Quick Guide to Administration on Aging

What is the Administration on Aging?

The Administration on Aging is a Federal agency that operates within the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The Administration on Aging awards annual grants, that are efficiently computed based on formula, to state government agencies on aging and Native American tribal organizations to promote the support of programs mandated by the United States Congress in the Older Americans Act.

The Administration on Aging also awards several discretionary grants to offer aid to support to research programs who are working on projects within the broad outlines of the Older Americans Act. Additionally, the Administration on Aging conducts various statistical analyses in support of the research and evaluation of programs in order to meet the needs of an aging population.

In addition to the aforementioned services, the Administration on Aging participates in joint efforts with other related departments and agencies, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that operate within some realm of the United States’ Medicare program. The current Assistant Secretary, in essence the head of the department of the Administration on Aging, is Kathy Greenlee.

What is the Older Americans Act?

The Older Americans Act of 1965 was the first federal initiative aimed at providing detailed services for older Americans. The Older Americans Act created the National Aging Network, which is comprised of the Administration on Aging on the federal level, the State Units on Aging and the various area Agencies on aging found at the local level. Additionally, the Older Americans Act provides funding, which is based primarily on the percentage of an area’s population 60 and older, for supportive community-based services, disease prevention/health promotion resources, elder rights programs, as well as the delivery of nutritional foods.

Government Agency of the Executive Branch:

Government agencies are defined as organizations, councils, and offices operating under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government of the United States of America; each federal agency retains specific administrative jurisdiction over specific facets latent within the operations of the United States Government.

The Administration on Aging functions as a government agency under the Executive Branch of the United States government, which is comprised of 3 total branches; in addition to the Executive branch – which is responsible for the regulation and enforcement of operational legislation existing within the United States of America – there also exists the Legislative and Judicial Branches.

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