The Older American’s Act - Still Relevant in 2020?
Yes, the Older Americans Act (OAA) provides the funding for critical services seniors need to stay independent and healthy. Congress re-authorized the OAA unanimously in 2020. A Maryland elder law attorney can answer your questions about the Act.
The Older American Act provides many services for older adults, including:
Benefits Enrollment
Enrollment forms can be baffling and overwhelming. The OAA funds 84 Benefits Enrollment Centers (BECs) across the United States to help people sign up for programs that can improve their quality of life. If you have limited income and are Medicare-eligible, you can contact a BEC for assistance navigating application forms and finding benefits programs for which you qualify. People with disabilities are eligible to use BECs to locate and apply for benefits as well.
The primary programs the BECs help connect eligible people with include:
The Extra Help/Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) of Medicare Part D
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP). The previous term for SNAP was food stamps.
Medicaid
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program
Medicare Savings Programs
Additional programs the BECs help people access include local transportations services, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), tax exemptions, and state pharmacy assistance.
Elderly Job Training
Many seniors still want or need to work but lack marketable skills in today’s job environment. The Senior Community Service Employment Programs (SCSEP) provide skills training to help seniors reenter the work sector. To qualify for the program, you need to be at least 55 years old, not working a paying job, and having a family income that does not exceed 125 percent of the federal poverty level.
The type of skills training will depend on what the available jobs in the local community require. Participants learn skills to get jobs in customer service, childcare, building maintenance, and office work. They work at local non-profit agencies in their communities and get paid a subsidized minimum wage. The jobs program helps some nonprofits stay in business and fulfill their mission.
Senior Centers
People think of senior centers as places where older adults go to play bingo and do low-impact exercise, but these facilities offer far more than those things. Seniors can avail themselves of multiple programs in one location, for example:
Information and assistance with local benefits programs
Meals and nutritional support
Transportation
Social, recreational, fitness, and wellness activities
Education and the arts
Opportunities to give back to the community through volunteer work
Counseling about government benefits
Help getting jobs
Services vary from one facility to another.
Health Promotion
The Act supports evidence-based programs that help prevent disease and keep older Americans healthy. Exercise programs geared toward the needs and abilities of seniors are a key component of many health promotion services.
Some plans teach older adults how to lower their likelihood of getting injured from a fall. Some programs instruct people on how to manage ongoing health conditions like diabetes. The National Council on Aging (NCOA) helps people plan and implement programs that promote healthy living for seniors. The NCOA also has resources for outreach, recruitment, evaluation, and sustainability of these programs.
The Act also supports programs that provide transportation, meals, caregiver support, and additional services. If you have questions about what the Older Americans Act offers seniors in 2020, contact Maryland elder law attorney, Steve Thienel.
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