The OAA has always enjoyed bipartisan support because of its overarching goals and success at the local level. Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in August 2011, "I know the importance and value of folks staying at home with quality care. I believe we can save taxpayers' money and give them a better quality of life. I look forward to supporting it again."
The OAA has intergenerational support because it helps families take care of aging parents without having to quit their jobs. It makes political sense too. In January, public approval for Congress was at 13 percent, up from 11 percent in December ? record lows. One would think that showing support for the OAA might win over some voters who consider this a ?do-nothing Congress.?
Congress Should Make the OAA and Its Critical Services a Priority
So one might ask: Why can't this Congress do what others have and reauthorize this successful program and use this opportunity to make the improvements that aging experts have recommended? The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and other Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO) developed a consensus document to help Congress and the Obama Administration reauthorize the OAA. The Assistant Secretary for Aging, Kathy Greenlee, who runs the Administration on Aging and disburses the funds to the aging network, traveled across the country conducting listening sessions on how to improve the OAA?that was in the summer of 2010.
Unlike previous bipartisan reauthorizations, the House of Representatives has not held any committee hearings concerning the OAA. The Senate is moving forward with reauthorization, under the leadership of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. The HELP committee began the reauthorization dialogue by inviting stakeholders to share reauthorization priorities with both Democratic and Republican congressional staff members during listening sessions this past summer. This work led to the January 26, 2012, introduction of Sen. Sanders? bill, S. 2037, to reauthorize the Older Americans Act.
In his bill, Sen. Sanders identifies his priorities and calls for a 50 percent increase in funding for the four core programs:
Source: http://shepherdelderlaw.blogspot.com/2012/03/older-americans-act-should-be.html
nfl standings giants vs jets ny jets ny jets chargers seahawks jets
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.