Older Americans Act Amendments of 2012

Bill: 112-s-2037
Sponsor: Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
Introduced: 2012-01-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Aging
Cancer
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Department of Health and Human Services
Digestive and metabolic diseases
Disability and paralysis
Employment and training programs
Executive agency funding and structure
Family services
Foreign language and bilingual programs
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
HIV/AIDS
Health facilities and institutions
Health information and medical records
Health programs administration and funding
Health promotion and preventive care
Inflation and prices
Lawyers and legal services
Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
Medicaid
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Medicare
National and community service
Neurological disorders
Public contracts and procurement
Rural conditions and development
Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2012-01-26
text: 
Older Americans Act Amendments of 2012 - Revises the Older Americans Act of 1965 with respect to functions and duties of the Administration on Aging of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), particularly with respect to those with the greatest social need caused by specified noneconomic factors. 
 
Reauthorizes the Act through FY2017.
 
Requires the Director of the Office of Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs to recommend to the Assistant Secretary for Aging resources (including including hardware and software) needed by state Long-Term Care Ombudsmen (LTCOs) to collect and report program data through the National Ombudsman Reporting System.
 
Directs the Assistant Secretary to award livable communities grants to eligible entities for the federal share of the cost of assisting communities in preparing for the aging of the population through specified activities. 
 
Grants states the option to use certain grant funds to provide disease prevention and health promotion services directly, including clinical preventive services.
 
 Directs the Assistant Secretary to award grants: (1) to a national organization to establish a National Resource Center on Livable Communities for All Ages; and (2) to carry out projects to support and promote modern multipurpose senior center models which yield multiservice, multigenerational centers for older individuals, their families, and others to gain needed skills, resources, and connections for continuum of care and quality of life.
 
Requires each grantee under the Older American community service employment program to place at least 50% of its project participants in positions with organizations that assist older adults or with duties that positively impact their lives.
 
Revises the prohibition against contracting by state LTCO programs with public agencies or nonprofit private organizations to carry out LTCO programs in any case in which there is an organizational conflict of interest unless such conflict has been identified, disclosed, and remedied by certain actions. 
 
Requires a state agency to provide the services of a state legal services developer, who shall promote the development and operation of an integrated legal assistance delivery system.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-01-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2012-01-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S133-134)
action_date: 2012-01-26
text: Introduced in Senate