, maybe six weeks ago, I broke bread with the 

president of Home Depot in Atlanta, Georgia. We were having a 

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Retreat, and he agreed to 

have breakfast with us, and I happened to sit next to him, and I 

heard some stories of how Home Depot is partnering, as in your 

presentation, as it applies to health. But I like the fact that youall are involving folks 50, 55 years and older in ways that are innovative and very, very helpful that could help us continue to drive 

the unemployment rate down in this region where we’ve experienced for over 30 years double digit unemployment. 

So I mentioned to him that we have a region called the Delta, 

and that we, with the help of the Department of Commerce, Secretary Gutierrez gave us money to write a strategic plan for the 

Delta Revitalization Project. They had a 15 percent unemployment, 

so you can understand my concern as their Congressman. And they 

agreed to look at what I presented and ask for assistance, and I 

need a follow-up. 

Maybe you would be the ambassador for the Delta Region, an 

area that has great potential. 

I want to tell you that some of my friends in Congress wanted 

to know if Edcouch-Elsa was a private high school, and I said, 

‘‘Well, how come you’re asking?’’ He says, ‘‘Well, we’ve heard of all 

these high school graduates that are at Yale, at Harvard, at Stanford, at Princeton, at Boston College’’——

Chairman TIBERI. Ohio State. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. HINOJOSA.—in international studies. And I laughed, and I 

said, ‘‘It is the second poorest school district in the whole State of 

Texas out of 1,050 school districts.’’

So there is great potential, but a brain drain. They go and they 

get recruited by big corporations. 

So after this program is over, I would like to sit down with you 

and see if we can have a follow-up of that meeting with the President and see if maybe we can involve Home Depot in a project that 

now has the support of Secretary Gutierrez, who will be here in the 

Delta Region, I believe April the 21st. And every one of the successful projects that I have been involved in that are regional in scope 

always involve corporate partners. The Boy’s Club, what we call 

the high school magnet or the magnet high school program we have 

here on allied health, the community college, University of Texas, 

HESTEC, others, all have corporate partners, and I would like to 

invite Home Depot to help us in this one so that we can drive the 

unemployment to look like the rest of Hidalgo County, which is 6 

percent. 

Mr. SULLIVAN. We would be—well, first, I guess we pride ourselves in being a forerunner, and we love challenges, and this is 

one that I think we will be more than happy to explore with you 

and work through. 

Mr. HINOJOSA. Well, we have the seed money. We have the seed 

money to launch it. We just need to start off with some strong partner like you, Home Depot. And, believe me, we’re going to incorporate home health and the programs that we have been hearing 

31

from the presenters, because that’s an area that has many displaced farm workers, and it has many displaced garment workers. 

Mr. SULLIVAN. We’re very excited to explore those, would be more 

than happy to do so. 

Mr. HINOJOSA. Wonderful. I would welcome your help. 

And the last part here I wanted to ask is, the program you mentioned has the 80-hour on-the-job training, and I would ask, is this 

period sufficient or do you provide some follow-up training? I believe that’s what I heard you say in your presentation. 

Mr. SULLIVAN. Uh-huh. The training is actually conducted by 

SER as part of the 502(e) project, and it is a total of 80 hours. 

What’s most impressive about the 80 hours is there is a portion of 

it that’s focused on technology training, so getting our seniors up 

to speed on being more comfortable with the Internet, understanding how to work through the application process and applying 

online. And typically what we do is once our associate is on board, 

we will do more than a million hours of learning and training within The Home Depot. 

So, absolutely, when they’re on board, we’re training them in the 

department that we brought them into. So we have what’s called 

‘‘Before the Apron’’ which is kind of the fundamentals of the trade, 

but then based on their performance we also go into very specifics 

so they can develop an expertise, increase their compensation overall and add more value to their community. 

Mr. HINOJOSA. That’s interesting. Approximately what would be 

the estimate that you-all spend per trainee. 

Mr. SULLIVAN. That, I don’t know, unfortunately. It is significant 

investment, though. We have about 345,000 associates in total, and 

I do know that we will generate about a million hours in learning, 

so the quick math is that’s a significant amount of learning per associate that we’re bringing on. 

Mr. HINOJOSA. I wouldn’t be surprised if you-all are spending 

over $1,000 per trainee, and that is very significant. 

I find that this hearing has been very interesting, because each 

one of you has brought forward some information that we want to 

see how we can incorporate into the reauthorization that’s coming 

up. 

I also want to take this opportunity to recognize and thank a few 

people who have volunteered to submit written testimony that the 

Chairman and I can take back to Washington. I want to acknowledge Rachanna Rodriguez, who is with the Family Caregiver Program, as well as Joe Gonzalez of the Area Agency on Aging. 

[The statement of Mr. Gonzalez follows:]

Prepared Statement of Joe Gonzalez, Director, Area Agency on Aging of the 

Lower Rio Grande Valley 

Reauthorize the OAA—Care and Prepare for an Aging America 

Since it was enacted in 1965, the Older Americans Act (OAA) has served as the 

legislative vehicle and guiding force behind efforts to help older Americans age in 

their homes and communities safely and with maximum dignity and independence 

for as long as possible. As the baby boom generation ages, ensuring that the necessary supports are in place to promote healthy and productive aging has never 

been more important. 

The OAA offers an extensive range of options for older adults, including, but not 

limited to homecare services, transportation, ombudsman, case management, advoVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:50 Aug 18, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\DOCS\SE\4-3-06\27-977.TXT DICK
32

cacy and assistance. The breadth and depth of OAA programs and services provide 

essential support to older adults who wish to age in place. 

One of the reasons the OAA is so successful is that it is based on an effective 

and efficient system—the national Aging Network—which serves as the infrastructure for aging service delivery at the federal, state and local level. The OAA binds 

together all 650 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and 240 Title VI Native American 

aging programs across the country, providing a support structure for planning, service coordination, oversight, and advocacy on programs and services that reach more 

than eight million older Americans every year. AAAs serve as the focal point at the 

community level to link seniors and their family caregivers to a myriad of services. 

AAAs serve as a single point of entry for the complex and fragmented range of 

home and community-based services for older adults and their caregivers, including 

congregate and home-delivered meals, other in-home services for the vulnerable seniors (such as personal care and chore services), elder abuse prevention and protections, the nursing home ombudsman program, senior centers, transportation, consumer information, education and counseling and senior employment. 

AAAs and Title VI agencies leverage federal dollars with other federal, state, local 

and private funds to meet the needs and provide a better quality of life for millions 

of older adults. According to a quote from the Administration on Aging: ‘‘In FY 2003 

state and local communities leveraged approximately $2 from other sources for 

every $1 of federal funding; for intensive in-home services, the ratio was closer to 

$3 to $1.’’

The OAA offers an extensive range of options for older adults, including, but not 

limited to homecare services, transportation, ombudsman, case management, advocacy and assistance. The breadth and depth of OAA programs and services provide 

essential support to older adults who wish to age in place. 

One of the reasons the OAA is so successful is that it is based on an effective 

and efficient system—the national Aging Network—which serves as the infrastructure for aging service delivery at the federal, state and local level. The OAA binds 

together all 650 AAAs and 240 Title VI Native American aging programs across the 

country, providing a support structure for planning, service coordination, oversight, 

and advocacy on programs and services that reach more than eight million older 

Americans every year. AAAs serve as the focal point at the community level to link 

seniors and their family caregivers to a myriad of services. 

AAAs serve as a single point of entry for the complex and fragmented range of 

home and community-based services for older adults and their caregivers, including 

congregate and home-delivered meals, other in-home services for the vulnerable seniors (such as personal care and chore services), elder abuse prevention and protections, the nursing home ombudsman program, senior centers, transportation, consumer information, education and counseling and senior employment. 

AAAs and Title VI agencies leverage federal dollars with other federal, state, local 

and private funds to meet the needs and provide a better quality of life for millions 

of older adults. According to AoA: ‘‘In FY 2003 * * * state and local communities 

leveraged approximately $2 from other sources for every $1 of federal funding; for 

intensive in-home services, the ratio was closer to $3 to $1.’’

Many AAAs manage or receive funding from a variety of sources in addition to 

the OAA, including Medicaid waivers for home and community-based care, social 

service block grants, transportation funds, and state-funded in-home service programs. AAAs have demonstrated an extraordinary record of achievement in stretching limited federal resources to help hundreds of thousands of older people avoid 

costly nursing home placement and remain independent. OAA funds make it possible for AAAs to leverage millions of non-federal dollars from local governments, 

foundations, the private sector, and participant and volunteer contributions. 

This year, the first baby boomers are turning 60, the age of eligibility for OAA 

services. Over the course of the next three decades, the aging of the baby boomers 

will have a direct and dramatic impact on national, state and local policies, programs and services. With the first of the 77 million baby boomers approaching retirement age, and the current senior population experiencing a ‘‘longevity boom’’ of 

unprecedented proportions, now is the time for individuals, families, communities 

and the nation as a whole to plan and prepare for this coming demographic explosion. 

To balance the current and future needs of the older adult population, n4a believes that legislative changes are needed to improve the accessibility and quality 

of OAA programs, while meeting rising demand. 

As such, the following are recommendations to be considered for the OAA Re-authorization: 

33

1. Help Communities Prepare to Meet Demographic Challenges 

The increase in the numbers of aging citizens will impact the social, physical and 

fiscal fabric of our nation’s cities and counties, directly and dramatically affecting 

local aging, health, human services, land use, housing, transportation, public safety, 

workforce development, economic development, recreation, education/lifelong learning, and volunteerism/civic engagement policies and services. 

Given their mandated role under the OAA to create multi-year plans for the development of comprehensive, community-based services which meet the needs of 

older adults, AAAs and Title VI Native American aging programs are in a unique 

position to help communities prepare to address the challenges and opportunities 

posed by the growing numbers of older adults. 

New language should be included in the OAA to authorize State Units on Aging, 

Area Agencies on Aging and Title VI Native American aging programs to help communities prepare for the aging of the baby boomers. 

New funds will be needed to support this expanded role, which would support a 

full or part-time planning staff position in every AAA. This professional planner 

would offer the Aging Network’s expertise to help state agencies, local city and county elected officials, local government agencies, tribal councils, and private and nonprofit organizations to develop policies, programs and services to foster livable communities for all ages. In addition we recommend that: • Funding be non-formula based, with a minimum level of funding and additional 

formula-based funding to increase resources to more heavily populated service 

areas, and have a 25 percent non-federal match requirement. 

• It includes non-formula based funding to State Units on Aging to coordinate 

state-level preparedness planning. 

• A national resource center on aging in place be established to provide the necessary guidance, training and technical assistance to SUAs, AAAs and Title VI Native American aging programs in their efforts to help communities become livable 

communities for all ages. 

• The new provision be evaluated and sunsetted in 10 years. 

2. Strengthen the Aging Network as a Single Point of Entry 

The OAA reauthorization should permanently establish authorized Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRCs) within every service area in the nation, with AAAs 

given the right of first refusal to be designated as the ADRC within their service 

areas. The ADRC program, part of the President’s New Freedom Initiative, and 

spearheaded by the U.S. Administration on Aging and Centers for Medicare and 

Medicaid Services, has helped 43 states integrate their long-term support programs 

for the elderly and people with disabilities into a single coordinated system. 

The OAA and the Aging Network comprise the nation’s non-Medicaid long-term 

care system, and many AAAs manage Medicaid home and community-based longterm care services. In order to structure a system that is easily accessible to all who 

need long-term care, AAAs and Title VI Native American aging programs should be 

the single point of entry for both Medicaid and non-Medicaid long-term care services. 

Many individuals with disabilities, whether age-onset or life-long, need information on and access to basic supportive services that will enable them to become or 

remain active and contributing members of the community. Over the last 30 years, 

AAAs and Title VI Native American aging programs have developed the infrastructure that coordinates a host of programs that provide information on, access to and 

choices for individuals who seek such services. 

AAAs have become the first and most trusted source for older Americans and 

their caregivers who are seeking information on home and community based services, both public and private, anywhere in the nation. The rising numbers of aging 

baby boomers will bring a corresponding increase in the need and demand for a ‘‘one 

stop’’ source of information as well as a single point of entry into the aging services 

system. 

3. Enhance the Aging Network’s Role in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention 

To enhance the ability of AAAs to carry out health promotion and disease prevention efforts, an authorization level of $50 million for the Title III-D program and 

$10 million of the appropriation be set aside to pilot, through the AAAs, a community-based collaborative between local aging and healthcare providers to promote 

disease prevention services. 

Although only funded at $21 million in prior years and eliminated in the President’s FY 2007 budget, Title III-D of the OAA has played a pivotal role in disease 

prevention and health promotion services for seniors in communities across America. This program has become increasingly invaluable as recent evidence-based reVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:50 Aug 18, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\DOCS\SE\4-3-06\27-977.TXT DICK
34

search continues to prove that health promotion and disease prevention not only 

contribute significantly to an individual’s quality of life, but also are a cost-effective 

means of reducing, or in some cases eliminating, acute or chronic care costs. 

As the coordinators and providers of home and community-based services at the 

local level, AAAs and Title VI agencies have long recognized the critical importance 

of health promotion and disease prevention. With limited Title III-D funding, these 

agencies have developed innovative programs that improve the physical and mental 

well-being of older adults, while reducing the need for more intensive chronic and 

acute care services. To enable older adults to remain in their homes and communities for as long as possible, one critical element is engaging in activities that promote healthy living. 

4. Increase Authorization Levels to Enhance Home and Community-Based Services 

AAAs, as part of the larger Aging Network, have the ideal structure, the established reputation, and the expertise to engage in community planning, to serve as 

the ADRC, and to manage health promotion and disease prevention programs. What 

they lack are adequate financial resources. 

The OAA has provided vital community-based supports to millions of older adults 

for forty years. Since 1980, however, there has been a substantial loss in the OAA’s 

capacity to provide services to older Americans due to rising costs, an increasing 

number of older adults in need of services in general, and the need to provide more 

extensive services to larger numbers of vulnerable older persons living into their 

80s, 90s and beyond. 

To illustrate how the cost of providing services has risen over the last five years, 

we’d like to share examples of a few situations in Texas. 

In many areas of Texas, especially the more rural areas, a pattern that holds up 

across the country, transportation is one of the most requested services by older 

adults. It is also one of the most under-funded and suffers from the most rapidly 

rising costs. Lack of funding has forced the Lower Rio Grande Valley Area Agency 

on Aging to seek alternatives to provide transportation that may need to fewer trips. 

Besides the oft-recognized increases in fuel costs, vehicle maintenance and insurance costs have also risen dramatically. 

Food prices have also risen in recent years, driving up the cost of home-delivered 

and congregate meal programs that are funded under OAA Title III. The Area Agency on Aging is expecting an 11% increase in the Congregate Meal rate and will be 

expecting a similar increase in the home-delivered meal cost. The Lower Rio Grande 

Valley Area Agency on Aging has funded a breakfast home delivered meal for the 

last four years. Due to the increase cost, the current meal provider is contemplating 

discontinuing this needed service. 

Unfortunately, appropriations for OAA programs over the past five years have not 

reflected these and other increased costs. As a result, they have not kept up with 

demand. 

Another factor also needs consideration. In Texas and nationwide this year, the 

roll-out of the new Medicare Part D prescription drug plan has placed additional 

responsibilities on AAAs, largely without additional funding. Older adults and their 

families have turned to AAAs and Title VI programs en masse during the 2005-2006 

enrollment campaign. Yet only a small number of local aging programs received new 

resources from states or national pilot projects to support their one-on-one counseling and enrollment assistance efforts. 

To respond to the overwhelming demand for Medicare Rx assistance, AAA staff 

were often shifted from other responsibilities to help with Medicare Part D enrollment, making this level of effort unsustainable. Even when the initial enrollment 

period ends, the public will continue to turn to AAAs and Title VI aging programs. 

Millions of seniors will continue to need counseling and enrollment assistance every 

year, as they become newly eligible for Medicare or seek to change their prescription 

drug plans. 

In order for AAAs and Title VI Native American aging programs to continue the 

tremendous amount of work that Medicare Rx enrollment assistance has generated, 

they will need new funding to support and sustain their efforts. 

In conclusion, to compensate for inflation and the rising costs of providing services, it is necessary to raise the authorized funding levels of all the titles of the OAA 

by at least 25 percent above the FY 2006 appropriated funding level, except for Title 

III-E which should be authorized at $250 million. The increased authorization levels 

will ensure the Aging Network has the necessary resources to adequately serve the 

projected growth in the numbers of older adults, particularly the growing ranks of 

the 85 and older population who are the most vulnerable and in the greatest need 

for aging supportive services. The need also exists to allow program income to be 

used as match. 

35

Conclusion 

The Lower Rio Grande Valley Area Agency on Aging appreciates the opportunity 

to present suggestions for modernizing and strengthening the Older Americans Act. 

We look forward to working with the Lower Rio Grande Valley Congressional Delegation to reauthorize the OAA in a way that respects the needs of today’s older 

adults and their caregivers, recognizes and rewards the cost-effectiveness of home 

and community-based care vs. institutional care, and prepares adequately and responsibly for the aging boom. 

Mr. HINOJOSA. Joe, thank you for the great leadership that you 

have shown in this area. 

And I also wish to acknowledge Martha Balboa Rochelle of the 

AARP. 

Those three individuals, thank you for agreeing to submit written testimony. 

The chairman is running on a very close and tight schedule because he has to be on board the airplane by 11:00 to be able to 

speak this afternoon in Ohio, and I can only say that if there had 

been time, we would have had these presentations also in a second 

panel, but we’re just fortunate to have gotten him and his staff. 

By the way, I want to give all his staff, both of the majority and 

minority party, a big round of applause, because they have been on 

this together. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. HINOJOSA. We couldn’t possibly get these things done without the formidable work that they have done in advancing this 

project. And, again, I never get tired of thanking the University of 

Texas, Dr. Bambi Cardenas, the president, and her very competent 

special assistant Carol Roche. Thank you, Carol, for all that you 

and the staff have done to make this possible. And other members 

who are here, I am very, very appreciative of how this has been 

prepared and conducted. 

I yield back, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman TIBERI. Thank you again, Mr. Hinojosa. Again, it’s 

been a pleasure to be down here once again. The people of the 15th 

District of Texas are awfully lucky to have someone of this man’s 

quality. I enjoy working with you, and will continue to work with 

you as we work through this process. 

I really thank the witnesses for their valuable time and their 

input, as well. It will be very helpful as we work toward the reauthorization. I would like to thank everyone who came, and again 

thank the staff, as well, for their time and commitment to making 

this possible. 

With that, if there is no further business, the subcommittee is 

adjourned. 

[Whereupon, the subcommittee was adjourned.] 

[Additional materials supplied:]

Additional Testimony of Jose Perez 

My name is Jose Perez and I serve as Executive Director of Senior Community 

Outreach Services, Inc. in Donna, Texas. I also serve as Vice President of the National Association of Senior Companion Project Directors representing 16,500 volunteers in 227 projects nationwide serving the needs of over 57,700 homebound clients. 

The Senior Companion Program is part of the Corporation for National and Community Service Senior Corps. While the Senior Companion Program is authorized 

under another law under the Committee’s jurisdiction (the Domestic Volunteer Service Act and national service laws), our work and that of our sister National Senior 

36

Service Corps programs (RSVP and Foster Grandparent Program) is interrelated 

with that authorized and supported by the Older Americans Act. 

Through grants and other resources-including the energy and efforts of citizens 

age 55 and over-Senior Corps helps meet the needs and challenges of America’s 

communities through three special programs. 

Why are senior volunteers and the programs of the National Senior Service Corps 

relevant to your discussion of Older Americans Act reauthorization? Because we are 

part of the answer to the nation’s growing long term care challenges and a conduit 

for bringing senior volunteers to the cause of senior services authorized and coordinated under the Older Americans Act. And we are educators and advisers in getting 

the word out on programs such as the new Medicare Part D option, and can be particularly helpful in communities traditionally overlooked in outreach efforts, including language minorities. Senior facilitators, resource counselors and Promotoras 

help individuals seeking long-term care support avoid and minimize confusion, enhance individual choices and support informed decision making. But we can and 

must do more. 

The first of 77 million baby boomers turn 60 in 2006. These new ‘‘sexagenarians’’ 

are the tip of the iceberg of the largest, healthiest, best educated population of older 

Americans in our history. They are pioneers in a new stage spanning the decades 

between middle and late life and represent an extraordinary pool of social and 

human capital. And, in large numbers, they want to do work that serves a greater 

good. 

Our new seniors were in their formative years when President Kennedy issued 

his call to ‘‘ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your 

country.’’ Millions of our new older Americans are determined to apply their experience of a lifetime to make a difference for others. Some are able to do so as unpaid 

volunteers. Others, like the low-income seniors enrolled as volunteers in the Senior 

Companion and Foster Grandparent Programs, may need incentives to offset the 

cost of volunteering. 

Too often, seniors looking for services to keep them vital in the community are 

stymied by policies and practices that discourage their sharing of experience. As a 

result, this growing number of Americans represents a largely untapped resource 

in a nation with many unmet needs. 

The reauthorization of the Older Americans Act can serve to sound the call that 

seniors are not just recipients of service and a potential drain on our economy. Older 

Americans are the nation’s fastest growing and most valuable asset. 

As but one example of the importance of collaboration between programs of government, Senior Companions throughout the country are an integral part of the 

‘‘new’’ Family Caregiver Support Program. Our grantees subcontract with area 

agencies on aging and others to deliver home services and respite services for kin 

of homebound seniors. But much as we are an integral part of senior services administered by the Administration on Aging through the Older Americans Act, more 

needs to be done to forge a partnership between federal laws and federal agencies—

in much the same way as we deliver on the ground in communities through the 

country. 

Do not look at your reauthorization of the Older Americans Act as simply renewing critical programs for the nation’s seniors. Look to this year’s legislation as a way 

to boldly respond to an historic chapter in our nation’s growth. 

I and my colleagues on the Board and among the membership of the National Association of Senior Companion Project Directors and program directors in all 

streams of senior service believe this year’s reauthorization of the Older Americans 

Act presents a golden opportunity to harness the assets of experience, particularly 

as the Baby Boom Generation nears retirement and our truly golden years. 

We support modifications in the Older Americans Act that would amplify the intended role of the Assistant Secretary on Aging as a repository of opportunity, service, and information for all older Americans. The Administration on Aging is uniquely positioned to take a leadership role in coordinating not only the activities of the 

Federal Government as they relate to seniors. AoA can foster cooperation and collaboration by example. 

The nation’s aging demographic demands that we tap older adults as a source of 

social capital and foster the growth of promising practices and program models that 

develop volunteerism to address critical human and community needs especially 

those of frail, vulnerable populations and of overburdened family caregivers. 

Recognizing that this is a tough time of limited tax resources to support domestic 

initiatives, I urge the Subcommittee to recognize the cost-effective resources we 

have at hand. It is critical that you look toward program integration and the dissemination of best practices among the larger aging network. 

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Senior Corps directors and their staff have the experience necessary to inform 

those who deliver services through the aging network, even as they deliver services 

and recruit and train others to deliver services themselves. In line with that asset, 

I urge the Subcommittee to include modifications to the Older Americans Act that 

would, at a minimum, encourage and, preferably require, specific formalized training and technical assistance from qualified national, state, and local organizations 

to state units on aging and area agencies on aging in the recruitment, retention, 

and training of volunteers to assist in operations of the Family Caregiver Support 

Program. Consistent with this initiative, I urge the Subcommittee to consider augmenting the Family Caregiver Support Program through authority for the designation of a national grantee to share best practices to the field of family caregivers. 

I also ask that the committee consider an initiative first proposed by President 

Bush and introduced on a bipartisan basis by Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez (DNY) in prior Congresses calling for a valuable incentive for senior service. I speak 

of the Silver Scholarship program. Under the Senior Scholarship initiative, older 

Americans who dedicate at least 600 hours per year in service to their communities, 

in areas such a family caregiver services or literacy training for youngsters, would 

receive an ‘‘education award’’ of $1,000 for use in helping to defray the cost of higher 

education. The award would be transferable to a family member or other youngster 

in need. While the President’s original proposal envisioned the initiative as an 

amendment to national service laws, I encourage the Subcommittee to consider this 

initiative in the context of the Older Americans Act as a formal partnership between 

the Administration on Aging and the Corporation for National and Community 

Service. 

Finally, I ask the Subcommittee’s indulgence on a matter not strictly germane to 

the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act. That is the minor but badly needed 

changes which we have promoted in the authorization for Senior Corps programs 

under the national service laws, and specifically the Domestic Volunteer Service Act 

within the Committee’s jurisdiction. 

I urge the Subcommittee to consider embracing changing the age of eligibility for 

participation in the Senior Companion Program and the Foster Grandparent Program from the current age 60 to age 55, as is currently the law for participation 

in the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). In addition, I ask that the 

Committee consider increasing the income eligibility for participation in the meanstested programs of the Senior Corps (SCP and FGP) from the current law 125% of 

poverty to 200% of poverty, in recognition of the need to grow volunteer opportunities for low-income seniors. Taken together, these modest changes, which have been 

endorsed by all three National Senior Service Corps Directors Associations, would 

go far toward meeting the desire of senior to serve and the needs of communities 

who need their service. Given the uncertainty of reauthorization of national service 

laws under the Committee’s jurisdiction, your action in the context of legislation 

aimed at addressing the Federal Government’s role in meeting the needs of our 

greatest natural resource—our seniors—would make great sense. 

I, and the Board of Directors of the National Association of Senior Companion 

Project Directors, are available to provide our wealth of technical and substantive 

expertise in support of your reauthorization efforts. 

Thank you for this opportunity and I welcome your questions.

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