Under Governor Josh Shapiro, the PA Department of Aging is providing historic levels of transparency and public accessibility into how local aging agencies are scored, making those performance results available online for the first time ever.
Monitoring results show 50 out of 52 AAAs are responding to reports of suspected elder abuse in a timely manner 85 or more percent of the time, often within 24 hours.
Harrisburg, PA – As part of the Shapiro Administration’s historic commitment to enhance transparency and accountability while delivering better, safer protective services for older adults in the commonwealth, the Pennsylvania Department of Aging (PDA) today released online the results of two more local Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) that were evaluated using the department’s new and improved, comprehensive performance evaluation system.
PDA contracts with and oversees a statewide system of AAAs, which provide programs and protective services for older adults in Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. The department today announced that two new evaluations for AAAs in Columbia/Montour and Wayne counties are complete and publicly available on its website. The department now has published results for 70% of AAAs (36 AAAs out of 52) covering nearly 72% of counties (48).
Launched in 2025, the Comprehensive Aging Performance Evaluation (CAPE) system is designed to reveal issues that the prior legacy system allowed to remain hidden, because it solely relied on a pass or fail grade for AAAs, without detailing why a AAA passed or failed. Under CAPE, each of Pennsylvania’s 52 AAAs is evaluated for 61 different metrics during a singular monitoring review and is given specific, step-by-step guidance on how to improve. This approach gives the Department a better snapshot of the local organization’s overall functioning, helping to quickly identify trends and issues, and urgently provide PDA assistance to address any deficiencies.
“Pennsylvania Department of Aging is providing the public with access to more information than at any point in its long history,” said PDA Secretary Jason Kavulich. “The performance results for nearly 70 percent of AAAs are now posted online and available to the public. We are working to provide unprecedented access to information about programs and services that help and protect older Pennsylvanians.”
In a historic move to increase transparency and public accountability, PDA began publishing the results of CAPE performance evaluations on its website in April 2025 for the first time in its history.
The new CAPE system represents the first major overhaul and upgrade of the department’s monitoring system in decades.
While CAPE ensures each AAA receives a comprehensive analysis on a timely and consistent schedule, PDA monitors AAA data and performance monthly. The comprehensive evaluations and consistent communication ensure AAAs are taking steps to implement any necessary performance improvements. PDA provides additional training and technical assistance as needed.
Part of the ongoing monitoring and analysis includes evaluations of how AAAs are responding to reports of suspected elder abuse. The enhanced focus on performance and evaluation already is delivering results:
- As of September 2026, 50 out of 52 AAAs are responding to reports of suspected elder abuse in a timely manner 85 or more percent of the time, often within 24 hours.
- The Department also monitors and measures each AAA monthly on the percentage of protective services cases where determination was achieved within a 20-day timeframe; as of September 2026, 30 out of 52 AAAs – nearly 60 percent – are scoring 85 percent or better on meeting the 20-day timeframe for making protective services determinations.
The CAPE system is part of the Shapiro Administration’s ongoing commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of Pennsylvania’s rapidly growing older adult population and making certain the Commonwealth remains a place where they can thrive in their golden years.
Since taking office in 2023, Gov. Josh Shapiro has invested more than $20 million to make life better for older Pennsylvanians by helping them stay safe, healthy and engaged in their communities and to continue building community supports as they age. The Shapiro Administration also released Aging Our Way PA at the governor’s direction, which sets a 10-year strategy to build more inclusive, supportive communities for the more than 3 million older adults who call Pennsylvania home.
Taxpayers, residents and others can learn more about how Pennsylvania is serving the needs of older adults by visiting the Department of Aging's website.