Wednesday, April 17, 2013

What is the Elder Justice Coordinating Council?


The Elder Justice Act of 2009, as part of the Affordable Care Act, establishes the Elder Justice Coordinating Council to coordinate activities related to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation across the Federal government. The Elder Justice Coordinating Council is directed by the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary serves as the Chair of the Council. Secretary Sebelius assigned responsibility for implementing the Coordinating Council to the Administration on Community Living/Administration on Aging. The Administration on Aging has long been engaged in efforts to protect older individuals from elder abuse including financial exploitation, physical abuse, neglect, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse. Through the Older Americans Act, the Administration on Aging endeavors to preserve the rights of older people and protect those who may not be able to protect themselves.

The Elder Justice Act also names the Attorney General of the United States as a permanent member of the Council. In addition to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General, the statute provides for inclusion as Council members the heads of each Federal department, agency or governmental entity identified as administering programs related to abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation.

Source:
Elder Justice Coordinating Council

See Also:
Member List

2 comments:

Thelma said...

Sounds interesting, but ws have to do some reading to find out what it's all about; i.e., what has it accomplished.

Mary said...

I wonder if it's just another department that likes to study rather than do anything.