Older Americans Act: FY2015 Appropriations Overview
Released: 2015-04-20T00:00:00

Introduction

Originally enacted in 1965, the Older Americans Act (OAA) supports a wide range of social services and programs for individuals aged 60 years and older. These services include supportive services, congregate nutrition services (i.e., meals served at group sites such as senior centers, community centers, schools, churches, senior housing complexes), home-delivered nutrition services, family caregiver support, community service employment, the long-term care ombudsman program, and services to prevent the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older persons.

The OAA contains seven titles. Except for Title V, Community Service Employment for Older Americans (CSEOA), all programs are administered by the Administration on Aging (AOA) in the Administration for Community Living (ACL) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Title V is administered by the Department of Labor's (DOL's) Employment and Training Administration. As such, discretionary funding for OAA Titles II, III, IV, VI, and VII is provided in annual HHS appropriations; OAA Title V funding is provided in the annual DOL appropriations. Title I does not authorize appropriations.

Since the enactment of OAA, Congress has reauthorized and amended the act numerous times. In the past, OAA reauthorization has included extending the act's authorizations of appropriations for a five-year period. The last OAA reauthorization occurred in 2006, when Congress enacted the Older Americans Act Amendments of 2006 ( P.L. 109-365 ), which authorized appropriations through FY2011. Although the authorizations of appropriations under the act expired at the end of FY2011, Congress has continued to appropriate funding for OAA-authorized programs and activities.

This report discusses OAA funding. It begins with an overview of OAA's FY2015 funding and provides a detailed breakdown of current-year funding for each of the act's programs and activities. The report then reviews OAA's funding history since FY2001. Next, it summarizes FY2015 legislative activity with respect to OAA appropriations. It concludes with a discussion of FY2015 funding decisions for selected OAA programs. The following appendixes provide more detailed OAA funding information and funding history.

Appendix A shows the authorizations of appropriations for each title of the act as stipulated by the 2006 Older Americans Act Amendments ( P.L. 109-365 ). Appendix B provides funding levels for OAA programs from FY2006 through FY2015.

For general background on DOL and HHS appropriations, see CRS Report R43236, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education: FY2014 Appropriations . For more information about the Older Americans Act, see CRS Report R43414, Older Americans Act: Background and Overview .

FY2015 Overview

The FY2015 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act ( P.L. 113-235 ) funded OAA programs at $1.878 billion, which is $6.5 million (0.3%) more than FY2014 funding. Figure 1 shows the distribution of FY2015 OAA funding by title, with program level detail for Title III State and Community Programs on Aging. Title III programs received the largest proportion of OAA funding, with 70.7% of funding appropriated to nutrition, supportive services, family caregivers, and health promotion activities. Almost one-fourth of OAA funding (23.1%) was allocated to Title V, the CSEOA Program. The remaining funds were allocated to AOA-administered activities under Titles II (2.7%) and IV (0.7%), grants to Native Americans under Title VI (1.7%), and vulnerable elder rights protection activities under Title VII (1.1%).

For most OAA programs, FY2015 funding was the same as in FY2014, with two exceptions. Under Title IV, Aging Network Support Activities received $2.5 million in new FY2015 funding for supportive services for Holocaust survivors living in the United States. Also under Title IV, Elder Rights Support Activities received $4.0 million in new FY2015 funding for an Elder Justice Initiative.

Table 1 provides details of FY2013, FY2014, and FY2015 funding for OAA programs, as well as changes from FY2014 to FY2015. Changes are shown in millions of dollars and as a percentage (not adjusted for inflation).

OAA Funding History

Total discretionary funding for OAA programs increased slightly from FY2001 to FY2002, and remained relatively flat through FY2006. Annual increases in OAA program funding occurred from FY2006 to FY2010. Since then, overall OAA funding levels have remained below the FY2010 level (see Figure 2 ). OAA funding increased steadily from $1.783 billion in FY2006 to $2.328 billion in FY2010, an overall increase of 31% over this time period (not adjusted for inflation). Additional funding was provided in FY2009 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA; P.L. 111-5 ). For FY2010, a one-time special appropriation funded the CSEOA Program to serve low-income seniors affected by the recession.

Total discretionary funding for OAA programs declined in FY2011 through FY2013, with FY2013 funding falling below the FY2007 level ($1.807 billion in FY2013 compared with $1.855 billion in FY2007). Most of the 5.5% reduction from FY2012 to FY2013 is attributable to sequestration. For FY2014 and FY2015, total OAA funding was above the FY2013 level but slightly below the FY2012 level. (Amounts in this discussion are not adjusted for inflation). For more details on funding for OAA programs for FY2006 through FY2015, see Appendix B .

FY2015 Legislative Activity

President Obama signed the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 ( P.L. 113-235 ), on December 16, 2014, which provided $1.878 billion in FY2015 funding for OAA programs and activities. As with the FY2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act, the FY2015 appropriations law reflected the new consolidated ACL account structure, rather than the previous AOA account structure. Consequently, in this report, FY2014 and FY2015 funding for OAA Title II "Program Administration" now reflect program administration costs for aging and disability services programs administered by ACL, not just aging services programs administered by AOA as in prior years.

Continuing Resolutions

Prior to P.L. 113-235 , FY2015 discretionary funding for most federal government agencies and activities (including OAA programs) was provided through three continuing resolutions (CRs):

The Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015 ( P.L. 113-164 ), signed September 19, 2014, provided temporary government-wide funding through December 11, 2014. P.L. 113-202 , signed December 12, 2014, continued the temporary funding through December 13, 2014. P.L. 113-203 , signed December 13, 2014, continued the temporary funding through December 17, 2014.

These CRs generally funded discretionary Labor-HHS-Education programs (including OAA programs) at the same rate and under the same conditions as in the FY2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act ( P.L. 113-76 ), minus an across-the-board reduction of 0.0554%.

House Action, 113th Congress

The House Appropriations Committee did not hold a subcommittee or full committee markup for a FY2015 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill. However, on September 15, 2014, the ranking Member of the House Appropriations Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee introduced H.R. 5464 , Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015. The bill would have provided $448.3 million for OAA Title V (CSEOA), $13.9 million (3.2%) more than FY2014 funding. It would have funded OAA Title III senior nutrition programs at $816 million, an increase of $1.6 million, restoring those programs' funding to FY2012 levels. The bill did not delineate specific dollar amounts for other OAA programs and activities. It was referred to the House Appropriations Committee and did not see further legislative action.

Senate Action, 113th Congress

On June 10, 2014, the Senate Appropriations Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee approved an FY2015 appropriations bill by voice vote. It would have funded OAA programs at $1.871 billion, similar to the FY2014 funding level. For most OAA programs, the bill proposed to fund OAA programs relative to their FY2014 levels, with two exceptions. The bill proposed a $5.5 million (3.8%) increase in family caregiver funding under Title III and a $5.9 million (3.7%) decrease in funding for the Nutrition Services Incentive Program. The subcommittee also proposed $10.0 million for a new Elder Justice Initiative, noting that this program was "authorized in the Elder Justice Act" (thus, the $10.0 million is excluded from the OAA total above). The bill was not considered by the full committee and saw no further legislative action.

President's Budget Request

On March 4, 2014, President Obama released the Administration's FY2015 budget request, which proposed $1.819 billion for OAA programs ($52.5 million, or 2.8%, less than the FY2014 funding level). The budget proposed that most OAA programs continue to be funded at their FY2014 levels, with the following exceptions:

$20.0 million in new mandatory funding for Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs), and no discretionary funding; $380.0 million in discretionary funding (a $54.4 million decrease from FY2014) for the CSEOA Program; $5.0 million in new discretionary funding for a Holocaust Survivor Assistance Fund; and $3.0 million in new discretionary funding for the White House Conference on Aging.

The FY2015 budget also requested $25.0 million in new discretionary funding for an "Elder Justice Initiative" authorized jointly under OAA Sections 451 and 751 and the Elder Justice Act (§2042(a) of the Social Security Act). The ACL Budget Justification did not specify funding amounts under OAA authority; thus this figure is not included in the OAA total above. The FY2015 budget also proposed transferring the administration of the CSEOA program from DOL to ACL.

FY2015 Funding: Selected OAA Programs and Issues

The following section highlights differences for selected OAA programs and issues among the FY2015 President's budget request, the Senate subcommittee-approved FY2015 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill (Senate bill), the House minority FY2015 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill ( H.R. 5464 ), and final FY2015 funding enacted under P.L. 113-235 . These programs and issues include funding for the CSEOA program, Holocaust survivors' support, Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs), and the White House Conference on Aging.

Community Service Employment for Older Americans

Title V, Community Service Employment for Older Americans (CSEOA), also known as the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), was established to promote useful part-time opportunities in community service activities for unemployed low-income persons aged 55 and older who have poor employment prospects. The FY2015 budget request proposed to transfer responsibility for administering the CSEOA program from DOL to ACL, stating that participants would benefit from CSEOA's integration with other aging services programs administered by ACL. It also proposed $380.0 million in funding for FY2015, which would be 13% less than FY2014.

Of the 56 state and territorial grantees operating CSEOA programs, 17 are in state labor departments, whereas the remainder are in aging, senior services, or health and human services departments. The FY2015 proposal noted that ACL shared CSEOA's mission of "helping older Americans maintain their independence (both economic independence and living arrangements) and active participation in communities" and that the transfer to ACL "would consolidate Federal oversight of the OAA under one department, streamlining operations and putting Federal administration of CSEOA in alignment with operations in the field." Current law does not provide for such a transfer through administrative action alone; Congress would have to pass legislation authorizing such a transfer to take effect. The FY2012, FY2013, and FY2014 President's budget requests similarly proposed transferring CSEOA to ACL.

If placed in HHS, ACL would target the program to persons with the greatest need, to consider "all sources of income" in determining the eligibility of future enrollees, and to target funds to areas "where performance data indicate the potential for the largest impact." ACL also proposed restructuring CSEOA as a community service program, stating that in the past, CSEOA was administered alongside Workforce Investment Act programs designed to meet the needs of businesses and workers looking to advance in their careers. ACL found that the CSEOA program did not "fit well" in the Workforce Investment Act framework, because "the older SCSEP worker is not looking to build a resume but rather to increase his or her income and contribute to the community."

The Senate bill would have funded CSEOA at the FY2014 level. In its draft report, the subcommittee recommended keeping CSEOA in DOL, similar to previous recommendations given in Labor-HHS-Education committee reports in each of FY2012 to FY2014. H.R. 5464 would have funded CSEOA under the DOL account at $448.3 million ($13.9 million more than FY2014 funding). Final FY2015-enacted funding made no changes to CSEOA program administration. Thus, for FY2015 the program remains funded and administered under DOL, with the same appropriations as in FY2014. P.L. 113-235 also allowed the Secretary of Labor to reserve not more than 0.5% of the CSEOA appropriation for evaluation of the program.

Holocaust Survivors Assistance

ACL estimates that approximately 130,000 Holocaust survivors live in the United States, and of those, 25% live in poverty. The President's FY2015 budget proposed $5.0 million in OAA Title IV funding to establish a Holocaust Survivor Assistance Fund (the Fund), which would also receive matching dollars from private philanthropy. The Fund would have provided supportive services for Holocaust survivors, such as legal assistance and case management. The Senate bill did not propose funding for the Holocaust Survivor Assistance Fund "due to budget constraints." However, the draft report urged ACL to prioritize this population within its existing programs. Similarly, H.R. 5464 did not specify funding for Holocaust survivors. Although FY2015 final funding did not establish the budget's proposed Holocaust Survivor Assistance Fund, it did include $2.5 million in new discretionary funding to provide supportive services for aging Holocaust survivors in FY2015.

Aging and Disability Resource Centers

The aim of Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) is to create "one-stop shop" single entry points for information about the range of public and private long-term services and supports (LTSS) available to consumers. ADRCs may provide counseling regarding public and private LTSS options, as well as access to public programs such as Medicaid and Department of Veterans Affairs programs. ADRCs also provide discharge planning and care transition services to help individuals remain in their own homes after a hospitalization, rehabilitation, or skilled nursing facility visit. There are currently more than 500 ADRC sites nationwide, operating in 50 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia. In FY2012, ADRCs had 5.2 million contacts with clients. From FY2010 through FY2014, ADRCs received $10 million in mandatory funding enacted under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148 , as amended), in addition to discretionary funding authorized under OAA Title II ($6.1 million in FY2014).

The President's FY2015 budget proposed no FY2015 discretionary funding for ADRCs, and $20.0 million each year for five years in renewed mandatory funding. The budget justification noted that since 2003, AOA and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have provided $100 million "to develop the foundational infrastructure" for ADRC services. It also noted that with additional funding, some ADRC programs could assist states in meeting requirements for an enhanced federal matching rate under the Medicaid Balancing Incentive Payments Program. The Senate bill would have provided $6.1 million in discretionary funding for ADRCs. The Senate subcommittee also urged ACL to improve coordination among ADRCs, Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), and Centers for Independent Living (CILs) to ensure that there is "no wrong door" for consumer access to long-term services and supports. H.R. 5464 did not specify a particular dollar amount for ADRCs. Final FY2015-enacted funding provided $6.1 million in discretionary funding to ADRCs, the same as the FY2014 discretionary amount. It did not fulfill the President's budget request for additional mandatory funding.

White House Conference on Aging

In the past, the White House Conferences on Aging have offered an opportunity to focus national, state, and local attention on concerns of older individuals and have provided direction to federal policymakers. The precursor to the decennial White House conferences was the National Conference on Aging held in 1950 during the Truman Administration. Eleven years after this first national conference, the first White House Conference on Aging was held in 1961. Subsequent White House Conferences on Aging were held in every decade (in 1971, 1981, 1995, and 2005.) The President's FY2015 budget request proposed $3.0 million, to be made available through FY2016, to hold a White House Conference on Aging in 2015. The Senate bill provided no dedicated funding for the conference, citing budget constraints. However, the draft report encouraged ACL to support the conference with existing resources from HHS, the White House, and across the federal government. H.R. 5464 did not specify funding for the White House Conference on Aging. Furthermore, no dedicated funding for the conference was provided in final FY2015-enacted appropriations.

The White House plans to hold the conference in 2015 in Washington, DC. The conference website notes that "without direct appropriations, the scale and scope of the Conference will differ from previous Conferences. However, as we go forward, we expect to use technology and other tools not available in the past to reach and engage more people than was previously possible." The White House Conference on Aging will recognize the 80 th anniversary of Social Security and the 50 th anniversary of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act. Policy areas highlighted include retirement security, healthy aging, long-term services and supports, and elder justice. Conference organizers have also announced regional forums and listening sessions to be held through the year to obtain input for the conference. For further information about conference activities, see http://www.whitehouseconferenceonaging.gov .

Appendix A. Older Americans Act: Authorizations of Appropriations

Table A-1 shows the authorizations of appropriations for each title of the act as stipulated by the 2006 Older Americans Act Amendments ( P.L. 109-365 ).

Appendix B. Older Americans Act Programs: FY2006-FY2015 Funding

Table B-1 shows the funding history for OAA programs for FY2006 through FY2015. Amounts are not adjusted for inflation. The table includes several non-add lines—in italicized font with funding amounts in parentheses—for specific programs within a larger budget account (i.e., Nutrition Services).