Oklahoma Administrative Code › Title 340 - Department of Human Services › Chapter 105 - Aging Services › Subchapter 1 - Aging Services Division › Section 340:105-1-3 - Background

Current through Vol. 41, No. 20, July 1, 2024
The Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) set up the
				  Special Unit on Aging in 1963, by executive order of Governor Bellmon, to work
				  with local groups to extend already existing programs and develop new services
				  for older Oklahomans.
(1) After
				Congress established the Administration on Aging to administer the Older
				Americans Act (OAA) of 1965, the Governor designated the OKDHS Special Unit on
				Aging, now called Aging Services Division (ASD), as the sole state agency to
				implement Title III of the OAA, coordinate state programs and activities
				related to the purposes of the OAA, and receive and administer funds made
				available to the state.
(2)
				Amendments in 1972 authorized the Nutrition Program for the Elderly, then Title
				VII of the OAA, which provided funding for congregate nutrition programs, home
				delivered meals, nutrition education, and outreach services.
(3) Amendments in 1973 resulted in the
				division of the state into planning and service areas and the designation of
				Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) within these planning and service areas. A three
				tiered system of federal, state, and local entities is referred to as the aging
				network.
(4) Amendments in 1975
				designated transportation services, home services, legal services, and home
				repair and renovation services as priority services.
(5) Amendments in 1978 consolidated Title
				III, regarding social services; Title V, regarding senior centers; and Title
				VII, regarding nutrition services. Separate authorizations within Title III
				provided for social services, including senior centers, congregate meals, and
				home delivered meals. The 1978 amendments placed increased emphasis upon
				advocacy for older persons and more assertive involvement in the area of
				long-term care.
(6) In May 1975 the
				OKDHS Special Unit on Aging was designated to administer Section 16(b)(2) of
				the Urban Mass Transportation Act as amended by Public Law 93-87, now the Safe,
				Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act - A Legacy for
				Users (SAFETEA-LU), Section 5310 of the Federal Transit Administration, which
				provides capital assistance to private non-profit organizations for the special
				transportation needs of older persons and persons with disabilities in areas of
				the state where existing or proposed services of public and private transit
				operators are not adequate.
(7)
				Amendments in 1984 emphasized that states and AAAs give particular attention to
				the needs of low income and minority older persons.
(8) Amendments in 1987 added separate
				authorizations of appropriations for several new programs, including disease
				prevention and health promotion services, in-home services for frail older
				persons, and prevention of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; and
				increased protections and visibility for the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman
				Program.
(9) Amendments in 1992
				restructured the OAA to create a new Title VII designated to consolidate and
				expand programs that focus on protection of the rights of vulnerable older
				persons.
(10) The 2000 amendments
				consolidated programs under Part B, Supportive Services, retained the targeting
				provision for low income minorities and added focus on older persons residing
				in rural areas, and added the National Family Caregiver Support Program as a
				means of addressing growing needs of the nation's caregivers.
Amended at 19 Ok Reg
				  1170, eff 5-13-02; Amended at 24 Ok Reg 1325, eff
				  6-1-07