On March 7, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing on the Older Americans Act, authorization for which expires on September 30, 2024. Efforts to reauthorize the OAA are underway and the March 7 hearing witnesses, including Alison Barkoff, Administration for Community Living, HHS, whose testimony focused on how demand for OAA services far exceeds capacity, HHS’s February 2024 OAA modernization rule, and the importance of partnerships to carry out the OAA’s goals. A hearing on OAA reauthorization is expected in May in the Seante Special Committee on Aging. Also on March 7, Senate HELP Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Ranking Member Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Bob Casey (D-PA) and Ranking Member Mike Braun (R-IN) requested input from stakeholders on policies the Committee should consider during the reauthorization of the OAA. Watch a webcast of the hearing here.
