view the brochure! - Pima Council On Aging

PART I:
INTRODUCTION TO THE OLDER AMERICANS ACT AND THE AREA PLAN
The Older Americans Act was created by Congress and signed into law by President
Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. Title I of the Act establishes the seniors’ Bill of Rights. Title II
created the Administration on Aging (AOA) now known as the Administration for Community
Living (ACL) that is located in the Department of Health and Human Services and allowed for
subsequent creation of state and local units on aging. The Act allocates funds under Titles III
and VII to State Units on Aging to plan, develop and coordinate systems of supportive in-home
and community-based services for seniors. Under Title V, the ACL funds the Senior
Community Service Employment Program. Under Title VI, the ACL awards funds to tribes and
native organizations to meet the needs of older American Indians, Aleuts, Eskimos, and
Hawaiians.
The Older Americans Act of 1965 has been reauthorized fifteen times with the most recent
amendment occurring in 2006. The Older Americans Act remains the foundation to improve
the quality of life for all older Americans for now and the near future.
Under the Act, State Agencies on Aging, sometimes called State Units on Aging, are located in
every state and territory in the United States. Most states are divided into planning and service
areas so that programs can be designed to meet the locally identified needs of older persons
residing in those areas. There are approximately 665 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) in the
nation, of which Pima Council on Aging is one of eight in Arizona. Federal funding to
states is based on the number of older persons in the states according to the US Census, and
funding to local AAAs also depends on population numbers of elder and minority individuals.
Area Agencies on Aging receive funds from their respective State Units on Aging to plan,
develop, coordinate and arrange for services in each planning and service area to meet locally
identified needs. These funds are used by AAAs to contract with public or private groups for
service provision. Because advocacy to represent older consumers is a mandated function of
Area Agencies on Aging, they are prohibited from providing some services directly. However,
the AAAs must act as the service provider if no local contractor is available. All subcontracted
programs are designed to help seniors live independently in their own homes and communities
for as long as possible.
Additionally, volunteers, families, different levels of local government, (which provide the
matching funds needed in Pima County to attract federal dollars), faith-based organizations,
and groups in the public and private sectors form a network of partners interested in the wellbeing
of seniors. They offer much support toward improving the quality of life for older
individuals.
Under the Older Americans Act, State Units on Aging are charged with dividing the state into
planning and service areas and designating Area Agencies on Aging for each planning and
service area. Pima Council on Aging is responsible for Region 2, Pima County, Arizona. Each
Area Agency on Aging designated under “section 305 (a) (2) (A) of the Older Americans Act
shall, in order to be approved by the State agency, prepare and develop an Area Plan for a
planning and service area for a two, three, or four-year period determined by the State agency,
with such annual adjustments as may be necessary. Each such plan shall be based upon a
uniform format for area plans within the State prepared in accordance with section 307(a) (1)
of the Older Americans Act.”