15 "(A) develop a State plan to be submitted to the Commissioner for approval under section 307, "(B) administer the State plan within such State, "(C) be primarily responsible for the coordination of all State activities related to the purposes of this Act, "(D) review and comment on, at the request of any Federal department or agency, any application from any agency or organization within such State to such Federal department or agency for assistance related to meeting the needs of older persons, and "(E) divide the State into distinct areas, in accordance with regulations of the Commissioner, after considering the geographical distribution of individuals aged sixty and older in the State, the incidence of the need for social services, or nutrition services, or multipurpose senior centers (including the number of older persons with low incomes residing in such areas), the distribution of resources available to provide such services or cen ters, the boundaries of existing areas within the State which were drawn for the planning or admin istration of social services programs, the location 5 6 7 བ 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17. 18 19 16 of units of general purpose local government within the State and any other relevant factors; and "(2) the State agency designated pursuant to paragraph (1) shall "(A) determine for which planning and service area an area plan will be developed, in accordance with section 306, and for each such area designate, after consideration of the views offered by the unit or units of general purpose local government in such area, a public or nonprofit private agency or organization as the area agency on aging for such area; and "(B) provide assurances, satisfactory to the Commissioner, that the State agency will take into account, in connection with matters of general policy arising in the development and administration of the State plan for any fiscal year, the views of recipients of social services or nutrition services, or multi purpose senior centers provided under such plan. 20 In carrying out the requirement of clause (1) of this 21 subsection, the State shall designate as a planning and 22 service area any unit of general purpose local government 23 which has a population aged sixty or over of fifty thousand 24 individuals or more or which contains 15 per centum or more of the State population aged sixty or over. A State 25 17 1 may designate as a planning and service area pursuant to 2 clause (1) of this subsection, any region within the State 3 recognized for purposes of areawide planning which includes 4 one or more such units of general purpose local government 5 when the State determines that the designation of such a 6 regional planning and service area is necessary for, and 7 will enhance the effective administration of the programs 8 authorized by this title. The State may include in any 9 planning and service area designated pursuant to clause 10 (1) of this subsection such additional areas adjacent to the 11 unit of general purpose local government or regions so 12 designated as the State determines to be necessary for, 13 and will enhance the effective administration of the pro 14 grams authorized by this title. The Governor of any State 15 in which a planning and service area crosses State boundaries 16 may apply to the Commissioner to request redesignation as 17 an interstate planning and service area comprising the 18 entire metropolitan area. If the Commissioner approves 19 such an application, he shall adjust the State allotments of 20 the areas within the planning and service area in which 21 the interstate planning and service area is established to 22 reflect the number of elderly within the area who will be 23 served by an interstate planning and service area not 24 within the State. 1 18 "(b) An area agency on aging designated under sub 2 section (a) of this section shall be 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 13 14 15 16 17 18 “(1) an established office of aging which is operating within a planning and service area designated pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, or "(2) any office or agency of a unit of general purpose local government, which is designated for this purpose by the chief elected official of such unit, or 66 (3) any office or agency designated by the appro priate chief elected officials of any combination of units of general purpose local government to act on behalf of such combination for this purpose, or "(4) any public or nonprofit private agency planning and service area which is under the supervision or direction for this purpose of the designated State agency and which can engage in the planning or provision of a broad range of social services, or nutrition services within such planning and service area, 19 and shall provide assurance determined adequate by the 20 State agency, that the area agency will have the ability 21 to develop an area plan and to carry out, directly or through 22 contractual or other arrangements, a program pursuant to 23 the plan within the planning and service area. In designat24 ing an area agency on aging the State shall give preference 19 1 to an established office on aging, unless the State agency 2 finds that no such office within the planning and service 3 area will have the capacity to carry out the area plan. 4 5 "AREA PLANS "SEC. 306. (a) Each area agency on aging designated 6 pursuant to section 305 (a) (2) (A) shall, in order to be 7 approved by the State agency, prepare and develop an area 8 plan for a planning and service area for a two-year period 9 with such annual adjustments as may be necessary. Each such 10 plan shall 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 "(1) provide through a comprehensive and coordinated system, for social services or nutrition services or for the establishment or maintenance of multipurpose senior centers, within the planning and service area covered by the plan, including determining the need for social services, nutrition services, or multipurpose senior centers in such area (taking into consideration, among other things, the number of older persons with low in comes, and minority older persons residing in such area), evaluating the effectiveness of the use of resources in meeting such need, and entering into agreements with providers of social services, or nutrition services, or multi purpose senior centers in such area, for the provision of such services or centers to meet such needs; 31-813 079-3 |