OCS DCL-2022-04 Joint DCL-OCS and ACL FY2022

Dear Colleague Letter

DCL#:  OCS-DCL-2022-04, ACL-AoA-2022-001

DATE: January 13, 2022

TO:  Administration for Community Living Aging and Disability Networks, Community Economic Development Network, Community Services Block Grant Network, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Network, Low Income Household Water Assistance Program Network, Rural Community Facilities, and Social Services Block Grant Network

SUBJECT:  Resources to Assist Older Adults and People with Disabilities in Economic Recovery

ATTACHMENT(S): Fact Sheets for OCS (PDF) and ACL (PDF) programs

Dear Colleagues:

The Office of Community Services (OCS) and the Administration for Community Living (ACL) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to facilitate the development of collaborative activities for our grantee networks who provide needed support in communities to individuals often at the intersections of poverty, structural inequities, disability and older adults.

We recognize that our offices at the federal level could provide a stronger posture in working together to support older adults and persons with disabilities, particularly those that are low-income, and want to encourage partnerships and information sharing among our grantees, as well.

• As part of our collective work, OCS and ACL are issuing this joint Dear Colleague Letter to “introduce” our various networks and encourage state and local collaboration.
• While we know that many OCS-funded grantees and ACL-funded grantees already partner in various ways, we are encouraging you to find new and re-imagined ways of meeting the needs of older adults and people with disabilities, particularly during the pandemic and recovery from it.
• We also encourage OCS and ACL grantees who have not typically worked together to identify ways to partner to best support these populations. Working across sectors, we know that more Americans will be able to envision a brighter future for themselves and their families.

In the coming weeks, OCS and ACL will host webinars to support this exciting partnership. For background information to stakeholders, this DCL provides information useful to stakeholders in about the goals of the partnership, and program areas of both ACL and OCS.

Through the MOU, OCS and ACL are exploring opportunities for

• Cross-sharing of knowledge with our respective programs and networks.
• Promoting the visibility of our programs and those areas where our programs collaborate or intersect.
• Supporting efforts to better inform and connect our networks to leverage resources.
• Supporting efforts to advance the use of evidenced-based approaches in our programs and networks.

In conjunction with the ACL/OCS MOU, we would like to provide our networks with information on our programs that support aging adults and individuals with disabilities, and well as a few resources to promote state and local partnerships.

Populations served by OCS, through the Community Services Block Grant, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and Social Services Block Grant

OCS, within the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, partners with states, communities, and agencies to reduce the causes and conditions of poverty, increase the opportunity and economic security of individuals and families, and revitalize communities.  OCS’s social service and community development programs work in a variety of ways to improve the lives of many.Community Services Block Grant

The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Network serves 15 million people with low incomes annually, including approximately two million older adults and two million people with disabilities.

More than 1,000 local CSBG eligible entities (commonly referred to as “Community Action Agencies” or “CAAs”) serve nearly every county across the U.S.  Many CAAs support older adults and people with disabilities in a variety of ways, including through:

• Home-based services, including household or personal care activities that improve or maintain well-being;
• Assistance in locating or obtaining alternative living arrangements;
• In-home emergency services or day care;
• Group meals and recreational activities;
• Special arrangements for transportation and coordination with other resources;
• Case management and family support coordination; and
• Home delivery of meals to ensure adequate nutrition.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

OCS also partners with all 50 states, the District of Columbia, five territories, and approximately 150 Native American tribal governments and organizations to help keep households safe and healthy through initiatives that assist them with home energy costs.  The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides assistance in managing costs associated with home energy bills, energy crises, weatherization and energy-related minor home repairs. 

In FY 2019, the LIHEAP network served 5.3 million households with heating costs through heating assistance, winter crisis assistance, or year-round crisis assistance.  About 3.6 million households had at least one member who is elderly, disabled, or a young child.  Many LIHEAP grantees provide services through local administering agencies, such as branches of state and local governments, and non-profit organizations including CAAs.  LIHEAP supports older adults and people with disabilities in a variety of ways.

Services may include, but are not limited to

• Home-based applications for LIHEAP and other home energy assistance benefits;
• Home energy bill payments, including crisis assistance;
• Heating or cooling system repairs and replacements;
• Financial counseling, home energy-related education and referrals;
• Home energy audits; and
• Low cost home weatherization and minor energy related repairs.

Social Services Block Grant (SSBG)

Another OCS program that serves older adults and individuals with disabilities is the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG).  Older adults and people with disabilities are key end customers for SSBG — totaling nearly 2.5 million individuals each year.  Grants are awarded from the Office of Community Services in SSBG to 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories.  SSBG grantees have the flexibility to determine how to use their funding to support target populations; however, services for older adults and people with disabilities typically include the following:

• Health-related and home health services are designed to assist individuals and families in attaining and maintaining a favorable condition of health.
  • Services or activities include assessing an individual’s health problems; developing  a treatment plan; and assisting individuals in locating, providing, securing, and utilizing appropriate medical treatment, preventive medical care, and health maintenance services, including in-home health services and emergency medical services; and providing follow-up services as needed.
• Home-based social services to assist with household or personal care activities that improve or maintain adequate family well-being.
  • Service or activities include protective supervision of adults and/or children to help prevent abuse, temporary non-medical personal care, house-cleaning, essential shopping, simple household repairs, yard maintenance, teaching of homemaking skills, training in self-help and self-care skills, assistance with meal planning and preparation, sanitation, budgeting, and general household management.
• Support services for persons with developmental or physical disabilities, or persons with visual or auditory impairments, are services or activities to maximize the potential of persons with disabilities, help alleviate the effects of physical, mental or emotional disabilities, and to enable these persons to live in the least restrictive environment possible.
  • Services or activities include personal and family counseling; respite care; family support; recreation; transportation; aid to assist with independent functioning in the community; and training in mobility, communication skills, the use of special aids and appliances, and self-sufficiency skills. Residential and medical services may be included only as an integral, but subordinate, part of the services.
• Home-delivered meals are those services or activities designed to prepare and deliver one or more meals a day to an individual’s residence in order to prevent institutionalization, malnutrition, and feelings of isolation. In addition to food, these services also provide opportunities to assess the nutritional and dietary needs of clients; provide nutritional education and counseling; support socialization services; and support information dissemination and resource referrals.

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) works with states, localities, tribal organizations, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and families to help older adults and people with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in their communities. ACL works to achieve its mission by funding services and supports provided primarily by networks of community-based organizations and by investing in research, education, and innovation. This is critical given the number of people these programs serve:

• The U.S. population over age 60 is projected to increase by 6 percent between 2018 and 2020, from 72.8 million to 77.1 million.
• According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2020, there were 61 million Americans with disabilities of all ages living in the community. Of these, more than 20 million required assistance with activities of daily living or instrumental activities of daily living.
• There are an estimated 3.9 to 5.4 million individuals with developmental disabilities.
• The number of people age 65 and older with severe disabilities — defined as three or more limitations in activities of daily living — is projected to increase from 3.9 million individuals in 2018 to 4.2 million (6 percent increase) by the year 2020. These individuals are at the greatest risk of nursing home admission.

Community living means that older adults and people with disabilities live alongside people of all ages, with and without disabilities, and have the same opportunities as everyone else to earn a living and to make decisions about their lives. Community living is preferred by older Americans and people with disabilities and is usually less expensive than institutional care. That combination of cost-effectiveness and consumer satisfaction makes community living an optimal choice in provision of services to the population served. As we transform health care to a system that pays for outcomes, and prioritizes care in the lowest-cost appropriate settings, the complimentary systems of non-medical long-term services and supports provided by ACL’s networks are expected to play an increasingly important role in the Department’s efforts to deliver more effective services at lower costs.

ACL advocates across the federal government for older adults, people with disabilities, and families and caregivers; funds services and supports provided primarily by states and networks of community-based programs; and invests in training, education, research, and innovation. The agency manages a variety of programs (authorized by several statutes), providing assistance on health and wellness, protecting rights and preventing abuse, supporting consumer control, strengthening the networks of community-based organizations, funding research, and much more.  Additional information on ACL’s efforts may be found on ACL’s website .

Community Action Agencies employ a variety of services and strategies to strengthen individuals, families and communities with low incomes.  CAAs conduct a community needs assessment and tailor their respective approaches based on the results of those assessments.

Area Agencies on Aging or other local ACL grantees should take note that all Community Action Agencies may be found by using the “Find a CAA” tool and entering your zip code. ACL encourages the Area Agencies on Aging to reach out to the Executive Director of your local CAA and consider ways to partner and maximize the impact in your communities.  Similarly, you can locate the local LIHEAP agency to partner.  State Units on Aging, State Councils on Developmental Disabilities and Aging and Disability Resource Centers can locate their respective state CSBG, LIHEAP and SSBG contacts on the OCS site.

The aging and disability networks are made up of local, state, and national organizations and committed advocates working to support older adults and people with disabilities. ACL-funded resource centers provide information primarily for professionals; however, several of the centers offer consumer information as well.  OCS grantees are encouraged you to access and use the resource guides and tools that these centers provide in order to best support older adults and individuals with disabilities.

Some organizations focus on a particular type of disability, age group, or type of service, whereas others have a more comprehensive mission. ACL helps support these networks and the programs and services they provide. We encourage CAAs and other members of the OCS network to connect with the aging and disability network providers in your area.

OCS and ACL look forward to continuing to provide high-quality services to our grantees.  Thank you for your attention to the formation of this new partnership, and for the work that you do in support of all communities at risk across the nation.