March 10, 2020

ICYMI: Congress Passes Manchin Priorities In Supporting Older Americans Act

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) applauded the Senate passage of the Supporting Older Americans Act last week. The Supporting Older Americans Act is a reauthorization of the Older Americans Act with a 6% increase in funding for Title III, which supports home-based nutrition delivery services which are essential to many of West Virginia’s aging population. The bill also authorizes the Grandparents Raising Grand Kids Act for an additional year, creating a taskforce to provide resources for grandparents raising grandkids. This legislation was also passed by the House of Representatives.

“I am proud to see Congress support our senior citizens through programs that affect so many West Virginians like the increase in funding for home-based meal delivery programs. While this is a great step in the right direction, we need to do more to repair, replace, or purchase vehicles designed to deliver home-base nutrition services, which is why I introduced the HOME Meals Act last year to create a new competitive grant program to address this issue. The Supporting Older Americans Act also authorizes the Grandparents Raising Grand Kids Act taskforce to help grandparents raising grandkids, which has increased drastically as an effect of the opioid epidemic that has ravaged states like West Virginia. I look forward to seeing the benefits of this legislation for seniors across our state and America,” said Senator Manchin.