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1 1 (January 23, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govyam0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Intorm~ng the legislative debate since 1914 Updated January 23, 2019 Older Americans Act: Nutrition Services Program Introduction The Nutrition Services Program, authorized under Title III of the Older Americans Act (OAA), provides grants to states and U.S. territories to support nutrition services programs for seniors. As stipulated in the law, the purposes of the program are to (1) reduce hunger and food insecurity, (2) promote the socialization of older individuals, and (3) promote the health and well-being of older individuals by assisting them to access nutrition and other disease prevention and health promotion services to delay the onset of adverse health conditions resulting from poor nutrition or sedentary behavior. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 7.9% of U.S. households with an elderly member were food insecure in 2017, which means they lacked the ability to purchase or otherwise acquire enough to eat. Households in which elderly lived alone reported a higher rate of food insecurity, at 8.6%. As the largest OAA program, the Title III Nutrition Services Program received $907 million in FY2019, accounting for 44% of the act's total funding ($2.1 billion). The Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2016 (P.L. 114-144) extended authorized appropriations through FY2019. Administration The Administration on Aging (AOA) in the Administration for Community Living (ACL) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) administers the Nutrition Services Program, which includes * the Congregate Nutrition Services Program, * the Home-Delivered Nutrition Services Program, and * Nutrition Services Incentive Program. States that implement these programs must target nutrition services to older persons with the greatest social and economic need, with particular attention to people with low-incomes, including low-income minorities, people with limited English proficiency, people residing in rural areas, and those at risk for institutionalization. Means tests for program participation are prohibited, but older persons are encouraged to contribute to the costs of nutrition services. Older individuals may not be denied services for failure to contribute. Congregate Nutrition Services Congregate nutrition services provide meals and related nutrition services to older individuals in a variety of group settings, such as senior centers, community centers, schools, and adult day care centers. The program also provides seniors with opportunities for social engagement and volunteering. Individuals aged 60 or older and their spouses (regardless of age) may participate in the congregate nutrition program. The following groups may also receive meals: persons under age 60 with disabilities who reside in housing facilities occupied primarily by the elderly, where congregate meals are served; persons with disabilities who reside with, and accompany, older persons to meals in congregate settings; and volunteers who provide services during the meal hours. In FY2016, a total of 79.2 million congregate meals were served to nearly 1.6 million meal participants. Home-Delivered Nutrition Services Home-delivered nutrition services (commonly referred to as meals on wheels) provide meals and related nutrition services to older individuals, with priority given to homebound older individuals. According to AOA, home- delivered meals are often the first in-home service that an older adult receives, and the program is a primary access point for other home and community-based services. Home-delivered meals can be an important service for many family caregivers in assisting them with their caregiving responsibilities as well as helping maintain their own health and personal well-being. Individuals aged 60 or older and their spouses (regardless of age) may participate in the home-delivered nutrition program. Services may be available to individuals under age 60 with disabilities if they reside at home with the older individual. In FY2016, a total of 145.2 million home-delivered meals were provided to over 867,000 meal participants. Nutrition Services Incentive Program (NSIP) NSIP provides funds to states, U.S. territories, and Indian tribal organizations to purchase food or to cover the costs of food commodities provided by the USDA for the congregate and home-delivered nutrition programs. NSIP was originally established by the OAA in 1974 as the Nutrition Program for the Elderly and administered by USDA. In 2003, Congress transferred the administration of NSIP from USDA to AOA. However, states and other entities may continue to receive all or part of their NSIP grants in the form of USDA commodities. Obligations for commodity procurement for NSIP are funded under an agreement between USDA and HHS. Funding The AOA awards separate grants to states and U.S. territories for the congregate nutrition services program and home-delivered nutrition services program. State Units on Aging (SUAs) administer the program at the state level, and in turn, award those funds to over 600 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), which oversee the program in their respective planning and service areas. The AOA also awards a separate grant to states, U.S. territories, and tribal organizations for NSIP. Grants for congregate and home-delivered nutrition services are awarded to states and U.S. territories based on a statutory formula that takes into account each entity's relative share of the population aged 60 and over. States are required to provide a matching share of 15% in order to receive these funds. NSIP grants are awarded to states and httfps:I/crsreports.congress~gc

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