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News from the EJC: Omnibus Spending Bill Passed By Congress; Elder Justice Act Not Funded
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Final congressional action on the fiscal year 2014 omnibus spending bill happened last night with the Senate's passage of the bill in a 72-26 vote. This bill will fund the government through the rest of fiscal year 2014, or September 30. For the third year in a row, the President's budget request for funding of the Elder Justice Act was not supported by Congress; the Adult Protective Services Demonstration request of $8 million was not included in the final omnibus.
Other relevant FY 2014 funding levels in the bill include:
- The Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) levels remain unchanged at $1.7 billion.
- OAA Title VII funding is $20.6 million, down from $21.8 million in FY12/the President's FY14 budget and the same as enacted in FY13.
- Elder Rights Support Activity funding is $3.87 million, down from $4.09 million in FY12/the President's FY14 budget and the same as enacted in FY13.
- Lifespan Respite Care funding is $2.36 million, down from $2.49 million in FY12/the President's FY14 budget but up slightly from FY13.
- Senior Medicare Patrol program funding is $8.91 million, down from $9.4 million in FY12/the President's budget but up slightly FY14 from FY13.
EJC National Coordinator Bob Blancato said, "We are obviously disappointed in Congress's failure to again provide funding for the bipartisan Elder Justice Act. To deny funding for the critical work of Adult Protective Services as elder abuse continues to grow is a mistake whose consequences grow more severe with each passing year. Our advocacy efforts must and will continue in 2014. We have already begun work on fiscal year 2015 funding and to make sure the Elder Justice Act does not expire on September 30."
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Sens. Shaheen and Casey Introduce Bill to Fight Healthcare Fraud
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Yesterday, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced S.1944, the Protecting Seniors from Health Care Fraud Act, a bill which would educate seniors on the most common healthcare fraud schemes. The legislation would require HHS to work with the Department of Justice and other federal agencies to mail seniors periodically a list of the top ten healthcare scams and create a policy report on healthcare scams. "Experts and advocates on seniors' issues support this plan because it gives seniors the tools to recognize and report fraud before it happens," Sen. Shaheen said in a press release. This bill is a companion bill to one introduced by Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA) in November in the House which is endorsed by the EJC.
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CFPB Hosts Meeting for Aging Advocates
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The Office of Older Americans at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau hosted a meeting for aging advocates that work to improve the financial security of older consumers yesterday in which Meredith Ponder, Federal Policy and Media Coordinator for the EJC participated. It began with a brief overview of the office led by Assistant Director Nora Dowd Eisenhower and an introduction to the Bureau from Bureau Director Richard Cordray. Each organization present was able to share its work and priorities for the coming year.
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