Some senior living leaders are calling the Elder Justice Reauthorization and Modernization Act of 2021 a “great first step” toward helping providers recruit and retain workers. Among the provisions that have people talking:
- It incorporates proposals from the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living’s proposals and provides a focus on workforce investment.
- It includes critical support that older adults and their caregivers need to avoid and prevent financial exploitation, physical and psychological abuse, and other unacceptable forms of elder abuse.
- It would provide funding for programs through fiscal year 2025.
- It aligns with the vision many have about how to make America a better place to grow old, according to LeadingAge.
The bill was introduced last week by the House Ways & Means Committee Chair Richard Neal (D-MA), Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senate Special Committee on Aging Chair Bob Casey (D-PA), and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), co-chair of the House Elder Justice Caucus. The bill would reauthorize the Elder Justice Act and commit funding to programs that address the needs of older adults and individuals with disabilities.
