March 21, 2016

United States House of Representatives

Washington, DC   20515

Dear Representative:

On behalf of the millions of members and supporters of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, I am writing to urge you to vote for S. 192, the bipartisan “Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act” when it is considered by the House today.

S. 192 builds on the core programs of the Older Americans Act (OAA) – including congregate and home-delivered meals, help for family caregivers, transportation and senior center services – which enable older adults to remain as independent as possible.  We support provisions in S. 192 that protect against elder abuse and strengthen long-term care ombudsman services, as well as programs such as fall prevention and chronic disease self-management that promote healthy living.  OAA services help seniors avoid hospitalizations and nursing home care and, as a result, save federal and state funds that otherwise would be spent on such care.  In addition to reauthorizing OAA programs, increasing OAA funding is crucial to meet the growing needs of seniors and to compensate for the lack of adequate funding over past years, a funding shortfall that was aggravated by the sequester.

S. 192 improves the Act’s programs, which are so vital to seniors and their families, targets them to individuals with the greatest economic and social needs, and authorizes funding to meet the challenges presented by our growing elderly population.  For that reason, the National Committee urges you to vote for the “Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act.”

Sincerely,

Max Richtman
President and CEO


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