Alexandria, VA, July 16, 2015 – Meals on Wheels America President and CEO Ellie Hollander today issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Senate’s passing of S.192, the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2015.
For fifty years, the Older Americans Act (OAA) has supported the nutrition services and infrastructure that enables millions of seniors to grow older in their own communities and live with the independence and dignity they deserve. It is the only federal legislation that is specifically designed and tailored to meet the nutritional and social needs of our nation’s most vulnerable seniors.
Meals on Wheels America is proud to support S.192, the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2015, and commends the Senate, and in particular the 26 cosponsors and leaders of the Committee on Health, Education Labor & Pensions, for crafting this bipartisan legislation that has gone unauthorized since 2011.
The OAA is one of the best examples of a successful public-private partnership, and its programs are working. The OAA’s Home-Delivered, Congregate and the Nutrition Services Incentive Programs improve health, well-being and quality of life, significantly lessening the burden on our nation’s healthcare system and saving taxpayers billions of dollars annually.
We urge the House to follow the Senate’s lead to get this over the legislative finish line and signed into law. If enacted, S. 192 would reauthorize OAA programs through 2018 and make important improvements to protect our most at risk seniors.
The bipartisan bill passed unanimously and will now go to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration. A summary of the legislation can be found here.