The federal government may be able to make home care available to more seniors if separate agencies work together, a new Government Accountability Office report urges.
“Many older adults want to age in their homes and communities, and their ability to do so often depends on the availability of home and community-based services and other supports,” the GAO notes. Five federal agencies have a hand in keeping seniors in their homes — the Administration on Aging (AoA) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Transportation (DOT), and Agriculture (USDA).
“GAO recommends that HHS facilitate development of a cross agency federal strategy to ensure efficient and effective use of federal resources for HCBS,” urges the report at www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-190.