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H E A R I N G

BE FO RE TH E

COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES 

UNITED STATES SENATE

NINE TY -FIFTH CONGEESS

SECOND SESSION

ON

ROBERT C. BENEDICT, OF PENNSYLVANIA, TO BE 

COMMISSIONER ON AGING

February 7, 1978

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Print ed for the use of the Committee on Human Resources

32-020 O

U.S. GOVERNM ENT PR INTING OFFICE

WA SHING TON : 197S
•4 *

COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOU RCES

H AR RIS ON A. WILLIAM S, Jr., New Jersey. Chair ma n

JE N N IN GS RAN DOLP H, West Virginia 

CLA IB O R N E PE LL, Rhode Island 

ED W AR D M. K E N N E D Y , Massachusetts 

G A Y L O R D NEL SO N, Wisconsin 

TH OM AS F. EAG LETO N , Missouri 

A LA N CR AN STO N , California 

WI LL IAM D. HAT HAW AY , Maine 

DO N ALD W. R IE G LE, Jr., Michigan

Stephen J. Par ad ise, Gen eral Co un sel and Sta ff Director

Marj orie M. Whit taker, Ch ief Clerk

D on A . Zimm erm an, Minori ty Co un sel

Gre go ry F usco, Mino rity St af f Director

JA CO B K. J AV IT S, New Yor k 

RI CH ARD S. S CH W EIK ER, Pennsylvania 

RO BER T T. STA FFO R D , Vermont 

O RRIN G. H AT CH , Utah

JOH N H. CH A FEE, Rhode Island 

S. I. H AY AKAW A, California

(II)
NOMINATION

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1978

• U.S. Senate,

Committee on Human Resources.

Washington, D.C.

The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:10 a.m. in room 4232, 

Dirksen Senate Office Building, Senator Thomas F. Eagleton presiding pro tempore.

Present: Senators Williams, Kennedy, Eagleton, Cranston, and 

Javits.

Senator Eagleton. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. The 

Committee on Human Resources meets this morning to take testimony 

from 10 distinguished citizens who have been nominated by the 

President for important offices in the executive branch.

We have before us for consideration a Commissioner Designate on 

Aging, five nominees to be members of the Board of Directors of the 

Legal Services Corporation, an Assistant Secretary Designate for 

Mine Safety and Health within the Department of Labor, a nominee 

as member of the Railroad Retirement Board, two nominees to 

membership on the National Council on Educational Research and a 

nominee as member of the Board of Trustees of the Harry S. Truman 

Scholarship Foundation.

We welcome the nominees and look forward to a productive discussion with them about their impending duties. The first nomination 

before the committee is that of Robert Benedict, to be Commissioner 

on Aging. Senator Heinz of Pennsylvania will introduce Mr. Benedict.

First, however, we have a statement on behalf of the chairman 

of the committee, Senator W’illiams, and I will make it a part of the 

record a t this point.

Opening Statement of Senator Harrison A. WTlliams, J r., 

Chairman, Committee on Human Resources

The Chairman. Mr. Benedict comes before the committee with both 

academic and practical experience in the area of aging. His most recent 

assignment as Commissioner of the Office on Aging for the State of 

Pennsylvania has given him a rich background in policy and administration which will be of great value in his new duties. Though Mr. 

Benedict is only 38 years old, I know he has an intimate knowledge 

of, and has keen sensitivity for, the problems experienced by the 

elderly.

The Older Americans Act is currently being considered for extension 

and reauthorization. This is the time for real vision, creative thinking, 

and progressive program development to improve the quality of life 

for our senior citizens. Mr. Benedict’s experiences show that he is most 

(1)
2

concerned about the pro blems facing futur e gen era tions of elderly. 

He is aware th at mem bers of the aging comm unity have different 

needs and require varying degrees of services, dep end ing on wh eth er 

they migh t be urb an, rur al, poor, or otherwise situa ted .

I know th at , w ith Mr. Be nedic t’s qualifica tions and pa st experiences, 

he will no t only car ry ou t the ma nd ate as req uir ed by the Older 

Americ ans Act, bu t can use th e Office of Ad mi nis tra tio n on Aging to 

becom e a tr ue adv ocate fo r th e o lder Americans c om mu nit y throug ho ut 

the Federal Gov ernment.

Se nator Eag leto n. Senator Hei nz.

STA TEM ENT OF HON. JOHN HE INZ, A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE 

STATE OF PEN NSY LVANIA

Se na tor H ein z. Mr. Ch air man, th an k you very much. I app reciate 

the op po rtu nity to be with you today for these im po rtan t hearings. I 

am here, as you know, to int rodu ce Ro be rt C. Bened ict a nd to express 

my str on g support for his con firm atio n as Com mission er on Aging.

I can speak with some personal knowledge of Bob Bened ict, because 

over the p as t se veral years my office and I h ave had fr eq ue nt occasions 

to work with him on a va rie ty of issues affecting older people in my 

home St ate of Penn sylvan ia. In each one of my encounte rs with him — 

even in those rar e instanc es, and they hav e been rare, when we may 

hav e disa greed— I hav e been sinc erely impressed by Mr. Be nedic t’s 

know ledg e, his skill, his sense of ded ication to the work he has 

un de rta ke n.

Th ere is no do ub t in my mind th at he is a comm itte d advocate for 

the welfare and dig nity of old er people. Ju st as im po rta nt, he is a 

capable, com pet ent , and cre ati ve ad mi nis tra tor who can insure th at 

services are m ade available to the elde rly in a res ponsive, efficient, and 

accessible fashion.

While I wish to be brief, an d I will be brief, let me ju st say a few 

words ab ou t Mr. Bened ict’s wo rk as comm issioner of aging in the 

Comm onwealth of Pennsylva nia , because his experienc e there bea rs 

dir ectly on his fitness to serve here in the post for which you are 

conside ring h im today.

Th e most im po rta nt tas k th at Mr. Ben edict faced as our commissioner was to effectively imple me nt on a State level the prog rams 

cre ate d by the Congress throug h the Older Am ericans Act. He did an 

ex tra ordina rily successful job , ami I think the serv ice network he 

help ed cre ate in my St ate rep resents a model of which we at the 

Federal level can be pro ud. He played an ext rem ely active role as 

Comm issioner in seeking to lib erate aging pro gra ms from the narrow 

co ns tra ints of the “w elfare m en ta lity ,” and was careful to keep our 

Sta te ’s service programs ou t of the hands of the pub lic relief system.

He also demo nstra ted a cle ar sense of i nnovation th at allowed local 

area Agencies on Aging to make the most of their resources with a 

minim um of needless bu reau crati c restric ton s, and th at is a talent we 

should welcome at any level of admi nis tra tio n.

In summ ary , Mr. Ch airma n, I think th at Bob Benedic t has shown 

himself to be an extrem ely able pub lic servan t who care s about older 

people, who understands their nee ds and who has sought to provide 

servic es in an effective and in a com passion ate wa y. If his experience
3

in Pennsylvan ia is any guide I am sure th at Bob Bened ict will be a 

Comm issio ner of Agin g who will mak e thi s comm ittee proud of its 

su pp or t for him.

I will be pleased, of co urse, to answer an y quest ion s. I do than k y ou, 

Mr. Ch airma n, for this op po rtu nity to int rod uce Bob Bened ict of 

Pen nsy lvania .

Se na tor E agleton. Tha nk you, Senator Heinz.

I have a biog raph ical sketc h of Mr. Bened ict which shows his 

academ ic training and his professional experience in the field of aging, 

and unless there be an objection, I will ask th at thi s bac kgroun d 

ske tch be printe d in the rec ord .

[The biographical sketc h of Mr. Ben edict follows:]
4

9 /1 9 /7 7

PROFESSIONAL VITA

R o b e rt C. B e n e d ic t

PERSONAL DATA

R ob e rt C lyde B e n e d ic t 

59 Oakwood Avenue

M echanic sburq , P e n n s y lv a n ia 170 55

Dat e o f B ir t h : 1 1 -2 9 -4 0

F a m ily : M a rrie d - - Jo an ne M a ri e B e n e d ic t

C h il d re n - - Amy M a rie ( 5 ) , D avi d M atth ew ( 3 }

Ph on e: (7 17) 697 -8 92 1 — home

(7 17 ) 787-5 350 — o f f ic e

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

U nd e rg ra d u ate : E a s te rn M ic h ig a n U n iv e r s it y , Y p s ila n t i, M ic hig an 

D egre e: B a c h e lo r o f S c ie n c e , 1965 

M a jo rs : H is to r y and P o lit ic a l S cie n ce 

M in o r: E n g li s h Language

G ra d u ate : The U n iv e r s it y o f M ic h ig a n , Ann A rb o r, M ic h ig a n

D egre e: M a s te r o f P u b li c A d m in is tr a tio n , 1969

The U n iv e r s it y o f M ic hig an-W ayn e S ta te U n iv e r s it y , 

I n s t i t u t e o f G e ro n to lo g y , Ann A rb o r, M ic h ig a n 

C e r t if ic a t e : S p e c ia lis t in A g in g , 1969

RELATED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

The E xe c u ti v e O ffic e o f th e G o ve rn or, L a n s in g , M ic h ig a n 

S ta te Human R eso urc es C o u n c il — S t a f f A s s o c ia te f o r Human 

S e rv ic e s , 196 5- 19 67 - c o n c e n tr a te d on V o lu n ta ry S e c to r Res ourc es

The U n iv e r s it y o f M ic hig an-W ayne S ta te U n iv e r s it y , The I n s t it u t e 

o f G e ro n o tl o g y , Ann A rb o r, M ic h ig a n - - s t a f f a s s o c ia te fa c u lt y 

me mber, D ir e c to r o f S h o rt Term T ra in in g and D ir e c to r o f th e 

R e s id e n tia l I n s t it u t e on A g in g Pro gra m , 19 69-1 97 2

The D epartm ent o f P u b li c W e lf a re , H a rris b u rg , P e n n s y lv a n ia 

D ir e c to r , Bu reau f o r 't h e A g in g and C om m is sio ner, O f fic e f o r 

th e A g in g , 1972 - p re s e n t

In te rn s h ip s w it h : (1 )

(2 )

(3 )

The Peace Corps - W a sh in g to n , D .C ., 19 63 ; 

The M ic h ig a n S ta te L e g is la t u r e , I9 6 0 ; and 

Th e P e n n s y lv a n ia D epartm ent o f P u b li c 

W e lf a re , 1970
o

Profes sional Vita 

Robert C. Benedict

9/19/77 

Page Two

Member of the C e rt ific a ti o n Board fo r Homes fo r the Aged 

fo r United M in is trie s o f the Methodist Church, 1971-1973

Con sultation fo r: (1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

Center on Aging, Duke Univ ers ity; 

In te rn at iona l Center on Social 

Gerontology;

National Center on the Black Aging; 

In s ti tu te of Gerontology - Univer sity 

of Michigan-Wayne State Univ ers ity; 

Macy Foundation; and

National Council on Aging

OTHER EXPERIENCE

The United States Navy, 1958-1961

Organized and Directed the Campus Service Corps, Eastern Michigan 

Unive rsity , a fa culty and student voluntee r or gan izat io n, 1963-1965

Dire ctor, Low-Income Family Planning Program, Ann Arbo r, Michigan 

1968-1969

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

The American Society fo r Public Ad ministra tio n

The American Academy of P o liti c a l and Social Science

. The Gerontological So cie ty -- Co-Chairman ele ct, Public 

Informa tion Committee

The National Associa tion of State Units on Aging

PUBLICATIONS AND WRITINGS

Benedict, Robert C. "The Plig ht of Aged Indians in America", in

Occasional Papers in Gerontology - Ho. 6 I Ann Arbor: In stitu te 

of Gerontology, the Unive rsity of Michiga n), 1973.

Department of Public Welfare , Caring fo r Elder ly Persons. A rep ort 

prepared by the Bureau fo r the Aging. Harrisbu rg: Department 

of Public Welfare, 1973.

Benedict, Robert C. '" A u th o ri ty Structures : Public and Priva te 

Sponsorship of Senior Centers". Unpublished paper prepared 

fo r the National Council on Aging, Washington, D.C ., 1975.

Benedict, Robert C. and Hoke, Richard R. "Toward Community Services 

fo r the Aging: A Sta te Agency Pe rspe ctive", in Planning 

Serv ices fo r Older People: Tran siat in o Objectiv es in to 

Effe ctive Programs, George Maddox fed? ,, ^Durham: Duke U niv ers ity),
6

1J

Professional Vita 9/V )/ n

Robert C. Benedict Page Three

'Benedict, Robert C. "Trends in the Development of Services fo r 

the Aging Under the Older Americans Act". A paper delivered 

at the Belmont Conference, Gerontolo gical So cie ty, spring 1976. 

Pu blication date - 1977.

Benedict, Robert C. "S tate Governments and Aging Services: A 

Policy Perspective on the Future". A paper prepared fo r 

the National Governors Conference, Washington, D.C.

Pu blica tion date - 1977.

Ben edict, Robert C. "Who Should Live in Congregate Housing", 

a paper prepared fo r the Intern ationa l Center fo r Social 

Gerontology, Washington, D.C., pu blicat ion da te, 1977/78.

Ben edict, Robert C. "R eauthorization of the Older Americans 

. . Act: A Case fo r Complete Overhaul", testimony presented 

to the House Selec t Committee on Aging. Hr. Claude Pepper, 

Chairman, August 3, 1977.
7

Senator E agleton. Mr. Benedict, before we get to the questioning, 

do you have an opening statement tha t you care to make?

STAT EMENT OF ROBERT 0. BEN EDICT, NOMIN EE TO 

BE COMMISSIONER ON AGING

Mr. Benedict. I do have a brief statement.

Senator Eagleton. We know th at Senator Heinz will not be with 

us all morning because he has other committee hearings he must attend and if, a t the outset, he has any question of Mr. Benedict, we can add 

that now.

Senator Heinz. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate that opportunity but I 

do not have any questions.

Senator Eagleton. Thank you very much, Senator.

Mr. Benedict?

Mr. Benedict. My name is Robert Benedict. I have been commissioner on aging for the State of Pennsylvania for the past 6 years. I want to thank the members of this committee for the opportunity to appear before you this morning. For the present, I can speak only from my experience as commissioner, and from my personal experience, and not yet as a representative of the administration, but I understand that you wish to know some of my initial thoughts with regard to how we should approach the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act. My own approach to the Older Americans Act is one which trea ts it in a long-term time frame, longer than a pa rticular year or a particular Congress. I prefer to look ahead and consider the sort of life we would 

like for older people in America over the next several decades. As this committee knows so well, we are changing from a younger society to an older society. At the turn of the 20th century, only 4 percent of our population was over 65. Today, it is 10 percent. In another 50 years, it may be as high as 20 percent, even higher in 

particular communities. With a growing elderly population, we can expect a greater incidence of disability and the likelihood of social isolation and of people living 

on fixed incomes. And we can expect tha t there may be more people in the category that we now call the “ frail and the vulnerable elderly.” Today, 38 percent of the elderly population is over the age of 75; by the year 2000, th at figure will be 43 percent, representing as many as 

12 to 13 million Americans. As commissioner on aging for Pennsylvania, I was struck by the 

research tha t suggested that perhaps as many as one-third of the elderly population now in institutional settings might be able to remain in their communities if alternative forms of support were available to them. Those estimates and their implications for the lives of the elderlv 

deserve very careful consideration.

Working in a State agency, I could no t help but be conscious of the high cost of institutional care, the newspaper accounts of the poor quality of care, and the tragic stories of the social consequences of our disregarding those vulnerable elderly individuals who remain 

in the community. Every day our health and social service agencies are confronted with the need of an ever-expanding population of older citizens, many of whom are frail, poor, sometimes functionally impaired and without adequate services or resources.

32 -0 2 0 0 - 79 - 2
I learned in that job that if terms like “home,” “family,” and “community ” mean anything to our society, they mean a great deal more 

to the elderly who feel those values and their lives threatened with 

advancing age. I am convinced that a key to the reasonable life for 

older people requires building support in the community and in the 

living arrangements which allow these basic values to manifest 

themselves in the daily routine of their lives.

As I review the development of current programs, I have come to 

appreciate the fact th at we may be dealing with a major social problem 

which, if it goes unnoticed and undealt with, will grow only worse. 

Despite our current efforts, the energy and the commitment of the 

many fine and dedicated individuals in Federal and State governments and legislatures, the professionals and the volunteers who 

work with the elderly and the organizations th at work on their behalf, 

in too many parts of the country we cannot yet point to a coherent, 

comprehensive system of community services readily available to the 

elderly. For the people who seek those services, the result is too often 

frustration and disappointment.

In considering what I m ight like to project for the Older Americans 

Act and the role th at it might play in the lives of the elderly over the 

next several decades, I hope to look beyond just the individual titles 

to an examination of the national goals tha t must be affirmed if we 

are ever to fulfill our society’s commitment to a decent life for all of 

our older citizens.

I expect to be back to the Congress in a few weeks with the first 

steps that the administration will be taking. But I would like you to 

know generally some of my thinking as we approach the ways in which 

we m ight improve the lives of the elderly.

First, I believe it is impor tant tha t we address ourselves to the broad 

and very fundamental changes tha t must occur if the elderly are to 

be effectively assimilated into our society in the future. That will 

touch on such sensitive areas as ageism and the negative stereotypes 

tha t are now attached to the elderly, and to the constitutional and 

legal rights of older people in our society.

Second, I would hope th at we could address the very special needs 

of those elderly who are frail, vulnerable, isolated, functionally 

disabled, and living on fixed income. Any changes in our service 

delivery system would, I hope, take these very special needs into 

account.

Third, I believe we must think very carefully about the role of the 

public sector in supporting the elderly and their families when they are 

unable to provide the necessary resources to support themselves.

Fourth, I am convinced that a key to providing a decent life for 

older people lies basically in their own communities and the support 

those communities receive from the Government at all levels.

And, finally, I hope we might approach the issue of comprehensiveness in terms of the communities in which they live an which we 

hope it will be possible for older people to live in decades ahead.

Over time, tha t would suggest a broadened role for the Older 

Americans Act and for the kinds of support tha t might be publicly 

provided, including assistance we, at the Federal level, might provide 

to the States and communities as they atte mpt to provide better 

services available to the elderly.
9

Senator Eagleton. Could I ask your indulgence and we will continue with your s tatement in a moment. Senator Kennedy is chairman 

of a subcommittee that is going to hold hearings at 9:30 and has a 

number of witnesses, some of whom are from out of State. I would 

like to yield to him at this time to ask a couple of questions. He has 

a series; some of them we will get in writing. This will come at the 

conclusion of your prepared statement.

Mr. Benedict. Mr. Chairman, why don’t I jus t submit my s tate ­

ment for the record and I will be happy to go to questioning. I am 

nearly completed in any event.

Senator Eagleton. All right.

[The prepared statem ent of Mr. Benedict follows:]
10

STATFMENT OF ROBERT BENEDICT 

JANUARY 7, 1978

My name is Robert Benedic t, and I have been the Commissioner on 

Aging fo r the State of Pennsylvania fo r the past 6 years. I want to 

thank the members of th is Committee fo r the op po rtu nity to appear before 

you th is morning. For the pre sent I can only speak from my experience 

as Commissioner, and from my personal experience, and not as a 

repr es en tativ e of the A dm in is tration, but I understand th at you wished

I

to know some of my in it ia l thoughts on the Older Americans Ac t.

My own approach to the Older Americans Act is one which tr eats i t 

in a lon ger time-fram e than any one Congress or year. I pre fe r to 

look ahead and con sider the sort o f lif e we want fo r olde r people in 

America in the next several decades. I be lieve th at what w il l ultim ate ly 

make a di ffere nce is improvements in the every day lif e exp erience of 

olde r Americans. And th a t, in my vie w, means th inking u ltim ate ly in 

terms o f a pro gre ssive but long -ra ng e development of a comprehensive 

range o f services to enable old er Americans to remain at home, i f they choose, 

or to have av ailable to them the ot her resources th at they re quire.

As th is committee knows so w e ll, we are changing from a "young" 

so ciet y to an "o ld e r'so cie ty . At the turn of the 20th Century on ly 4 

percent of our population was over 65; today i t is 10 pe rcent. In 

another f if t y years i t may be up to 20 percent, and even high er in 

p a rt ic u la r communities.

With a growing eld erly popu latio n, we can expect a gr eat er incidence 

of d is a b il it y , and the like lih o o d of socia l is o la tio n and of people liv in g 

on fixed incomes. And we can expect that there may be more people in 

the category we now ca ll the " f r a il e ld e rl y." Today 38 percent of the
11

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eld erly population is over 75 years o f age; by the yea r 2000 that 

figure w il l be 43 pe rcen t, representing as many as 12 to 13 m illio n 

Americans.

As Commissioner fo r Aging in Pennsylvania I was very struck by 

research that suggested th at as much as on e- th ird of the eld erly 

population now in in s ti tu tio n a l settin gs might be able to remain in 

th e ir communities i f a lt e rn a ti v e forms of support were ava ila bl e to 

them. Those estim ates, and th e ir im plic atio ns fo r the live s of the 

eld erly, deserve care fu l exa min atio n. Working in a State agency I 

could not help but be conscious of the high costs of in s ti tu ti o n a l 

care, the newspaper accounts of poor qu ality care, and the tr agic 

sto ries of the so cial consequences of our disregard even fo r those 

fr a il el de rly in div id uals w'no remained in th e ir communities. Every 

day our health and so cial services agencies were confronte d with the 

needs of an ever expanding po pu latio n of olde r c it iz e n s , many of whom 

were f r a il, poor, sometimes fu n ctiona lly impaired, and with ou t adequate 

services or resources.

I learned in th at jo b th at i f terms li k e "home," "f a m ily ," and 

"community" mean an yth ing to our socie ty , they mean a grea t deal more 

to the eld erly who feel those values and th e ir very live s threatened 

with advancing age. I am convinced th at the key to a reasonable lif e 

fo r old er people requ ire s build in g supports in the community and in the 

li v in g arrangements which allo w these basic values to man ifest themselves

in the daily ro ut ine of th e ir liv e s .
12

3

As I reviewed the developments of curre nt programs, I have come to 

ap prec iate the fa ct th at we may be dealing with a major so cial problem 

wh ich , i f i t goes un noticed,’ may on ly grow worse. Despite cu rren t 

e ffo rts , despite the energy and commitment of the many fine and dedicated 

in div id uals in fed era l and sta te governments and le gis la tu re s, the 

pr of es sion als and volun tee rs who work with the eld e rly, and the orga niza tio ns th at work on th e ir behalf, too often, in too many pa rts of 

the coun try we can not yet poin t to a coh erent, comprehensive system of 

community services re adily available to the eld erly. For the people who 

seek those service s, the re su lt is too often fr u s tr a ti o n and disappointment 

w ith l i t t l e hope th at the s it u a ti o n w il l quickly improve.

In con sidering what I might li k e to pro je ct fo r the Older Americans 

Act and the ro le th at i t might play in the liv es of the eld e rly over 

the next several decades, I hope to look beyond ju s t the in div id ual 

t it le s o f the Ac t, to an exa min atio n of the na tiona l goals th at must be 

affirm ed i f we are ever to f u l f i l l our socie ty 's commitment to a decent 

li f e fo r a ll our olde r c it iz e n s .

I expect to be back to the Congress in a few weeks with the f ir s t 

ste ps th at the Adm inistrat ion w ill be takin g in the next few fi s c a l years. 

But I would li k e you to know genera lly some of my th in king as I approach 

the ways in which we might improve the lo t of the eld erly. F ir s t, I 

be lie ve i t is important th at we address ourselves to the broad, and very 

fundamental changes th at must occur i f the eld erly are to be eff e ctive ly
13

- 4 -

assimilated into our socie ty in the future. That w il l touch on such 

sen sitive areas as ageism and the negative stereotypes that are now 

attached to the eld erly, and to the co ns titutiona l and legal rig hts 

of older people in our socie ty.

Second, 1 would hope tha t we could also address the very special 

needs of those elde rly who are fr a il, isolated , fu nct ionally disabled, 

and liv in g on fix ed incomes. Any changes in our service delivery 

system would, I hope, take those special needs into account. Third, I 

believe we must think very care fu lly about the role of the public sector 

in supporting the eld erly and th e ir familie s when they are unable to 

provide all of the necessary resources and supports themselves. Fourth, 

I am convinced that a key to providing a decent lif e fo r old er people 

lie s in th eir own communities, and the support those communities 

receive from governments on every le ve l. And fi n a ll y , I hope we might 

approach the issue of "comprehensiveness" in terms of the community 

liv es we hope w il l be possible fo r older citiz en s in the decades ahead.

Over time th at would suggest a broadened role fo r the Older 

Americans Act and fo r the kinds of supports that might be pu blicly 

provided, including the assistance we at the federal lev el might provide 

to states and communities as they attempt to provide as well as bette r 

coordinate and deliv er the services available to the eld erly.

I personally believe that our society has the knowledge and the 

capacity to provide a be tte r lif e fo r older people. In th is as in so 

many areas, the c rit ic a l question remains our willin gn es s to take the 

actions that w ill be necessary, and a continued atte ntiveness to this 

vulnerable group in cur socie ty.
14

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I look fprward to working with the Congress and in part ic ula r with 

the Members of th is Committee in the years ahead. I am we ll aware of 

the leadership which you have shown in addressing the problems of the 

eld e rly, and I feel privileged to jo in you in the important work ahead.

That concludes my prepared remarks, but 1 w il l of course be pleased

to answer any questions you may have.
15

Senator Eagleton. At this point I will yield to Senator Kennedy. 

Senator K ennedy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to congratulate Mr. Benedict on his nomination and indicate great interest in working closely with him on a number of the oppor­ tunities which exist to better serve older Americans. First of all, I would like to gain your view of the area 3 agencies. Don’t the area agencies presently have great flexibility under the title III allotments; aside from the 20-percent set-aside for the four priority services, can’t they spend the money on the programs they want, and can’t they spread it or concentrate it to suit local needs now?

Mr. Benedict. The area agencies have a great deal of flexibility. 1 think the question is whether or not they have the resources and authority tha t is required to develop within the context of the com­ munities within their jurisdiction anything close to what we would regard as a comprehensive community services program. Many of the federally supported programs, at this point in time, are funded through individual titles, and there is very little consistency from one community to the other across the country with regard to 

what is available. What I personally would like to see over the next 2 years is lor us to take the next incremental step tha t allows us to use those local agencies as a base for developing a comprehensive range of services which begins to span the range of social and health services so tha t they are really treated as a part of the whole system rather than as 

fragmented bits and pieces.

Senator Kennedy. Programs such as nutrition and community service employment serve many of the poor elderly. When we consider how much discretion to leave to them, can we be sure tha t area agencies will be really representative and reflect the needs of all the 

elderly in the community?

Mr. Benedict. Whenever we delegate authority, 1 think we also have to be concerned about delegating responsibility and issues of accountability. From my perspective, I personally would like to see community, as a whole, fully representative of older people, involved through the area agency advisory boards given significant authority and responsibility with regard to determining the nature of the priorities in tha t community, the distribution of services in tha t community, and the priorities with regard to those most in need. Over the years, I would like to think tha t some of the same principles tha t have given us citizen participation in other forms of local govern­ ment, citizen participation in our public school systems, will eventually evolve their way into the management of human services.

Senator Kennedy. Are the poor and minorities appropriately represented in the agencies now?

Mr. Benedict. I cannot speak to the fact nationwide with regard to the extent to which they are represented on area agency boards. I do know tha t the Federal requirements certainly require the represen­ tation of minorities and low-income persons on the area agency ad­ visory boards and also at the State level. I think the question is not simply one of representativeness on the board but th e extent to which we m ay or may not want to invest in those boards powers and duties with regard to the administration of local plans.

3 2 -0 2 0 0 - 79 - 3
16

Senator Kennedy. Before we leave this point: as I understand, 38 

percent of area agencies set up under section 304(b) consist of councils 

of government, 25 percent of county or multicounty agency representatives, 25 of private nonprofit groups. City and other public agencies 

make up 12 percent. I am trying to determine how tha t kind of representation affects the fashioning of a particular program. If you have 

county officials, for example, tha t are serving, can you expect them to 

be funding Legal Services when many of the elderly might be bringing 

cases against county government? And yet, the multiplier effect of 

legal services is probably enormous, and they probably should be 

funded.

If you are giving this kind of authority, don’t you have to insure a 

greater sense of representation?

Mr. Benedict. Senator, I think you have asked two questions.

Senator Kennedy. I am trying to get them all in.

Mr. Benedict. My own view is whether a local agency is designated 

by the Senate formally as a public agency or a private agency, we have 

an obligation to try to assure that they understand t ha t they carry at 

least a quasi-public responsibility and to do everything we can to 

require openness in the involvement of the community in the administration of tha t program.

With regard to your second question, I believe, on the one hand, 

tha t i t is appropriate for us to require and expect those local agencies 

to expand such services as Legal Services for clients, b ut that we also 

have to look to the varied and mixed advocacy that comes with 

citizen participation a t the N ational, State, and local level in a variety 

of forms to be involved in the process of change tha t goes beyond 

representing individual clients.

Senator Kennedy. I won’t now take the time, but I want to get 

your response to some other questions on title III, and I will submit 

those questions.

Mr. Benedict. I will be happy to respond to them.

Senator Kennedy. Jus t very briefly, would you comment on the 

need for home-delivered meals? I would be interested in your perception of the need, and whether you support an expansion in the 

home-delivered meal program.

Senator J avits. That is meals on wheels.

Senator K ennedy. Yes.

Mr. Benedict. What I found from my experience in Pennsylvania 

is tha t the single principal desire of older people is to stay in their own 

home. There is no question but tha t the provision of in-home services 

enhances the likelihood of their staying at home enormously.

From our experience, we would approach the problem of in-home 

services not exclusively from the perspective of need but from the 

perspective of in-home services, whether it be chore or a simple 

maintenance task in the household, whether it be the provision of 

homemaker services, expansion of home-health services, and the 

provision of home-delivered meals. There is no question that those 

kinds of services make it possible for older people and their families 

to keep them at home.

Senator Kennedy. Should there be a separate authorization for 

expansion of th at program?

Mr. Benedict. I personally would like to be able to make more of 

an effort in the area of expanding in-home services.
17

Senator Kennedy. Could you give us a little better answer? Do you 

think there ought to be specific legislation? Do I gather you personally 

support that but you haven’t cleared it?

Mr. Benedict. I think, without question, of all the services th at I 

see identified under the authority of the Older Americans Act, tha t constellation of in-home services may well be the most important thing tha t we can do to help older people stay independent and in their homes. Nationwide, there are not currently adequate resources to meet 

the tremendous need that exists.

Senator Kennedy. Than k you, Mr. Chairman. I just have a few 

questions that I will submit. 1 appreciate it.

Mr. Benedict. Thank you, Senator.

Senator Eagleton. I take it Senator Kennedy will submit some 

further questions in writing. If you will supply us with the answers it will be made p art of the record as a continuum of the dialog between you and Senator Kennedy, all of which will come after your prepared 

statement.

Senator Javits?

Senator J avits. I am all for you. You apparently impressed my 

staff enormously and I am impressed with you. I would just like to 

ask one question. Generally speaking, do you think Arthur Flemming handled things 

along the right lines?

Mr. Benedict. Senator, I have come to know Dr. Flemming very 

well both during my tenure as commissioner on aging in Pennsylvania and during this transition, and I have to say to you and the members of this committee that I regard him as one of our premier public servants. I have tremendous respect for the energy and dedication that he brought to that job, and his performance as Federal Com­ missioner on Aging is a model for anyone who woidd seek to follow 

him.

Senator J avits. Thank you so much.

Senator Eagleton. Since Senator Javits raised tha t point, I want 

to go on record—I was going to do this anyway—I think Arthur Flemming is perhaps one of the finest gentlemen I have known in my entire life in or out of government. I think he is an absolutely first- rate humanitarian. I think it makes it very difficult for you, Mr. Benedict. You are a fine person in your own right, but you follow one of the great men, I think, of our modem age, and so you have a high, 

high standard of performance to equal.

Mr. Benedict. I am well aware of th at.

Senator J avits. Mr. Chairman, I would like to top what you said 

and what Mr. Benedict has said, as Arthur is a great friend of mine. 

Thank you.

Senator Eagleton. I have a couple of questions I would like to 

ask and a couple more I will submit to you in writing for answers to the record, and I ask the indulgence and patience of Senator Williams, 

who is the fine chairman of the parent committee. Mr. Benedict, up here you see some charts that we have pasted on the wall. I don’t know if you have had a chance to glance at them. It is our attempt to give a consolidated overview of the various Federal programs pertaining to America’s senior citizens. I am sure we have left some out, but it is the best compilation tha t we could 

come up with and get i t on two charts.
18

We have been hold ing hearing s, as you know, in the Senate Subcomm ittee on Aging, in con nection with the ext ension or modificatio n of the Older Am eric ans Act, which expires this yea r. We know 

as a new comm issioner yo u will have a conside rable inpu t into the 

fas hio nin g and form ation of th at new act. In fac t, we have hearings 

la te r on this morning, im minently, in an oth er roo m to h ear from oth er 

intereste d witnesses.

One of the tentative conclusions th at I have draw n is th at we h ave 

a mu ltip lic ity of aging pro gra ms sca ttered throug ho ut the Federal 

burea ucrac y, and some t h at we de al w ith with grea t financial inten sity, 

and some we deal with only nom inally.

Let me tell you w ha t I me an b y nom inally. Look dow n in the O lder 

Am eric ans Act, title II I, an d un der th at the re are the fou r priorities 

whi ch are spelled ou t in th e legislation. We tell the St ates th at the re 

are four thin gs we wa nt y ou to emp hasize— we are going to send you 

$172 million; you a lloc ate th e mon ey aro und, bu t there are fou r things 

the st at ute said th at we w an t you to do. We wa nt tran sp ortatio n for 

the elderly , in-ho me services for the elderly, legal coun selin g for the 

elderly, home repairs for th e elderly.

Let me direct you to hom e repa irs. I am ju st using this as an 

exa mple: Home rep airs for the elder, $6.8 million nationw ide. An 

am ou nt trip le th at could be meaningfully s pent I be t you, in New ark, 

New Jerse y or maybe Jerse y Cit y. Ce rtainly, in St. Louis or Kansas 

City.

Is it no t a semi- or qua si-dec ept ion to have a pro gra m called home 

repa ir for t he elderly and put such a p ittan ce in it th at really, we ha ve 

no pro gra m at all? I can ans wer my mail and people say, Eag leto n, 

wha t are you doing ab ou t the home rep air for the elderly ; win teri zation; it is a cold w inter; a lot of eld erly people in th eir homes are shivering; some are dying. I can write back and say, we h ave a home r epa ir 

for the elde rly program .

T hat is an hones t answer, bu t it is no t a com plete answer. So, my 

quest ion to you is this: Wou ldn ’t we be be tter off doing fewer thin gs 

more inte nsively the n try ing to do so m any things mea gerly?

Mr. Bene dic t. Senator, I think th at ma ny of us in the Federal 

Go vernm ent, and State governm ent and com mu nities share yo ur 

basic conc ern th at over the years as we have soug ht to improve 

services for older people th at we have ap pa rentl y done so in a ra th er 

fra gm ented way. My own sense is th at this ha s been a pa rt of our own 

na tio nal growth in becoming aware of the na ture of the needs th at 

old er people have. The re is n o question t hat we do have to observe the 

fact th at we are in a tim e of re lative sca rcity an d we do hav e to establish 

some priorities.

Bu t, my own view would be th at we mu st gen erally come to un de rstan d th at wh at we are ab ou t is providing a basis upon which older 

peop le c an hav e more meaningful lives w ithin their fam ily, within t heir 

hom e, within the ir comm unity. As we app roach the rea uth orizat ion 

of the Older Americans Act, I would hope th at we could at least 

begin to provide the basis upon which com munities as a whole could, 

one, begin to have increasing respon sibility and au th or ity over the 

ma nageme nt of huma n serv ices for older people; two, th at it focus 

prim ari ly on least res tricti ve altern atives in keep ing older people in 

the ir homes.
19

As I look at that list, one of the things tha t occurred to me is that 

from our experience, wha t I really hear older people saying is: One, 

I want to be physically and mentally sound; two, I want a decent place 

to live; three, I want to be able to maintain my linkages—social, 

economic—in the community in a meaningful way; and, four, whatever 

my physical, emotional, mental well-being, I want to be able to pursue 

a meaningful life as long as I live.

My own sense is th at if we were to begin to conceptualize a system 

of community care, if we would begin to focus on these kinds of goals 

and set aside titles anti regulations, if we were willing to focus on the 

needs of those most in need, those who are very old, those with disabilities, those who live alone, those who are on low incomes, and if 

we were ready to rest authority, and responsibility and resources in 

the community, over the long run, we would begin to see a system of 

care tha t made more sense to them.

1 agree with your observation of home repair. However, at the same 

time, I am reluctant to suggest that we ought to totally withdraw from 

our communities some opportunity to make some decisions because 

needs and problems are n ot even around the country.

So, while I would look in the basic direction that I suggest, and 

while I agree tha t we need to establish national priorities, I would 

hope that we always leave some room for some communities to make 

some of these free-standing choices.

And I would observe, Senator, tha t these resources tha t you have 

referred to under title III, are being multiplied in ways tha t I would 

not have predicted 4 or 5 years ago, in community after community. 

One sees the local agencies on aging and local public officials literally 

delving into every pot of funds they can find—local, State and Federal—to begin to try to find ways to expand these basic sets of services.

Senator Eagleton. All right, very good.

Let me go you one better. You say you would ha te to get out of this 

because that is how the States decided to spend tha t pot of money. We 

had an earlier witness, Dr. Robert Binstock—I think you know Dr. 

Binstock.

Mr. Benedict. Very well.

Senator Eagleton. He suggested this. I think it is interesting. I am 

not saying I accept it lock, stock, and barrel, but it is an interesting 

suggestion. He said, in essence,—I will take what Mr. Benedict has 

just said—let’s have a block grant to the States and to the local area 

agencies and say, OK, there are a whole bunch of things you can do; 

we can spell out certain worthy objectives, not only the four th at are 

listed there, but add to them in terms of other objectives tha t appear 

in other parts of the Older Americans Act.

You out there in St. Louis, that area aging agency, decide how you 

think it can be best spent in St. Louis, but we make one proviso; you 

have got to spend, 60, 70, 75 percent of what you receive on one of 

those objectives. T hat gets back to the question I asked you. That is, 

you are going to at least have to do one thing pretty darn thoroughly, 

and we leave you 20, 30, 40 percent to scatter around, if you want to, 

amongst a wide range of worthy objectives. But we are going to require 

you to do one thing well and you decide what tha t one thing well is in 

St. Louis, Newark, Philadelphia, or Pittsburgh.
20

What do you think of that?

Mr. Benedict. If I can begin with an analogy on that answer, in a 

way it is sort of like saying to a community in another field: We only 

have so many funds. Do we want to teach first grade children how to 

read, do we want to teach high school seniors physics, do we want to 

teach college freshmen literature, postgraduate students research 

methodologies?

I ’m afraid that what we are talking about is providing a set of 

services tha t relate very basically to quality of life, an ability to live 

decently. Except for a willingness to suggest that the local agencies 

ought to concentrate their planning, their coordination, and the 

commitment of their resources to the notion of keeping people out of 

institutions, to the notion of keeping them in their own homes free 

and independent, I would be reluc tant to suggest to any community 

tha t it had to make tha t awful choice in such dramatic terms—all 

transportation, all in-home services.

These are very difficult things we are talking about and I find them 

repeated, Senator, at every State advisory committee meeting, at 

every meeting of local area agency advisory boards because what I 

find these people understanding is that they are not so much deciding 

who is going to get served as they are making the awful decision 

about who is not going to get served.

Senator Eagleton. A followup question to Senator Kennedy’s 

line of questioning. We had a day of testimony from several minority 

groups regarding the participation of minorities either in programs 

tha t the Federal Government sort of directly operates and funds, or 

programs tha t the national contractors operate and fund.

Let me ask you this: Based on your experience in Pennsylvania, 

do you think that minorities, including blacks, Hispanics, and Indians, 

have had a significant enough input and a significant enough piece 

of the action in either programs operated by governmental agencies, 

or programs operated by the national contractors?

Mr. Benedict. I would like to answer th at question two or three 

ways.

First of all I generally concur with the basic point being made by 

minority organizations th at there is a tendency for there to be higher 

incidences of need for services among minority populations than the 

population as a whole, and that generally there is a tendency for 

them to often be underrepresented.

Data provided to me by the staff of the Administration on Aging 

indicates that of all the persons in the United States who receive 

transportation services, 25 percent of them,—under the Older American Act—25 percent of them were minorities. Of all persons receiving 

in-home services under the Older Americans Act, 42 percent of them 

were minorities. Of all persons receiving legal and related counseling 

services, 12 percent were minorities. Of all persons assisted with 

residential repair and renovations under the Older Americans Act, 

38 percent were minorities.

Are they being served? Yes; is it adequate? Perhaps not. Is it 

equitable? I honestly don’t know whether or not that is equitable.

There is another perspective from which I would like to raise the 

question of services to minorities, and I know that it has been raised 

before, and that is the question of whether or not we ought to extend 

the age discrimination inquiry to look at whether or not minorities
21

have been adequately served under medicare and medicaid, whether 

or not they have been adequately served in special housing programs administered by HUD, whether or not they have adequately been served in the variety of other Federal programs which support services 

to the aged in the community.

Senator Eagleton. An observation and then a final question and 

then, Senator Williams, I have other questions and we will submit 

them in writing. I think you appreciate the timing dilemma tha t we are in and tha t you are in. Here you are, being considered for nomination or confirma­ tion purposes at the very time tha t we are working on the legislation. We realize that you have some problems in terms of coming on board and thinking through some of your thoughts. We will be as patient and as indulgent as is humanly possible. We are going to go ahead with our hearings in the next several weeks and we know tha t in time you will crystallize some of your thinking and we will be delighted to have 

you as a witness before the subcommittee. A two-part question relating to ACTION. By the way, we had the other day, at a table just like this, we had some State commissioners on aging and some heads of local area agencies on aging, and I asked a 

similar question of them with respect to ACTION. Part 1: Do you think ACTION ought to be folded in—Sam Brown’s ACTION agency and put over with the Commissioner on Aging? Part 2: Based on your experience in Pennsylvania, of the three ACTION programs, rank them in terms of effectiveness and meaningfulness. As you know, the administration budget has made a somewhat different ranking. Senior Companions, as is. It gives a tiny increase in Foster Grandparents, a 25 percent cut in RSVP. All of them 

meagerly funded.

Mr. Benedict. With regard to your first question, my general 

point of view, which comes from my experience in Pennsylvania, but also comes from my bias and background of public administration, is th at generally federally funded programs for older people ought to be administered by and through the network which was established 

to assure the coordination of services. With regard to your second question with regard to ranking the ACTION programs, I must say, I feel a little bit like I did with regard to your question of picking out a particular service. My own experience in personal terms has been closer to the Foster Grandparent program. The Department of Public Welfare in Pennsylvania administers a very large Foster Grandparent program through many of its mental 

retardation institutions. I can only say that I don’t ever recall seeing such magic take place before when one takes a group of older persons and places them along­ side the working staff of mental retardation institutions and sees, quite literally, the children come to life, and those older persons having 

an opportunity to make an enormous contribution. I suppose tha t in some ways I might make tha t a first priority, understanding tha t I had not thought about this before, partly because of the benefit to the older people but also because I think tha t the children they serve need so badly the kind of companionship, and friendship, and love that those older people can bring them.
22

Senator Eagleton. Thank you very much, Mr. Benedict. I am 

going to take my charts and move elsewhere and propound some of 

these sensitive questions to today’s group of witnesses. I asked these 

questions on ranking because, ultimately, that is a decision tha t—I 

am on the Appropriations Committee—we have to make there and 

it is ultimately a decision that Senator Williams will have to make, 

and all other Senators, on the floor, because we have to put pots of 

money around, you see.

These are terribly difficult choices. We faced this with the National 

Institutes on Health. Everybody hates cancer. How much for cancer? 

How much for eye disease, and what have you?

And, again, Senior Companions, the people I talked to about that 

program think it is absolutely magnificant, b ut at $7 million nation ­

wide it is not really a program at all in my opinion. I t is analogous, I 

think, to tha t home repair thing. These are some of the things tha t 

really trouble me.

Mr. Benedict. Before you leave, may I make one final observation 

on your tables?

Senator E agleton. Yes, sir. Did we leave something out or did we 

misrepresent something?

Mr. Benedict. This is only an observation. I see nothing left out 

that I am aware of at the moment.

When one looks under the Social Security Act and the cost of 

medicare and medicaid one can’t help but observe tha t the cost of 

medicare next year is gong to increase by an amount which is many 

times greater than the total budget for the whole social service program for the aged represented on th at board.

Senator Eagleton. That is correct.

Mr. Benedict. My sense is tha t until we begin to develop, No. 1, 

a comprehensive approach to community services for the aged which 

spans health and social services, and, No. 2, community responsibility, 

and, No. 3, a willingness to place some emphasis on least restrictive 

kinds of alternatives, that disparity in the distribution of our resources 

is going to continue.

And the fact is, older people, in spite of their frailties, inspite of 

their disabilities, want to stay at home. So I would hope tha t as we 

consider the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act we can indeed 

continue to look at that whole table and not ju st the individual titles 

represented in the current law.

Senator Eagleton. I think tha t is a very valid observation and a 

very important one.

I have a series of questions. I will ask tha t they be given to you in 

writing and that you give answers in writing in due time.

[The questions referred to may be found in the hearing record of the 

Older Americans Act held by the Subcommittee on Aging.]

Senator Eagleton. I thank my colleagues, Senator Williams and 

Senator Cranston. I will go elsewhere.

The Chairman. Before you go, let me just say tha t I want to 

applaud the Senator from Missouri, my good friend, Tom Eagleton, 

for describing all of the Government-related efforts to help the lives 

of older people. It is an invaluable service to see on one chart all 

programs tha t we have had opportunities to influence or, in some 

cases, vote on. It is a great service and I think, this picture will be 

useful to you also as you consider the reauthorization of the Older 

Americans Act.
23

I was thinking—before even seeing the charts, Tom—how this 

office does work with other activities within the Federal establishment, so that everyone can know what you are doing and how you relate your basic mission, which is to serve the needs of older people, to ACTION, which is to use older people in serving others, such as the 

RSVP and Foster Grandparents. There should be, I would think, some communication, perhaps even a linkage. You might have clients who could be useful over there to 

RSVP, for example.

Mr. Benedict. I would agree with you tha t the Administration on 

Aging does have an obligation to reach out to these other agencies at the Federal level and begin to think in terms of some common planning 

for the development of services for older people. I have reemphasized time and again this morning the notion of community services. I do believe that if one puts all of these programs in the context of what our real goals are, meaningful life, reasonable life, decent places to live, tha t one finds that there is a basis upon which these agencies have common ground for discussion and we will be considering that problem during our examination of reauthorization in hopes to try to find ways to strengthen the kind of cooperation that can occur both here, but also at the community level, which is where all of these programs, in the end, impact on the lives of older people.

The Chairman. Under title I II, State and area plans receive money 

in the nature of a block gra nt and the communities decide the amount 

which goes into the various activities. Is that correct?

Mr. Benedict. That is correct, Senator, but a t this point we have 

not really developed the wherewithal to effectively relate that State planning process and the area planning process to the community’s right to also participate in the development of plans for the expenditure of many of these other funds in the community. That, I think, is 

maybe where our greatest challenge is.

The Chairman. I will submit some questions for a written response. 

What timing should we have on the answers, Tom?

Senator E agleton. Of course, we want to proceed, I take it, with 

this confirmation as rapidly as possible. If some of my questions cannot be answered conveniently and quickly, and maybe Senator Williams’ as well, the Aging Subcommittee’s record is going to be open for many weeks. We could ask for those questions to be responded to as a part 

of the subcommittee hearing record.

The Chairman. Fair enough.

[The questions referred to may be found in the hearing record of 

Older Americans Act held by the Subcommittee on Aging.]

Senator Cranston. I am going to be having hearings Thursday on 

the authorizations that relate to those parts of tha t, tha t fall under the 

Domestic Volunteer Service Act.

Senator Eagleton. That is very pertinent, then, to another piece 

of the action, so to speak.

Than k you, Mr. Chairman.

Senator Cranston. Mr. Benedict, it is very good to see you here 

this morning. I want to say it is also good to see Arabella Martinez present. Arabella, we are delighted you are doing what you are doing, and we know your commitment to and interest in the Older Americans Act and to Dr. Benedict’s nomination. You are good to be here this 

morning.
24

Dr . Ben edict, I wa nt to m ake plain I s up po rt y ou r nom ina tion. You 

have a very impressive record in this field. You do have a very tough 

task before you. As Comm issioner on Aging, you will be the Fed eral 

Go ve rnmen t’s hig hest ran king official devoted to carry ing ou t program s for o lder Am ericans. You will be re sponsible for im ple me nta tion 

of the Nat ion’s p rim ary l egi slative effort to pro vide serv ices to senior 

citizens. 1 ou will be exp ected to be the executive br an ch ’s advocate 

on behalf of the elde rly.

Th e older Americans th at you serve are black, white, Ind ian , 

Asian Ame rican, Hispanic. Th ey are or were labo rers, soldiers, engineers, teachers. Th ey saw us th rou gh tw o g rea t w ars. Th ey repre sen t 

our heritage. Th eir efforts gave thi s Nation a future. Th ey surv ived 

the Depressio n. Th ey he ard F D R ’s words of hope in 1933. Th ey remem be r Armistice Da y. Th ey rem ember V E Day. Th ey rem emb er a 

lot mo re th an that.

Th e Na tio n th at they ser ved really must now ma ke cer tain th at it 

serves and meets their needs. We mu st do so effec tively, equitably, 

exp editiou sly, and efficiently and with compassion. It is a resp onsibilit y th at thi s Na tio n mus t bear and should bear with jo y.

On a personal note, I ha ve a young ma n on my staff whose gran dmothe r will be 100 yea rs old on Frida y. He r family is coming from all 

over the country to be with her, and for the first tim e in 20 y ear s all 

he r children will be together, or at lea st they will be try ing to get 

toge ther through two feet of snow in Massach use tts.

However, no t all of us will live to be 100. No t all of us will hav e a 

fam ily to look aft er us. B ut all of us should be able to look to a Governm en t which cares for us and wa nts to help us when we need help 

to live in dign ity.

You are going to be heading some very im po rtan t efforts for some 

ve ry im po rtan t people. I ha ve heard ma ny good thi ngs abou t you , and 

if I can be of help in any w ay as you seek to me et yo ur responsibilities, 

do n’t h esita te to get in touc h wi th me and get in touc h with my staff.

I do have some questions. Two I will ask now. Th e rest I will submit 

for th is record, or if some thing is work ed ou t to move faster and we 

ha ve an othe r record th at th ey w ould fit into, th at is fine.

Th e two question s relat e to this: first of all, it seems to me th at too 

often too little coordination exists be twe en and am ong v arious Fede ral 

Go vernme nt programs designe d to assi st in reso lving the problem s of 

old er Americans. Fo r example, the V ete ran s’ Ad mi nis tra tio n rec ently 

su bm itt ed to Congres s a re po rt on the aging ve te ra n’s pre sen t and 

fu tu re medical needs. T h at repo rt reve aled th at by 1990, only 12 

ye ars from now, more th an half of the U.S. males over 65 will be 

ve tera ns ; and by 1995, ve terans will exceed 60 pe rcen t of the to ta l.

Cle arly, these sta tis tic s emp hasize the need for a close relationship 

between the VA and the Ad mi nis tra tio n on Aging. So, I would like to 

ask f irst w hat p lans y ou ha ve for the c onduct of a pp ropriat e coordinativ e act ivities betw een the Ad mi nis tration on Agin g and oth er 

ap prop ria te Fed eral agencies, and pa rticular ly the VA?

Mr. Bened ict. F irs t of all, I sha re yo ur concern over the observatio ns of those stat istics . I th in k they do give us reason to be concerned. 

I th in k they reflect, how eve r, no t only a circums tan ce which con fronts 

the Ve terans’ Ad ministratio n, bu t they qu ite literally reflect the 

cir cums tan ce which confr onts eve ry majo r service in sti tutio n in the 

Un ite d State s, be it our mental healt h sys tem , acute hos pita l care
25

system, or our social services system. We lace the problem of changing 

from a young society to an older society together.

I have not had an opportunity to consider or develop a detailed 

plan for interagency coordination at the Federal level. There are 

three or four kinds of directions which I am giving some thought to.

The first is to consult very closely with these other primary agencies 

in the development of a national plan on aging under the authority 

of the Older American Act that, No. 1, can represent shared goals; 

tha t, No. 2, can represent the sorting out of responsibilities tha t can 

be shared; and, No. 3, might permit the State plan on aging and the 

area plan on aging to be a primary vehicle for the expression of community goals or services irrespective of the source of Federal funds 

to the extent tha t they relate to the purposes of the Older Americans 

Act. We have been thinking about the problem. It certainly is not an 

easy one. But we hope to establish a formal vehicle through which 

those agencies can be represented in the kind of planning that goes 

into a national plan, State plan, and local plan, hopefully, tha t they 

will reflect the views of many of those agencies, not solely the more 

narrow, immediate, and direct responsibilities for direct services of 

the Administration on Aging.

Senator Cranston. Thank you very much.

I think it would be a good idea if you and Arabella got together 

with Max Cleland. I would be glad to speak to him about that.

Mr. Benedict. I agree with you, and we will.

Senator Cranston. The report on aging veterans notes that:

Senior centers are not pa rt of the VA program s since no autho rity exists for the provision of nonmedical services. However, the socialization which these cente rs provide can improve t he quality of life and in directly reduce the disability of chronic physical and psychia tric disorders. In addition, the centers can provide health, education, and preventive services. Thus, within the limits of autho rity , the VA encourages and assists the development of these programs.

The hookup between the local senior citizen centers and VA facilities does seem to be very natural one. What steps will you take or 

undertake to bring about coordination with local VA activities in 

connection with such local senior centers?

Mr. Benedict. First of all, I would expect to articulate a philosophy 

which may not always have been clear, and tha t is tha t programs 

supported under the Older Americans Act are for all older people, tha t 

responsibilities of State and area agencies on aging and nutrition 

programs do not stop at the institutional doorstep, and tha t we expect 

those plans to reflect an openness and, in fact, an outreach strategy 

to see t hat those individuals who are confined do have opportunities 

to participate in the community services programs.

To prepare for that, we would expect to have opportunities to confer 

not only with the Veterans’ Administration, but other agencies who 

are supporting programs, such as HUD and other agencies in HEW that 

involve caring for people either in housing settings or institutional 

settings to develop similar kinds of arrangements.

Senator Cranston. One other point. A number of States—among 

them, California—have had difficulty in integrating the administration 

of the title VII nutrition program with area agencies on aging. Do 

you have any thoughts on that?

Mr. Benedict. Yes; I do.
26

We are in a period of growth in terms of our understanding of what 

we would like a community services system to be. Thankfully, the 

Congress did not wait until we had a perfect model before it began to 

make resources available to address these special kinds of needs.

It recognized very early on that nutrition was a very serious problem and a need that had to be met. So, it made funds available to the 

Administration on Aging to States and communities to expand 

nutrition services. I think that was laudable, and I am certainly glad 

that it was done. I would hope that as we consider the reauthorization 

that we can focus on efforts to expand the role of communities generally. My preference is through the area agencies on aging to have a 

greater voice in the establishment of priorities, in the identification of 

location, and in assuring that the needs of the broad community are 

met.

It is my impression that today approximately 60 percent—it is an 

estimate I have heard, which I have to check the validity of—of the 

nutrition programs are administered through area agencies on aging.

I generally favor that direction. I think it is the kind of thing we 

have to work at gradually but would hope tha t the Congress would 

entertain that kind of a proposal as it considers the reauthorizations. 

I know tha t it has been presented both by the N ational Association of 

State Units on Aging and the National Association of Area Agencies 

on Aging.

Senator Cranston. Tha nk you very much. I have some further 

questions, but I will subm it them in writing for inclusion in the record, 

along with Senator Eagleton’s and the Chairm an’s. I think it is very 

important that it be demonstrated tha t young people are concerned 

about older people and their problems. Your appointment will serve 

that purpose symbolically and, I hope, substantively, and help 

convince a lot of other younger people tha t they should be concerned 

about this problem.

Mr. Benedict. Senator, I want to thank you for your kind opening 

remarks, and I certainly hope that we will have an opportunity to 

work together.

Senator Cranston. I look forward to it. Thank you.

Mr. Benedict. Thank you.

The Chairman. Senator Church, chairman of the Special Committee 

on Aging has submitted some questions for me to ask of you. We will 

do this by requesting you answer these questions in writing for the 

record. Mr. Benedict, there are two letters that have been addressed 

to me with a request to ask certain questions, one letter from the 

Association Nacional Pro Personas Mayores. This is a Spanish-speaking group for the elderly. They have some questions, also, from Compass. These questions will all be submitted to you for your written 

response.

Mr. Benedict. I will be happy to respond to any of the questions 

in writing as expeditiously as I can.

The Chairman. My opening statement, with my praise for the administration having found you and nominated you for this position, 

has been made a part of the record. We are very, very excited about 

your appointment.

Mr. Benedict. Than k you, Mr. Chairman. I am looking forward 

to it very much.

[Certain of the material referred to may be found in the hearing record of the Subcommittee on Aging on the Older Americans Act.]

[The following material was subsequently supplied for the record:]
27

WILLIAM C. WAMPLER, VA.

RANKING MINORITY MEMBER

* JAMES A. BRENNAN

A»«T. TO THE CHAIRMAN

3 3 . g > . $ o u 3 e o f f t e p r e t f e n t a t i b e s f i ' / p . / j —

& ektt Committee on Ssjing ,?7? f •••>

HJaBtjinaton, ffi.C. 20515 ~ ' 1

 ’ 27

TDJF»O««. OOU 11 M JH

January 31, 1978

MATTHEW J. RINALDO, NJ.

Hon. Harrison A. William s, Jr. Chairman

Committee on Human Resources (

U.S. Senate c>

Washington, D.C. 20510 • O

Dear Mr. Chairman: ~~

Your Committee, I understand, w il l be holding hearings 

next week on the proposed nomination of Robert C. Benedict 

to be U.S. Commissioner on Aging. The purpose of th is le tte r is to endorse th at nomination warmly, and to urge th at 

your Committee spee dily approve Mr. Benedict's name fo r 

Senate co ns ideration.

From his positio n as Commissioner of Aging fo r the 

State o f Pennsylvania, Mr. Benedict b u il t a stro ng rep utation fo r smooth ad ministra tio n, fo rc efu l advocacy and 

splendid de dica tio n. That is why I chose him la st year as 

one of on ly fo ur witnesses to te s tif y at the in itia l session 

in my Committee's series of hearings on "Older Americans 

Programs Ove rsight." His testimony was fo rth ri g h t, though tfu l, imaginative and persuasive. I am enclosing a copy of 

that hearing fo r your review.

I have sin ce had the occasion to speak with Mr.

Benedict on a number of aging issues. I am convinced that 

he would make an outstanding Comnissioner on Aging.

With kin de st personal regards, and

Believe me.

CP:ehs

Enclosure
28

ASOCIACION NACIONAL£R O FI O NAS MAVORES

January 19, 1978

The H on orable Harri son A. Wil lia ms 

Cha irman, Se na te Commi ttee o n Lab or 

and P ublic Welf ar e

Sui te 4230 Dirk se n Buildi ng 

Was hin gton, D. C.

Dea r Se nator Wil lia ms:

1 a m w riting in reg ard s to the pen ding co nfirmation hearin gs 

for Robert C. Bened ict as Com missioner on Aging ,

Enclosed are ei ght que sti ons that are of vi ta l concer n to 

this organization. We respe ctf ull y re quest tha t your Com mit tee 

ask the se qu es ti on s to Mr. Bened ict du ring the hearing.

The q uestions are based on state men ts ma de by Mr. Ben edi ct last 

August w hen he testi fied bef ore the Hou se Sel ect Com mit tee on 

Agi ng on re au th or iz at io n of the Old er Ame ri ca ns Act.. ..I hav e.. . 

inc lud ed a co py of tha t tes tim ony for yo ur info rmatio n.

3

g

s

Thank yo u for yo ur considera tio n of this mat ter . If I can 

provide furt he r ass ist ance I wi ll be ha ppy to do so.

Jack E. Ch ri st y 

l/ieneral Coun se l 

JEC :ds l

Enc los ure s

•A

a

n

o

Notio na l A ss oc iatio n Pro Sp an ish S pe ck ing Elderly

Nat iona l Executive Offices 387 5WilshireB tvd Suite 401 Los Ange les. C A 90010 ( 213) 48 71 92 2 487 1923
In a recent interview, Secr etar y Califano stated that 

racism is the major, over ridi ng domestic p roblem facing 

this country.

What steps would y ou take as Com missioner on Aging to 

assure that the Administration on Aging is sensitive 

and responsive to the need s of Hispanic, Black, Asian, 

and Native American elde rly?

You have stated that gover nmen t policy towards older 

Americans must be a two-tiered policy with special 

emphasis on people who a re alone, disabled or functionally dependent, very old, isolated and on low income.

Since Blacks, H ispanic and Native Ameri can elderly are 

predominantly low income, wha t special actions will you 

take to address their n eeds ?

You have stated that the b asi c aging process shows no 

difference to race, color, creed, sex or social status 

and that within each community we must assure that the 

services are available to all in need of services.

The Hispanic, Black, Asian, and Native Ameri can commnities have hist orically received fewer services than 

the majority community. - Wh at actions will you take 

to assure that services are provided 'to' these communities?

If you are confirmed as the new Commiss ioner on Aging, 

what issues are prioritie s for your first year in offices?

Do you contend that n atio nal advocacy organizations in 

behal f of the minori ty elde rly are not necessary?

If so please state all facts on which you have base that 

contention.

You have stated that it is important for the whole 

community, through local governmental officials, to be 

involved in the planning, management and administratio n 

of human services progra ms.

What actions would you take to insure that local government officials provid e equa tabl e service to all segments 

of the community?
30

* * * W it h r e g a r d t o t h e e l d e r l y , y o u h a v e s t a t e d t h a t ; 

" P ro g ra m s w e r e d e v e lo p e d t o r e s p o n d t o s p e c i f i c 

s o c i a l a n d m e d ic a l n e e d s w i t h o u t t h e u n d e r p i n n i n g o f 

a n a d e q u a te k n o w le d g e b a s e o r a w e l l c o n c e iv e d s o c i a l 

p o l i c y . "

P l e a s e o u t l i n e t h o s e a r e a s w h e re y o u b e l e i v e o u r kn ow ­

le d g e b a s e i s i n a d e q u a t e a n d d e s c r i b e t h e c o n s i d e r a t i o n s 

y o u de em n e c e s s a r y f o r a w e l l c o n c e iv e d s o c i a l p o l i c y .

* * * A ss u m in g y o u a r e c o n f ir m e d , a f t e r y o u r t e n u r e a s Comm i s s i o n e r o n A g in g i s o v e r , w h a t b u r e a u c r a t i c c h a n g e s 

o r p ro g ra m i n i t i a t i v e s o r o t h e r c o n t r i b u t i o n s do you 

h o p e t o l e a v e a s a le g a c y o f y o u r l e a d e r s h i p o f t h e 

A d m i n i s t r a t i o n on A g in g ?
31

COMP AS

Council on M in or ity Planning and Strategy 

1522 K Stre et N.W., Suite 806 

Washington, D. C. 20006 (202) 833-8572

JAMES FA RM ER • PRE SID ENT

GO DF RE Y BECKETT

F e b r u a ry 5 , 1 9 7 8

Th e H o n o r a b le

H a r r is o n J . Hi 1 lia m s

C h air m an C o m m it te e on Human R e s o u r c e s

U n ite d S t a t e s S e n a te

H a s h in g to n , D .C . 20 5 1 0

D ea r M r. C h a ir m a n ;

Th e C o u n c il on M in o r i ty P la n n in g an d S t r a t e g y (COMPAS) h a s

j u s t c o m p le te d a s i g n i f i c a n t " th in k ta n k " s e m in a r on " B la c k s in

R e t i r e m e n t ; An U n ta p p ed N a tio n a l R e s o u r c e ," fu n d e d b y a g r a n t

fr o m th e A d m i n i s t r a tio n on th e A g in g .

COMPAS' i n t e r e s t in th e p r o b le m s f a c e d b y s e n i o r c i t i z e n s

in g e n e r a l , an d m i n o r it y a g in g i n p a r t i c u l a r , i s a c o n t i n u i n g o n e

I t i s t h e r e f o r e w it h an a b i d i n g i n t e r e s t t h a t we s u b m it t o

yo u th e e n c l o s e d s t a te m e n t fr o m th e S em in a r C o n f e r e e s w it h t h e r e q u e s t t h a t i t b e r e a d t o M r. R o b e r t B e n e d ic t d u r in g h i s C o n f ir m a t H e a rin g b e f o r e y o u r C o m m it te e on T u e s d a y , F e b r u a ry 7 , s o t h a t he

h a v e an o p p o r t u n i t y t o r e s p o n d f o r th e r e c o r d .

Th an k yo u f o r y o u r c o n s i d e r a t i o n in t h i s m a t t e r .

S i n c e r e l y y o u r s .

Jam es F arm er

P r e s d i e n t an d P r o j e c t D i r e c t o r

G o d f r e y C . B e c k e tt

P r o j e c t C o o r d in a to r

E n c lo s u r e 2 p a g e s

JF :G CB: CVS
32

S ta te m e n t

S u b m itt e d b y th e s e m in a r on

" B la c k s in R e t i r e m e n t : An U n ta p p e d N a tio n a l R e so u rc e "

t o th e

C o n f ir m a tio n H e a r in g o f

R o b e r t B e n e d i c t a s C o m m is s io n e r , A d m i n i s t r a t i o n on

A g in g

F e b r u a r y 7 , 19 7 8

R e c o g n iz in g th e c h a n g e s in l e a d e r s h i p w it h i n th e A d m i n i s t r a tio n

on A g in g , th e S e m in a r C o n f e r e e s , i n c l u d i n g b o th e m p lo y e d p e r s o n s an d

v o l u n t e e r s in th e f i e l d o f a g in g , b r o u g h t t o g e t h e r b y th e C o u n c il on

M in o r ity P la n n in g a n d S t r a t e g y (COM PA S), w is h t o t a k e th e o p p o r t u n i t y

t o b r in g o u r c o n c e r n s t o y o u r a t t e n t i o n .

A t th e o u t s e t we w a n t t o g i v e r e c o g n i t i o n t o th e c o n t r i b u t i o n s

mad e by fo r m e r C o m m is sio n e r A r th u r S . F le m m in g i n m a k in g th e i s s u e

o f a g in g a h ig h p r i o r i t y am on g th e p o l i c y q u e s t i o n s on o u r n a tio n a l

s o c i a l a g e n d a .

h/e w is h t o c a l l a t t e n t i o n t o so m e o f th e ma ny p r o b le m s w h ic h

rem a in u n r e s o lv e d an d w i l l r e q u i r e th e c o n ti n u in g f o r t h r i g h t a c t io n

o f Mr. B e n e d ic t a s he a d d r e s s e s p o l i c i e s an d p r o g ra m s on a g in g .

W h il e we s h a r e th e g r o w in g I n t e r e s t o f A m e ric a n s i n th e p r o b le m s

o f o u r a g in g p o p u l a t i o n , we h a v e a s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t in th e s e n io r

c i t i z e n s am ong b l a c k s a n d o t h e r m i n o r i t i e s , f o r th e y s u f f e r a k in d

o f " d o u b le j e o p a r d y " - - f a c i n g th e p e n a l t i e s o f b e i n g o l d e r in a y o u th -

o r i e n t e d s o c i e t y , co m p o u n d ed b y th e e x p e r i e n c e o f b e i n g n o n - w h ite in

a p r e d o m in a n tly w h ite n a t i o n .

In d e l i v e r i n g th e o p e n in g a d d r e s s a t o u r s e m in a r on " B la c k s in

R e tir e m e n t: An U n ta p p e d N a tio n a l R e s o u rc e " T h u r s d a y , F e b r u a ry 2 ,

1 9 7 8 , Mr. B e n e d ic t s h o w e d an a w a r e n e s s o f e x i s t i n g p r o b le m s and l e f t

u s w it h p o s i t i v e f e e l i n g s . ffe w o u ld h o p e t h a t e a r l y i n h i s a d m in is ­

t r a t i o n , up on c o n f i r m a t i o n , he w i l l a n n o u n ce a s e t o f o b j e c t i v e s and
33

p r o c e d u r e s f o r a c h i e v i n g th em w h ic h p e r m i t u s t o h a v e h ig h e x p e c t a ­

t i o n s .

In a c c o r d a n c e w it h h i s r e q u e s t t h a t we c o m m u n ic a te t o him th e

th o u g h ts o f th e s e m in a r c o n f e r e e s and o u r r e c o m m e n d a tio n s , we now

u s e t h i s o c c a s io n t o p o i n t t o c e r t a i n u r g e n t n e e d s w h ic h s h o u ld be

a d d r e s s e d . A v a i l a b l e d a ta i n d i c a t e t h a t th e f o l l o w i n g a r e a s o f c o n ­

c e r n r e q u i r e im m e d ia te a c t i o n :

o R em ova l o f in c o m e i n e q u i t i e s b e tw e e n th e a g i n g , th e

b la c k a g e d , a n d o t h e r o l d e r c i t i z e n s

o D e v e lo p m e n t, m o n i t o r i n g , an d e n f o r c e m e n t o f a f f i r m a t i v e

a c t i o n p la n s a s th e y a f f e c t th e b la c k a g e d i n p r o g ra m s

f o r th e a g e d

o M e e tin g th e p h y s i c a l an d m e n ta l h e a l t h n e e d s o f o l d e r

b la c k s

o M a in te n a n c e o f p r e s e n t em p lo y m e n t o p p o r t u n i t i e s an d

c r e a t i o n o f new o n e s f o r th e b la c k a g e d

o P r o v i d in g g r e a t e r a c c e s s f o r b l a c k s i n n u t r i t i o n p r o j e c t s ,

S e n io r C e n t e r s , a n d o t h e r AOA fu n d e d p r o g r a m s , an d e n ­

c o u r a g in g m ore m i n o r i t y s p o n s o r s h i p o f su c h p r o g ra m s

o D e v e lo p m e n t o f p r o g r a m s and s e r v i c e s s e n s i t i v e t o th e

s p e c i a l h o u s in g n e e d s an d lo n g te r m c a r e n e e d s o f th e

b la c k a g e d , a s w e l l a s s e r v i c e s u p p o r t s y s te m s

o D e v e lo p m e n t o f s u p p o r t an d co m m it m en t o f r e s o u r c e s f o r

b la c k r e s e a r c h e r s t o a d d r e s s th e i n a d e q u a c i e s o f r e s e a r c h

c o n c e r n in g th e b l a c k a g e d

In r e l a t i o n t o t h e s e a r e a s , we w an t th e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f c o n c r e t e

o b j e c t i v e s an d p u b l i c r e p o r t i n g on th e a c h ie v e m e n t o f t h e s e o b j e c t i v e s

Me a n t i c i p a t e t h a t t h e s e p e r i o d i c p u b l i c r e p o r t s an d a s s e s s m e n t s w i l l

r e v e a l t h a t th e A d m i n i s t r a t i o n on A g in g th r o u g h i t s ow n a f f i r m a t i v e

a c t i o n p la n w i l l s e r v e a s a m o d e l th r o u g h o u t g o v e r n m e n t f o r m i n o r it y

p a r t i c i p a t i o n a t th e p o l i c y - m a k i n g l e v e l .

Me e x te n d o u r s u p p o r t t o M r. B e n e d ic t i n f u l f i l l m e n t o f t h e s e

g o a l s an d o b j e c t i v e s
34

The Chairman. The hearing sta nds adjourned.

[Whereupon, at 12:01 p.m., the committee was adjourned, subject 

to the call of the Chair.]

o