Congratulations, Utah for the Ages! (March, 2024)

On February 28, 2024, Senator Gillibrand (D-NY) and Senator Casey (D-PA) introduced the Strategic Plan for Aging Act (S.3827). This landmark bill would create a new national grant program under the Older Americans Act (OAA) to incentivize and support states’ efforts to create strategic plans for aging (MPAs).

Specifically, the Strategic Plan for Aging Act would:

•  Award grants to state, territories, and tribes to create or continue to develop their own Multisector Plan for Aging

• Awardees will finalize and begin the implementation of the plan not later than 2-years after receiving the grant. The plan should cover a 10-year period.

• A plan would direct the state, local, nonprofit, and private sectors to collaborate on systems-based solutions that touch all major areas of the aging life experience, such as health care, housing, transportation, consumer affairs, employment, and income security

• Provide awardees with resources to coordinate, implement, and evaluate cross-agency and private sector plans to improve the lives of older individuals, including older individuals with a disability.

• Award up to 65 grants in a 5-year span; each grant could be up to $500,000. HHS will have the discretion to award a lower amount depending on the size and need of the state, territory, and tribal organizations.

The introduction of federal MPA legislation is an important step in guaranteeing that the entire nation is prepared to care for its growing aging population. Through these efforts, states will be supported and incentivized to create plans that ultimately guide policy choices and investments at the state level to ensure that aging populations can live with dignity in the settings of their choice. Read the full text here.

Contact us

For questions, comments, or suggestions related to MPAs or the newsletter, please do not hesitate to contact us at MPA@westhealth.org.