Older Americans Act

Older Americans Act

Long title	An Act to provide assistance in the development of new or improved programs to help older persons through grants to the States for community planning and services and for training, through research, development, or training project grants, and to establish within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare an operating agency to be designated as the "Administration on Aging".
Acronyms (colloquial)	OAA
Nicknames	Older Americans Act of 1965
Enacted by	the 89th United States Congress
Effective	July 14, 1965
Citations
Public law	89-73
Statutes at Large	79 Stat. 218
Codification
Titles amended	42 U.S.C.: Public Health and Social Welfare
U.S.C. sections created	42 U.S.C. ch. 35 § 3001 et seq.
Legislative history
Introduced in the House as H.R. 3708 by John E. Fogarty (D–RI) on March 9, 1965 Committee consideration by House Education and Labor, Senate Labor and Public Welfare Passed the House on March 31, 1965 (396-1) Passed the Senate on May 27, 1965 (passed voice vote) with amendment House agreed to Senate amendment on July 6, 1965 (passed voice vote) Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 14, 1965

The Older Americans Act of 1965 (Pub.L. 89–73, 79 Stat. 218) was the first federal level initiative aimed at providing comprehensive services for older adults. It created the National Aging Network comprising the Administration on Aging on the federal level, State Units on Aging, and Area Agencies on Aging at the local level. The network provides funding - based primarily on the percentage of an area's population 60 and older - for nutrition and supportive home and community-based services, disease prevention/health promotion services, elder rights programs, the National Family Caregiver Support Program, and the Native American Caregiver Support Program.

The United States Statutes at Large 79 Stat. 218 was signed into law by the thirty-sixth President of the United States Lyndon Johnson on July 14, 1965.

In 2006 congress reauthorized the act in its entirety, effective through FY 2011.

The OAA was passed as a part of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society reforms. It followed closely behind the Civil Rights Act and the Economic Opportunity Act which included many similarly structured programs, based around a centralized network of funding for a decentralized (community level) service delivery system. The OAA was a response to Congressional concerns about the lack of community social services for senior citizens.

Funding for many Great Society programs as well as Johnson’s political capital, dwindled during the Vietnam War. Some programs and agencies were dismantled by later administrations, such as Nixon’s and Ford’s slow dissolution of the Office of Economic Opportunity. Other programs, such as those under the OAA, Medicare, Medicaid, and initiatives in the arts and humanities continue to survive.

The stated purpose of the OAA is to ensure equal opportunity to the fair and free enjoyment of: adequate income in retirement; the best possible physical and mental health services without regard to economic status; suitable housing; restorative and long term care; opportunity for employment; retirement in health, honor, and dignity; civic, cultural, educational and recreational participation and contribution; efficient community services; immediate benefit from proven research knowledge; freedom, independence, and the exercise of self-determination; and protection against abuse neglect and exploitation.

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