From the funds allocated to States.-Not more than 8.5 percent is to be available for paying more than 75 percent of the cost of the administration of area plans; and not more than 90 percent in fiscal years 1979 and 1980, and 85 percent in fiscal year 1981 is to be allotted for the cost of social services, multipurpose senior centers, and congregate and home-delivered meal services.

Background.-Funds for State administration have increased over the years in response to increased responsibility at the State level for planning, coordinating and evaluating activities relating to the elderly. A separate appropriation for State agency activities first was authorized in 1969 along with a non-Federal matching requirement for paying 25 percent of the cost of such activities. A minimum State administration allotment of $160,000 was authorized in 1973 and increased to $250,000 in 1975, and to $300,000 with the 1978 amendments. The State administration allotment is intended to be commensurate with Statewide responsibilities including activities which stimulate the State to meet the needs of and expand opportunities for the elderly.

The services allotment also has increased over the years to more effectively meet the service needs of the elderly. Federal participation in the cost of a State's services program, however, has fluctuated, ranging from 50 percent to 90 percent of the cost. Under the 1965 act Federal grants covered up to 75 percent of the cost during the first year of operation, 60 percent during the second year and 50 percent in the third year. Funds were intended to serve as "seed money" for initiating services and fostering total non-Federal support after a 3-year period. Since it became apparent that the continuation of many services was to be threatened if Federal funding stopped after the third year, the 1969 amendments authorized Federal support of 50 percent in the fourth and subsequent years. With the 1973 amendments, Federal support increased to 90 percent in geographic areas with an approved area plan and 75 percent in those areas with no area plan. Since the latter provision seemed to penalize those persons living in areas with no plan, the 1978 amendments authorized Federal support of 90 percent for all areas. The amendments decreased the Federal share to 85 percent beginning with 1981. Congress presumes there no longer is a need for a 90-percent Federal share as an incentive for developing the aging network. Congress also intends that States will assume added costs.18 Title IV-Training, research, and discretionary projects and programs Training. Training grants support long-term career and shortterm training for meeting personnel shortage, and upgrading skills of persons employed in the field of aging.

National manpower policy. The 1978 amendments authorized the Commissioner on Aging to develop and implement for the first time a national manpower policy for the field of aging. The policy is to reflect the present and future needs for training personnel in all programs and services helping older people as well as the need for personnel in advocacy and leadership roles. In developing this policy, the Commissioner is to give recognition to the special health, transportation, and housing problems of the elderly; the continual growth of the elderly population; and the high incidence of disability among the elderly. The

18 U.S. Senate. Committee on Human Resources. Older Americans Act Amendments of 1978. Committee Rept. No. 95-855. May 15, 1978: 7.

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policy is to be developed and implemented by the Commissioner on Aging in cooperation with heads of other Federal departments and agencies administering programs for the elderly.

Appraising personnel needs.-The 1978 amendments also authorized the Commissioner on Aging to appraise the needs of skilled personnel in the field of aging including the need for personnel in both institutional and noninstitutional long-term care settings, and to publish his findings in his annual report to the President and to the Congress.

Attracting qualified persons to the field of aging. To encourage entry into the field of aging, the Commissioner on Aging is authorized to make grants or enter into contracts with State agencies on aging, State and local educational and other public and private nonprofit agencies, organizations, or institutions to pay all of the costs to:

Publicize available opportunities for careers in the field of aging; Encourage qualified persons to enter or reenter the field of aging; Encourage artists, craftsmen, scientists, homemakers, and other professionals to undertake assignments on a part-time basis or for temporary periods in the field; and

Prepare and disseminate materials, including audiovisual materials and printed materials, for use in the recruitment and training of persons employed or preparing for employment in the field of aging.

Training programs for personnel in the field of aging. To encourage entry into the field of aging the Commissioner on Aging may make grants or enter into contracts with public and private nonprofit organizations, agencies, and institutions to pay all of the cost of:

Short-term and inservice training courses, workshops, institutes and other activities designed to upgrade the skills of individuals employed or preparing for employment in the field of aging;

Post-secondary education courses relating to the field of aging including stipends to students enrolled in such courses;

Fellowships for training persons to supervise individuals employed or preparing for employment in the field of aging;

Seminars, conferences, symposiums, and workshops for the exchange of information and discussions of new approaches with respect to the field of aging;

Training persons employed by public and private nonprofit groups to identify legal problems affecting older persons and develop solutions to these problems;

Training attorneys and paralegal individuals to provide legal counseling and services to older people, or monitor the administration of any public or private nonprofit program;

Assessing future training needs with emphasis on needs of minority individuals; and

Special training courses for service providers in rural areas.

Background. Since 1966, the Administration on Aging has awarded grants to colleges and universities and other public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies to provide traineeships for students preparing for careers in the various fields relating to the aged and to upgrade skills of persons already employed in the field of aging. The purpose of traineeship grants is to encourage persons to enter, train for, and become engaged in professional, technical, and other specialized services in the aging field. Particular emphasis has been placed on planning, evaluating, administration, advocacy and coordination of program development at the Federal, State, and community level.

For the purpose of attracting qualified persons to the field of aging, the 1975 amendments made it clear that higher educational institutions may have programs of less than 4 years and still be eligible for grants from the Commissioner. As amended in 1975, the Act provides that any school is eligible under the Act which provides not less than a 1-year program of training to prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation.

The 1978 training amendments are intended to further meet personnel shortages with a national manpower policy implemented through the various training activities currently supported by Federal departments and agencies. The amendments also are in response to the projected manpower necessary to effectively meet older persons' needs both today and in future years.

Research activities.—In the area of research and development projects, the Commissioner on Aging is authorized to make grants to, or enter into contracts with, public and private nonprofit agencies, organizations, and institutions to pay part or all of the costs of:

Studying current patterns and conditions of living of older persons; Developing or demonstrating new approaches, techniques, and methods which hold promise of substantial contribution toward wholesome and meaningful living for older persons;

Developing or demonstrating means for improving coordination of community services for older persons; Supporting evaluation activities;

Collecting and disseminating information concerning research findings and demonstration results;

Conducting conferences and other meetings; and

Supporting research efforts related to the implementation of this Act together with areas of concern relating to the living conditions of the elderly.

With regard to transportation, research grants are authorized for purposes of: (1) conducting a study relating to the problems of State and area agencies and other service providers in operating transportation services; (2) revising existing Federal transportation programs to provide more coordinated and comprehensive services, eliminate duplication in programs, and study the possibility of transporting all Federal transportation programs to a single administrative unit; and (3) conducting a study on the differences in costs, service delivery and access between rural and urban areas and the special needs of the rural elderly. Findings of this research must be published by October 1980.

Background. The grants for research and demonstration projects first were authorized in 1965 to identify gaps in services and solutions to problems facing older persons. Since 1965 research grants have supported a wide range of projects including those relating to health care, housing, social services, retirement roles, and the needs of low income and minority elderly.

Model demonstration projects.-The Commissioner on Aging is authorized to make grants to or enter into contracts with public agencies and private nonprofit organizations and institutions to pay all of the costs of developing and/or operating areawide model projects designed to expand or improve social services for the elderly, or otherwise promote the well-being of older persons. The Commissioner is to give special consideration to the funding of rural area

agencies on aging. Such projects are to study alternative health care delivery systems, advocacy and outreach programs, and transportation services.

In addition, the Commissioner is to give special consideration to projects designed to:

Assist in meeting the special housing needs of older persons by (a) providing financial assistance for repairs and renovations necessary to meet minimum housing standards; (b) adapting housing to meet the needs of older persons with physical disabilities; and/or (c) studying methods of providing property tax relief for older persons; Provide continuing education for older persons;

Provide preretirement education and services;

Provide services to assist in meeting the needs of physically and mentally impaired older persons;

Meet the special needs of, and improve the delivery of services to older persons who are not receiving adequate services under other provisions of the Older Americans Act, with emphasis on the needs of low-income, minority and limited-English speaking individuals, and the rural elderly;

Develop and establish day care centers for the elderly; and

Meet the special needs of older individuals residing in rural areas. Background.—In 1969, the areawide model project program was authorized to develop new or improved ways of providing services for older people on a Statewide, regional, metropolitan, county, city or other areawide basis. Model project grants were available only to State agencies on aging to pay 75 percent of the project cost. The 1973 amendments broadened the eligibility group to include other public agencies and private nonprofit groups. They also eliminated the matching requirement. Under the 1969 program there were no specified areas of concentration, however, the 1973 and 1975 amendments specified areas most in need of funding. These areas were continued with the 1978 amendments which also added the rural elderly as an area of special need.

Demonstration projects relating to the elderly blind and disabled.— As part of the model project program, the 1978 amendments authorized the Commissioner on Aging to make grants to, or enter into contracts with, public agencies and private nonprofit organizations and institutions for developing or improving methods of coordinating all available social services for the homebound elderly blind and disabled. The projects are to be established in 10 States in accordance with the following guidelines.

Consultation with the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, Social Security Administration and Public Health Service to develop procedures for identifying the elderly, blind and disabled individuals who need social services;

Compilation of a list of available services in each community for the blind or disabled; and

Establishment of information and referral services within the appropriate community agency.

The Commissioner is to report to Congress by the end of fiscal year 1979 with regard to findings, and recommendations based upon the findings.

Special projects in comprehensive long-term care. The 1978 amendments authorized the Commissioner on Aging to make grants to State

agencies on aging, area agencies on aging, and other public agencies and private nonprofit organizations and associations to develop comprehensive, coordinated systems of community long-term care. There is to be an emphasis on services designed to support alternatives to institutional living, assessment of need, development of plan of care, and referral of individuals to appropriate social service agencies and other sources providing support care.

Project grantees must establish evaluation procedures and require evaluation of the quality of services as well as the cost of such services. The evaluation is to be submitted to the Commissioner on Aging on a periodic basis.

Legal services demonstration projects.-The 1978 amendments authorized the Commissioner on Aging to award grants to public agencies and private nonprofit organizations and institutions for supporting legal research, technical assistance, training, information dissemination, and demonstration projects to expand or improve the delivery of legal services to elderly individuals. The amendments also authorize that $5 million of the model project authorization is to be reserved for this purpose.

National impact demonstrations.-The 1978 amendments authorized the Commissioner on Aging to reserve not more than 15 percent of the model project appropriation for developing projects of national significance. A description of such projects is not contained in the amendments.

Utility and home heating cost demonstration projects.-The 1978 amendments authorized the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to establish model projects which show promise of relieving older Americans of the burdens of high utility service and home heating costs, requiring special consideration be given to business concerns engaged in providing home heating oil or to public utilities providing home heating oil or utility services at a reduced rate to low-income older Americans.

Mortgage insurance and annual interest grants for multipurpose senior centers. The Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare is authorized to insure mortgages for multipurpose senior center facilities. Mortgages may be insured for the acquisition, alteration, renovation and construction including equipment for such centers on principal obligations of up to $250,000 but which do not exceed 90 percent of the estimated replacement cost of the property. Insurance also may cover initial equipment for the center. A Multipurpose Senior Center Insurance Fund is authorized to finance the mortgage insurance aspect of this legislation.

The Secretary also may subsidize the interest on mortgages for multipurpose senior center facilities on behalf of private nonprofit sponsors to help them reduce their cost of borrowing from private sources. The Federal Government may repay sponsors the difference between 3 percent and the actual annual interest over a period of up to 40 years. No State may be allotted more than 121⁄2 percent of the annual funds available for interest subsidies.

Background.-Authority for mortgage insurance and annual interest grants first was provided under the 1973 amendments. This authority was continued with the 1978 amendments to provide additional funding sources for the establishment or renovation of multipurpose senior center facilities.