March 14, 1975.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. PERKINS, from the Committee on Education and Labor, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H.R. 3922]

The Committee on Education and Labor, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 3922) to amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to extend the authorizations of appropriations contained in such Act, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with amendments and recommend that the bill as amended do pass.

The amendment to the text of the bill strikes out all after the enacting clause and inserts in lieu thereof a substitute text which appears in italic type in the reported bill.

The title of the bill is amended to reflect the amendment to the text of the bill.

PURPOSE

On March 12, H.R. 3922 as amended by the Committee was ordered reported by the Committee on Education and Labor by a vote of 36 to 0.

The purpose of H.R. 3922, as amended, is to extend and strengthen programs authorized under the Older Americans Act of 1965, including the Nutrition Program for the Elderly, through fiscal year 1979, to amend and strengthen the Older American Community Service Employment Act through fiscal year 1979, and to extend other provisions of the Comprehensive Older Americans Services Amendments of 1973.

More specifically, H.R. 3922, as amended, contains the following provisions:

(1) Extends the program of grants to states for community services for 4 additional years, through fiscal year 1979.

(2) Extends the Nutrition Program for the Elderly for 2 additional years, through fiscal year 1979 and provides for the additional distribution of commodities.

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(3) Extends the Older American Community Service Employment Act for 4 additional years through fiscal year 1979.

(4) Extends the National Older American Service programs, including the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), the Foster Grandparent Program, and the Senior Companion Program, as well as other Older American Community Service programs for 3 additional years, through fiscal year 1979.

(5) Creates a new Special Service Program for the elderly which would provide greater emphasis on homemaker and other home services, counseling assistance, residential repairs and renovations and transportation for the elderly-at least 20 percent of funds provided to carry out the program of grants to states for community, services (1) shall be used for these purposes. (6) Provides for direct funding for service programs for Indian tribes.

(7) Prohibits discrimination in Federal programs or activities on the basis of age.

BACKGROUND

The Older Americans Act was first enacted by the 89th Congress in 1965 and thereafter was revised in 1967, 1969 and 1973. Since its enactment, virtually all the states and territories have created state offices of Aging and, in addition, a total of 412 local area agencies have been funded under Title III to provide a focal point in communities for services to our older adults.

In 1972, Congress created a new Title VII to the Older Americans Act of 1965 to authorize a Nutrition Program for older Americans. The program is designed to provide Americans, aged 60 and older, with one hot, nutritious meal a day, 5 days a week. That program was extended again in 1974.

The Comprehensive Older Americans Services Amendments of 1973 added various programs for the older adult, including the enactment of the Older American Community Service Employment Act which was enacted to foster and promote useful part-time work opportunities for persons 55 years or older.

State and Community Programs

The principal focus of activity under the Older Americans Act. of 1965, as amended, has been community programs conducted under Title III to provide a variety of services to older Americans. The state agencies on Aging are designed to be the focal point in the state on behalf of older persons. In addition, the state agencies carry out activities necessary for planning, coordination, evaluation and assuring cooperation with local area agencies on aging.

During 1974, the state agencies concentrated on establishing State Advisory Committees on Aging; establishing 412 area agencies on aging, which covers 70 percent of the older population nationally; and the development of information and referral sources. In addition to these efforts, the state agencies have been active in assisting older persons who face problems associated with the energy crisis and unemployment.

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Area Agencies

Title III established area agencies in order to make resources and services available for older persons in their immediate communities in a central location. The majority of the 412 area agencies established in 1974 are located within city or county governments or within regional councils of government. Forty-seven percent are located in rural areas and 53 percent in urban areas.

In fiscal year 1974, $68 million were appropriated for carrying out the programs through the area agencies on aging for the older adult.

Model Projects

Title III of the Older Americans Act also authorizes the Commissioner on Aging, after consultation with the state agencies on aging, to enter into contracts with, or make grants to, any public or nonprofit agency or organization within a state to pay part or all of the costs of developing or operating state-wide, regional, metropolitan area, county, city, or community model projects which will expand or improve the services or otherwise improve or promote the wellbeing of older persons.

During 1974, $12 million were awarded to state agencies to conduct state-wide model project efforts. State agencies earmarked over 25 percent of the funds awarded to support activities designed to ensure that all older persons have reasonably convenient access to information and referral sources. Other activities receiving support included transportation, homemaking, housing, health care, education, legal, day care and employment services.

During fiscal year 1975, only $5 million were appropriated to carry out this program to support 40 projects. The 40 projects supported, concentrated on specific areas of concern-housing needs, continuing education, pre-retirement education, special transportation, homemaker, home health and other services designed to assist the older adult in leading a more independent life.

In the area of housing, a project in North Carolina was directed at increasing the number of older persons receiving housing assistance through: (1) advising older persons on the rental housing market; (2) making referrals to subsidized housing programs; (3) counseling homeowners on housing rehabilitation and identifying and applying resources for housing repairs; and (4) counseling older persons who wish to buy housing and assisting in applications for mortgage programs.

In the field of education, six Minnesota educational institutions formed a consortium and are developing and operating a replicable model of a State-wide network designed to make continuous, lifelong learning of high quality available to older persons and those serving them.

In the area of pre-retirement planning and preparation, the Duke University Medical Center, North Carolina, developed a planningcounseling model and a pre-retirement training model. Included was a study of the effects of pre-retirement training on different socio

In assisting the physically and mentally impaired older person, the Papago Indian Tribe of Arizona, the Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada and the Gila River Indian Community of Arizona, are using Indian homemaker health aides and Out-reach aides to demonstrate ways to improve the health, living conditions and social involvement of aged reservation residents. In addition, the New York City Office for the Aging is demonstrating particular approaches to better meet the needs of mentally frail older persons.

In information and referral, the New Life Institute, New York, is establishing a national clearinghouse for private, nonprofit community agencies, specializing in job placement for the aging.

In addition, efforts have been made to reduce national disasterrelated problems for older persons. The state agencies on aging in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana were granted awards to provide extensive outreach and follow-up services after recent national disasters.

Research and Demonstrations

The research and demonstration program of the Administration on Aging supports projects which add to existing knowledge in a variety of areas which are critical to the development and improvement of aging programs. The primary source of funding for R&D projects in aging is Title VI-B of the 1973 Older Americans Act Amendments. Under the fiscal year 1974 appropriations of $7 million, 119 new and continuing projects received financial assistance. The President's budget request includes $7 million for this activity in fiscal year 1975.

The Title IV R&D program is designed to meet the special needs and improve ways of solving various problems facing the older adult. The Congress has directed the Administration to focus on better ways to help the elderly return to or remain in their own homes or other appropriate settings. Priority has also been directed by the Congress to R&D for solutions to the mobility and transportation problems of older persons. The R&D program also supports methods of improving the delivery of services to the older adult as well as encouraging the development of social gerontology in order to gain new insights into the needs, circumstances, resources, expectations, and roles of the nation's older population.

Training

Under Title IV-A of the Older Americans Act, as amended, the Administration on Aging (AOA) is authorized to help meet critical shortages of adequately trained personnel for programs in aging by: (1) developing information on the actual needs for personnel to work in the fields of aging, both present and long range; (2) providing a broad range of quality training and retraining opportunities, responsive to changing needs of programs in the field of aging; (3) attracting a greater number of qualified persons into the field of aging; and (4) helping to make personnel training programs more responsive to the need for trained personnel in the field of aging. The fiscal year 1974 appropriation for this activity was $9.5 million.

There are 47 career training programs sponsored by funds under Title IV-A. Approximately 400 students received traineeships in

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the fiscal year 1974 academic year. Approximately 4600 students are enrolled in aging courses at these training institutes. A number of short term training programs are also supported which are designed to provide skills to several thousand persons from all parts of the country..

National Clearinghouse on Aging

In response to the 1973 Amendments to the Older Americans Act, the Administration on Aging initiated the creation of a National Clearinghouse on Aging as authorized by Title II of the Act. The Clearinghouse is charged with: (a) collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information about older people and their needs; (b) providing information to agencies and organizations with respect to programs for older persons; (c) encouraging the establishment of State and area information centers and referral services; (b) carrying out a program of consumer education for older people; and (e) stimulating other agencies to prepare and disseminate information for the field of aging.

Nutrition for the Elderly (Title VII)

Title VII of the Older Americans Comprehensive Services Amendments, the Nutrition Program for the Elderly, was implemented in fiscal year 1974. This Title authorizes the Commissioner on Aging to make formula grants to States to establish and maintain communitybased nutrition projects for the delivery of low cost, nutritious meals, served primarily in congregate settings and with supportive social services, to persons 60 years of age or over and their spouses. Each Title VII project must provide at least one hot meal per day, five or more days per week. Supportive social services, include outreach, transportation, information and referral services, health and welfare counseling, nutrition education, and recreational activities.

The program is designed to assist communities to meet the nutritional and social needs of older persons who do not eat adequately because: (1) they cannot afford to do so; (2) they lack the skills to select and prepare nourishing and well-balanced meals; (3) they have limited mobility which may impair their capacity to shop and cook for themselves; (4) they have feelings of rejection and loneliness which obliterate the incentive necessary to prepare and eat a meal alone.

The Nutrition Program operates within the same conceptual framework as Title III.

In fiscal year 1974, State Plans for the Title VII program were approved and $98,600,000 was allotted to the States for this program. Six hundred and sixty-five (665) nutrition projects have been approved. Of this number, 72 percent are located in urban areas, and 28 percent are in rural areas. Approximately 220,830 meals are being served daily at some 4,100 sites. According to periodic reports from the States, 64 percent of the meals being served are to older persons below the poverty threshold, and 32 percent are served to minority older persons. These projects vary widely in size and scope of operations.

New funding is available by Public Law 93-351 which provided for a three year extension of the program. A supplemental appropriation bill enacted by the Congress in fiscal year 1975 expanded the