Help Yourself TODAY!
Contact your State Representatives Today to Invest in Older Americans
The Issue - The Older Americans Act (OAA) is the cornerstone of services to America’s aging population, investing in seniors’ health, service and economic security. OAA funding has not kept pace with inflation, the growth in the over-60 population, and the demand for services in the current economy.
Background - If funding since 2002 had simply kept pace with inflation and the increasing number of seniors, it would have been over $500 million higher this year. Inadequate funding for OAA means that only an estimated six percent of eligible older Americans have received the vital services for which they are eligible. The current economy erodes this funding further as service costs rise and demand increases.
Spending money on OAA programs is an investment in older Americans’ health, service opportunities and economic security, empowering them to remain active and independent. This investment also results in savings in other federal spending; Medicaid and Medicare expenditures are decreased by reducing premature nursing home placements, averting malnutrition and controlling chronic health conditions.
Take Action - Call and/or email your Representatives today to request that they sign on to the Delahunt-Platts-Klein letter in support of a 12% increase in Older Americans Act funding. You can look up your Representatives here and call them through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Email them using our sample message, but be sure to add your own perspective about OAA services and the needs of older Americans in your communities.