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for institutional placement to help such indi-
vidual avoid unnecessary institutional placement 
and depletion of income and assets to qualify 
for benefits under the Medicaid program under 
title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1396 et seq.); 
‘‘(B) respond to the needs and preferences 
of such individual and provide the option— 
‘‘(i) for the individual to direct and 
control the receipt of supportive services 
provided; or 
‘‘(ii) as appropriate, for a person who 
was appointed by the individual, or is le-
gally acting on the individual’s behalf, in 
order to represent or advise the individual 
in financial or service coordination matters 
(referred to in this paragraph as a ‘rep-
resentative’ of the individual), to direct 
and control the receipt of those services; 
and 
‘‘(C) assist an older individual (or, as ap-
propriate, a representative of the individual) to 
develop a plan for long-term support, including 
selecting, budgeting for, and purchasing home 
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and community-based long-term care and sup-
portive services; 
‘‘(5) provide for the Administration to play a 
lead role with respect to issues concerning home and 
community-based long-term care, including— 
‘‘(A) directing (as the Secretary or the 
President determines to be appropriate) or oth-
erwise participating in departmental and inter-
departmental activities concerning long-term 
care; 
‘‘(B) reviewing and commenting on depart-
mental rules, regulations, and policies related to 
providing long-term care; and 
‘‘(C) making recommendations to the Sec-
retary with respect to home and community- 
based long-term care, including recommenda-
tions based on findings made through projects 
conducted under paragraph (2); 
‘‘(6) promote, in coordination with other appro-
priate Federal agencies— 
‘‘(A) enhanced awareness by the public of 
the importance of planning in advance for long- 
term care; and 
‘‘(B) the availability of information and re-
sources to assist in such planning; 
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‘‘(7) ensure access to, and the dissemination of, 
information about all long-term care options and 
service providers, including the availability of inte-
grated long-term care; 
‘‘(8) implement in all States Aging and Dis-
ability Resource Centers— 
‘‘(A) to serve as visible and trusted sources 
of information on the full range of long-term 
care options, including both institutional and 
home and community-based care, which are 
available in the community; 
‘‘(B) to provide personalized and con-
sumer-friendly assistance to empower individ-
uals to make informed decisions about their 
care options; 
‘‘(C) to provide coordinated and stream-
lined access to all publicly supported long-term 
care options so that consumers can obtain the 
care they need through a single intake, assess-
ment, and eligibility determination process; 
‘‘(D) to help individuals to plan ahead for 
their future long-term care needs; and 
‘‘(E) to assist (in coordination with the en-
tities carrying out the health insurance infor-
mation, counseling, and assistance program (re-
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ceiving funding under section 4360 of the Om-
nibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (42 
U.S.C. 1395b–4)) in the States) beneficiaries, 
and prospective beneficiaries, under the Medi-
care program established under title XVIII of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et 
seq.) in understanding and accessing prescrip-
tion drug and preventative health benefits 
under the provisions of, and amendments made 
by, the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improve-
ment, and Modernization Act of 2003; 
‘‘(9) establish, either directly or through grants 
or contracts, national technical assistance programs 
to assist State agencies, area agencies on aging, and 
community-based service providers funded under this 
Act in implementing— 
‘‘(A) home and community-based long-term 
care systems, including evidence-based pro-
grams; and 
‘‘(B) evidence-based disease prevention and 
health promotion services programs; 
‘‘(10) develop, in collaboration with the Admin-
istrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services, performance standards and measures for 
use by States to determine the extent to which their 
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State systems of long-term care fulfill the objectives 
described in this subsection; and 
‘‘(11) conduct such other activities as the As-
sistant Secretary determines to be appropriate. 
‘‘(c) The Assistant Secretary, in consultation with the 
Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National 
and Community Service, shall— 
‘‘(1) encourage and permit volunteer groups 
(including organizations carrying out national serv-
ice programs and including organizations of youth in 
secondary or postsecondary school) that are active in 
supportive services and civic engagement to partici-
pate and be involved individually or through rep-
resentative groups in supportive service and civic en-
gagement programs or activities to the maximum ex-
tent feasible; 
‘‘(2) develop a comprehensive strategy for uti-
lizing older individuals to address critical local needs 
of national concern, including the engagement of 
older individuals in the activities of public and non-
profit organizations such as community-based orga-
nizations, including faith-based organizations; and 
‘‘(3) encourage other community capacity-build-
ing initiatives involving older individuals, with par-
ticular attention to initiatives that demonstrate ef-
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fectiveness and cost savings in meeting critical 
needs.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (e)(1)(A), by striking the 
semicolon at the end and inserting a period. 
SEC. 203. FEDERAL AGENCY CONSULTATION. 
Section 203 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 
U.S.C. 3013) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(3)(A)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘(with particular attention 
to low-income minority older individuals and 
older individuals residing in rural areas)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘(with particular attention to low-in-
come older individuals, including low-income 
minority older individuals, older individuals 
with limited English proficiency, and older indi-
viduals residing in rural areas)’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘section 507’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘section 518’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (17), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end; 
(B) in paragraph (18), by striking the pe-
riod and inserting ‘‘, and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(19) sections 4 and 5 of the Assistive Tech-
nology Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 3003, 3004).’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c)(1) The Secretary, in collaboration with the Fed-
eral officials specified in paragraph (2), shall establish an 
Interagency Coordinating Committee on Aging (referred 
to in this subsection as the ‘Committee’) focusing on the 
coordination of agencies with respect to aging issues. 
‘‘(2) The officials referred to in paragraph (1) shall 
include the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Hous-
ing and Urban Development, and may include, at the di-
rection of the President, the Attorney General, the Sec-
retary of Transportation, the Secretary of the Treasury, 
the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Homeland 
Security, the Commissioner of Social Security, and such 
other Federal officials as the President may direct. An of-
ficial described in this paragraph may appoint a designee 
to carry out the official’s duties under paragraph (1). 
‘‘(3) The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
shall serve as the first chairperson of the Committee, for 
1 term, and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment shall serve as the chairperson for the following term. 
After that following term, the Committee shall select a 
chairperson from among the members of the Committee, 
and any member may serve as the chairperson. No mem-
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ber may serve as the chairperson for more than 1 consecu-
tive term. 
‘‘(4) For purposes of this subsection, a term shall be 
a period of 2 calendar years. 
‘‘(5) The Committee shall meet not less often than 
once each year. 
‘‘(6) The Committee shall— 
‘‘(A) share information with and establish an 
ongoing system to improve coordination among Fed-
eral agencies with responsibility for programs and 
services for older individuals and recommend im-
provements to such system with an emphasis on— 
‘‘(i) improving access to programs and 
services for older individuals; 
‘‘(ii) maximizing the impact of federally 
funded programs and services for older individ-
uals by increasing the efficiency, effectiveness, 
and delivery of such programs and services; 
‘‘(iii) planning and preparing for the im-
pact of demographic changes on programs and 
services for older individuals; and 
‘‘(iv) reducing or eliminating areas of over-
lap and duplication by Federal agencies in the 
provision and accessibility of such programs 
and services; 
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‘‘(B) identify, promote, and implement (as ap-
propriate), best practices and evidence-based pro-
gram and service models to assist older individuals 
in meeting their housing, health care, and other sup-
portive service needs, including— 
‘‘(i) consumer-directed care models for 
home and community-based care and supportive 
services that link housing, health care, and 
other supportive services and that facilitate 
aging in place, enabling older individuals to re-
main in their homes and communities as the in-
dividuals age; and 
‘‘(ii) innovations in technology applications 
(including assistive technology devices and as-
sistive technology services) that give older indi-
viduals access to information on available serv-
ices or that help in providing services to older 
individuals; 
‘‘(C) collect and disseminate information about 
older individuals and the programs and services 
available to the individuals to ensure that the indi-
viduals can access comprehensive information; 
‘‘(D) work with the Federal Interagency Forum 
on Aging-Related Statistics, the Bureau of the Cen-
sus, and member agencies to ensure the continued 
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collection of data relating to the housing, health 
care, and other supportive service needs of older in-
dividuals and to support efforts to identify and ad-
dress unmet data needs; 
‘‘(E) actively seek input from and consult with 
nongovernmental experts and organizations, includ-
ing public health interest and research groups and 
foundations about the activities described in sub-
paragraphs (A) through (F); 
‘‘(F) identify any barriers and impediments, in-
cluding barriers and impediments in statutory and 
regulatory law, to the access and use by older indi-
viduals of federally funded programs and services; 
and 
‘‘(G) work with States to better provide hous-
ing, health care, and other supportive services to 
older individuals by— 
‘‘(i) holding meetings with State agencies; 
‘‘(ii) providing ongoing technical assistance 
to States about better meeting the needs of 
older individuals; and 
‘‘(iii) working with States to designate liai-
sons, from the State agencies, to the Com-
mittee. 
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‘‘(7) Not later than 90 days following the end of each 
term, the Committee shall prepare and submit to the Com-
mittee on Financial Services of the House of Representa-
tives, the Committee on Education and the Workforce of 
the House of Representatives, the Committee on Energy 
and Commerce of the House of Representatives, the Com-
mittee on Ways and Means of the House of Representa-
tives, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Af-
fairs of the Senate, the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and the Special Com-
mittee on Aging of the Senate, a report that— 
‘‘(A) describes the activities and accomplish-
ments of the Committee in— 
‘‘(i) enhancing the overall coordination of 
federally funded programs and services for 
older individuals; and 
‘‘(ii) meeting the requirements of para-
graph (6); 
‘‘(B) incorporates an analysis from the head of 
each agency that is a member of the interagency co-
ordinating committee established under paragraph 
(1) that describes the barriers and impediments, in-
cluding barriers and impediments in statutory and 
regulatory law (as the chairperson of the Committee 
determines to be appropriate), to the access and use 
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by older individuals of programs and services admin-
istered by such agency; and 
‘‘(C) makes such recommendations as the chair-
man determines to be appropriate for actions to 
meet the needs described in paragraph (6) and for 
coordinating programs and services designed to meet 
those needs. 
‘‘(8) On the request of the Committee, any Federal 
Government employee may be detailed to the Committee 
without reimbursement, and such detail shall be without 
interruption or loss of civil service status or privilege.’’. 
SEC. 204. ADMINISTRATION. 
Section 205 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 
U.S.C. 3016) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) in subparagraph (C), by adding 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(ii) in subparagraph (D), by striking 
‘‘; and’’ and inserting a period; and 
(iii) by striking subparagraph (E); 
and 
(B) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A)— 
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