Older Americans Act Amendments

Older Americans Act Amendments - Title I: Amendments to the Older Americans Act of 1965 - Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1981 for the National Information and Resource Clearing House for the Aging.

Authorizes a recipient of a grant under the Older Americans Act of 1965 to enter into an agreement with a profitmaking organization to carry out the provisions of such Act.

Declares it to be the purpose of Title III of such Act (Grants for State and Community Programs on Aging) to encourage and assist State and local agencies to concentrate resources to serve older persons by entering into new cooperative arrangements with providers of social or nutrition services, multipurpose senior centers, or legal services, for the planning and provision of social services, nutrition services, multipurpose senior centers, or legal services.

Defines terms used in such Title.

Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 1979, 1980, and 1981 for grants approved under such Title.

Requires each State, to be eligible to receive a grant under such Title, to designate a State agency as the sole State agency: (1) to develop and administer a State plan formulated pursuant to this Act; and (2) to divide the State into areas and to designate as a planning and service area any unit of general purpose local government which has a population of 50,000 or more individuals aged 60 or over which contains 15 percent or more of the State population aged 60 or over.

Requires each such area agency on aging to prepare and develop an area plan. Sets forth specified material to be included in such plan.

Requires each State, in order to be eligible for grants under such Title, to submit to the Commissioner on Aging a State plan. Sets forth specified material to be included in such plan.

Requires the Commissioner to make grants to States for any of the following social services: (1) health, continuing education, welfare, informational, recreational, homemaker, counseling, or referral services; (2) transportation services to facilitate access to social services or nutrition services, or both; (3) services to assist older persons to use the services available to them; (4) services to assist older persons to obtain adequate housing; including residential repair and renovation projects; (5) services designed to assist older persons in avoiding institutionalization, including preinstitution evaluation and screening and home health services, homemaker services, shopping services, escort services, reader services, letter writing services, and other services to assist independent living in a home environment; (6) services to provide legal and counseling assistance; (7) services to enable older persons to attain and maintain physical and mental well-being through programs of regular physical activity; or (8) any other services meeting standards prescribed by the Commissioner and necessary for the general welfare of older persons.

Requires the Commissioner to make grants to States for: (1) the establishment and operation of nutrition projects for older persons which, five or more days a week, provides, in a congregate setting, at least one meal per day each of which assures a minimum of one- third of the daily recommended dietary allowances; (2) the establishment and operation of multipurpose senior centers for the organization and provision of a broad spectrum of social services or nutrition services, or both, for older persons; (3) the provision of legal services for the elderly; and (4) the conduct of projects under which a State long-term care ombudsman receives and investigates complaints made by or on behalf of older persons who are residents of long-term care facilities relating to administrative action which may adversely affect the health, safety, welfare, or rights of such residents.

Declares that, under the Act, a national manpower policy shall be developed for the field of aging which will reflect the present and future needs for training personnel in all programs serving the elderly.

Authorizes the Commissioner to make grants for the purpose of conducting studies on: (1) the utilization of services under this Act and other programs for the elderly, with special attention to accessibility to low-income and minority elderly; (2) the problems of State and area agencies on aging and other service providers in operating transportation services, (3) the impact of this Act and other programs in meeting the long-range needs of the elderly population; and (4) the differences in unit costs, service delivery and access between rural areas and urban areas for services assisted under this Act and the special needs of the elderly residing in rural areas.

Authorizes the Commissioner to make grants to develop and operate statewide, regional, metropolitan area, county, city, or community model projects which will demonstrate methods to expand or improve social services and promote the well-being of older persons. Requires the Commissioner in making such grants to give special consideration to projects designed: (1) to assist in meeting the housing needs of older persons; (2) to provide continuing education to older persons; (3) to provide preretirement education information; (4) to provide services to assist in meeting the particular needs of physically and mentally impaired older persons; (5) to meet the special needs of, and improve the delivery of services to older persons who are not receiving adequate services under other provisions of this Act; and (6) to assist older persons to remain within their communities and out of institutions.

Authorizes the Commissioner to make grants to and enter into contracts with appropriate bodies to support programs of legal services and ombudsman programs established under provisions of this Act.

Authorizes the Commissioner to make grants to support the development of comprehensive, coordinated systems of community long-term care for older persons. Requires such grants to be used for the development of programs which provide a full continuum of services supporting alternatives to institutional living, including: (1) adult day health; (2) individual assessment of need, service plan development, monitoring, and evaluation of service effectiveness; (3) supported living in public and private, nonprofit housing; (4) family respite services; (5) preventative health services; (6) home health, homemaker, and other rehabilitative and maintenance in-home services; (7) geriatric health maintenance organizations; and (8) other services which the Commissioner determines are appropriate.

Redesignates Title IV (Training and Research) of the Act "Training, Research, and Demonstration.

Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1981 for multidisciplinary centers of gerontology.

Redesignates Title V of the Act "Grants for Indian Tribes.

Authorizes the Commissioner, under the Act, to make grants to eligible tribal organizations, as defined in this Act, to pay all of the costs for the delivery of social and nutritional services for Indians who are older persons. Sets forth criteria for applications for such grants.

Authorizes the Commissioner to delegate to the Secretary of the Interior or to the head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs any functions under this title.

Redesignates Title VI of the Act "Community Service Employment for Older Americans." States that such Title may be cited as the Older American Community Service Employment Act.

Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to estabLish an older American community service employment program to promote part-time opportunities in community service activities for unemployed, low-income persons 55 years old who have poor employment prospects.

States that eligible individuals employed in such projects shall not be considered to be Federal employees.

Provides that in awarding grants or contracts for such projects the Secretary shall give special consideration to national organizations which have a proven ability to provide older persons with employment.

Sets forth the definitions of terms used in this Title.

Title II: White House Conference on Aging - States that this Title may be cited as the 1981 White House Conference on Aging Act.

Declares it the policy of the Congress that the Federal Government should work with the States and citizens to develop recommendations and plans to meet the needs of older persons.

Requires that programs developed under this Act place emphasis upon the right of older persons to free choice and self-help in planning their futures.

Authorizes the President of the United States to call a White House Conference on Aging in 1981 to develop recommendations for research and action in the field of aging.

Requires the Conference to include representatives of Federal, State, and local governments, professional and lay people working in the field of aging including older persons.

Directs that a final report of the White House Conference, containing a comprehensive statement of a coherent national policy on aging and the recommendations of such Conference, be submitted to the President and Congress within a specified time.

Sets forth the responsibilities and duties of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in administering this Act.

Directs the Secretary to establish an advisory committee to the Conference and such other technical committees as may be necessary to carry out such Conference.

Title III: Study of Racial and Ethnic Discrimination in Programs for Older Americans - Directs the Commission on Civil Rights: (1) to undertake a comprehensive study of discrimination based on race or ethnic background in any federally assisted programs and activities which affect older persons; and (2) to identify any federally assisted activity in which persons or organizations who are otherwise qualified being, on the basis of race or ethnic background, excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, refused employment or contracts with, or subject to discrimination under, such activity.