Altoona rep. introduces bill to help protect seniors

PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — With six Area Agency on Aging (AAA) in Pennsylvania not meeting requirements, one representative is introducing legislation that he says will help protect seniors.

Representative Lou Schmitt (R – Altoona) introduced legislation that would require the Department of Aging to make public all non-compliant AAAs and action plans to correct plans.

“Tens of thousands of older Pennsylvanians rely on their local AAAs that are the boots on the ground when it comes to providing services to residents, including investigating allegations of elder abuse. Unfortunately, some are out of compliance with state regulations,” Schmitt said. “What’s equally frightening is information about which of the AAAs are not compliant and why they are not meeting regulations is hidden from the public eye.”

House Bill 2319 would mandate the Department of Aging to display a non-compliant AAA list and corrective action plans on its website. Schmitt says that the information is released once a year by the department in a report that is rarely if ever, seen by the public.

“The fact that this information is essentially hidden from the public is unacceptable, especially when these entities continue to receive state taxpayer dollars,” Schmitt said. “The people deserve to know if the AAA in their area is protecting senior citizens.”

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Schmitt’s House Bill 2319 will likely be referred to the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee for initial consideration. The legislation is part of the “Back to Basics” government reform package of bills, which is based on observations and feedback from state agencies during the 2024 budget hearings.

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