Senate approves modernized version of the Older Americans Act

A reauthorized version of the Older Americans Act (OAA), originally passed by Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965, has passed the Senate and is now making its way to the House of Representatives.

This is according to announcements by Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), ranking member Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and co-sponsor Lisa Murkowksi (R-Alaska).

The new version of the bill has provisions designed to offer resources for aging in place. These include support for home care workers, potential home modification needs for older Americans, improved technology literacy, expansion of broadband internet access and more.

The bill would reauthorize OAA funding, increasing it to $2.76 billion in fiscal year 2025, a 20% increase from the $2.3 billion it received in FY 2024.

“We are very proud that the Senate came together — Democrats, Republicans and Independents — to expand and strengthen the Older Americans Act over the next five years,” Sanders and Cassidy said in a joint statement. “This legislation begins to address the urgent, unmet needs of millions of seniors in America, and what we must do as a society to reduce senior hunger and improve the health and wellbeing of some of the most vulnerable people in our country.”

The pair added that there is also a cost savings component since the provisions can help keep more people out of potentially costly engagements with the health care system.

“Not only does the Older Americans Act save lives and ease human suffering, it saves money by keeping seniors out of the hospital,” the senators noted. “We are actively working with our colleagues in the House to get this critical legislation signed into law this year.”

The reauthorized version also includes key provisions from Murkowski’s Native ELDER Act, which is designed to address federal programs and services for Alaska Native, American Indian and Native Hawaiian elders.

“I’ve heard directly from stakeholders who made clear what modifications were needed to help bridge significant lapses when it comes to meeting the physical, social, and emotional healthcare needs of Native Elders, in Alaska and across the nation,” Murkowski said. “We must ensure that Elders have the support they need to age in the communities they call home, surrounded by the people they know and love.”

Supporters lauded the passage and urged the House to pass it without delay. It was approved in the Senate via unanimous consent, which did not require a tallied vote.

“The Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA) [and] Native ELDER Act will make changes to Title VI programs which reflect Tribal priorities including the establishment of an Older Americans Tribal Advisory Committee and expanded technical assistance authority to help tribes keep their elders at home and age in place,” said William Smith, chairman of the National Indian Health Board (NIHB).