May 12, 2000

Press Release | Contact: Kristie Greco (202) 225-6416


WASHINGTON, DC—Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and David Minge (D-Minn.) today urged the House leadership to allow a vote on H.R. 773, legislation to re-authorize the Older Americans Act (OAA), the major vehicle for the delivery of many social and nutrition services for seniors. DeFazio introduced this legislation last year and the bill has wide bipartisan support. However, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce has refused to take up HR 773, and instead, is backing an alternative bill, opposed by many senior citizens' groups.

"Millions of seniors and their families are dependant on OAA programs that remain woefully underfunded due to Congress' inaction," DeFazio said. "It's time for Congress to get off the dime and reauthorize this important legislation."

The Older Americans Act, enacted in 1965, provides a wide range of home and community based services throughout the United States. Programs and services supported by the Act served over seven million Americans in 1995 - 39 percent with incomes below the poverty level.

The primary goal of the legislation is to help seniors stay in their homes and communities as long as possible. Programs include home-delivered meals ("meals on wheels"), home health care, transportation assistance, elder abuse protection, senior employment, adult day care, legal assistance and counseling. Not only are these programs beneficial to seniors, they also benefit U.S. taxpayers by allowing seniors to live independently in their homes and avoid the high cost of publicly financed nursing home care.

Older Americans Act funding has not kept pace with the rapid growth in the senior population. Programs designed to help the elderly stay independent have declined by 40 percent since 1980. However, the number of Americans over age 85 is expected to increase 40 percent by the year 2010, representing the fastest growing segment of our population.

"Older Americans Act programs are currently operating at inadequate funding levels," DeFazio said. "Increased costs due to inflation and higher demand for more specialized services have crippled the program's ability to successfully serve the diverse needs of our growing elderly population. Since 1980, these programs have experienced a 40 percent loss in their capacity to keep millions of frail seniors independent. It's time to reverse this trend."

DeFazio's bill has the bipartisan support of 232 members and will provide a steady stream of funding for the OAA. Authorization to fund these programs expired in 1995. Although its programs continue to be funded, they remain vulnerable due to the lack of proper authorization. Unfortunately, the House leadership has preferred to push an alternative bill, HR 782, which is strongly opposed by seniors' organizations because it makes changes to funding allocations for certain programs.