About Us

• ​Responsible for the administration of all aging programs and services for the commonwealth.
  
• Promotes prevention and protection for older Pennsylvanians.
  

• ​Analyzes and provides legal guidance in connection with the exercise of official powers of the department.
  
• Works in coordination with other Pennsylvania departments and under the guidance of the Governor's Office of General Counsel.
  

Agent for Service of Process: Deborah Hargett-Robinson, Deputy Counsel, dhargettro@pa.gov

• Carries out and conveys agency policies to members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly by advocating for or against pieces of legislation.
  
• Provides consistent and prompt answers to questions from members of the legislature and keeps members apprised of aging issues, whether those issues are statewide or specifically in their districts.
  
• Works in coordination with liaisons in other Pennsylvania departments and under the guidance of the Governor's Office of Legislative Affairs.
  

• ​Serves as a statewide forum, clearinghouse, guardian, and advocate for the rights and interests of the elderly in determining a comprehensive program of services for the elderly.
  
• Advises the governor, the General Assembly, and the Department of Aging through its agency head, regarding the planning, coordination, and delivery of services provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging and other state agencies.
  

• Consults with various departments and agencies and makes recommendations on regulations, licensure, financing, or any other responsibilities of state agencies relating to long-term care including, but not limited to, institutional care and home- and community-based services.
  
• Creates committees or ad hoc workgroups to assist the council in researching various issues pertaining to long-term care, reporting on assigned topics, and making recommendations for submission to the council.
  
• Areas of research include, but are not limited to, regulatory review and access to quality care, community access and public education, long-term care services models and delivery, workforce, housing, and behavioral health issues of older Pennsylvanians.
  

• Acts as a "clearinghouse" for all policy development activity within the department.
  
• Develops, coordinates, plans, assesses and evaluates policies across the organizations within the department to ensure consistency in content, direction, and application.
  
• Assists other bureaus and offices in developing policy, evaluating impact, and establishing and improving strategic direction.
  
• Serves as a liaison with other departments' programs and policy offices, state agencies, and external stakeholder groups.
  
• Works in coordination with liaisons in other state agencies and under the guidance of the Governor's Office of Planning and Policy.
  

• Manages the Department of Aging's public relations initiatives, media and digital communications, and agency branding.
  
• Prepares and distributes news releases, public reports, newsletters, and other written and digital materials.
  
• Responds to inquiries from members of the media, coordinates news conferences, and facilitates media appearances by the Secretary of Aging, Deputy Secretary, and department staff.
  
• Develops or oversees the development of consumer publications.
  
• Serves as liaison between the department and the Governor's Office on all aspects of communications.
  

• ​Oversees all services funded by the Older Americans Act, Tobacco Settlement Fund, and the Pennsylvania Lottery including the PACE/PACENET programs, home- and community-based services, protective services, nutrition programs, transportation, senior employment, and volunteer development programs.
  
• Oversees the Bureaus of Finance, Quality Assurance, Protective Services, and Aging Services.
  
  

• ​Mandated by federal Older Americans Act and state legislation, involves designing, implementing, and managing a statewide reporting and investigative system to deal effectively with complaints made by or on behalf of older consumers of long-term care services.
  
• Advocates for systemic improvements in long-term care services through analyzing and monitoring federal and state legislation impacting consumers of long-term care services, providing training and sanction for representatives who provide local ombudsman services, and providing technical assistance and information to local ombudsmen and consumers of long-term care services.
  

• Provides services that protect older adults against fraud, abuse, exploitation, and neglect and responsible for managing the criminal history background check process.
  
• Directs the administration of the Older Adults Protective Services Program for the prevention and treatment of elder abuse, neglect, exploitation, and abandonment.
  
• Designs and implements a statewide reporting and investigative system to address the needs of older adults requiring protective services.
  
• Coordinates services through the Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) by developing and ensuring implementation of protective services' programs, policies and procedures, providing technical assistance to the agencies, conducting staff training, and collecting data and reports on elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
  
• Provides technical assistance to the Department of Human Services for its Adult Protective Services Program that protects abused, neglected, or abandoned adults between the ages of 18 and 59 who have physical or mental impairments.
  
• Includes the Criminal History Background Check Unit that works directly with state and FBI organizations in processing background checks to protect facilities from hiring prohibited hires in long-term care facilities.
  

• Responsible for the expansion and promotion of the Aging and Disability Resources Center Program (ADRC), which is a federal Administration on Aging core program and collaborative effort to create a person-centered, community-based environment that promotes independence and dignity for individuals.
  
• Provides easy access to information to assist consumers in exploring a full range of long-term support options and provides resources and services that support the range of needs for family caregivers.
  
• Targets services to the elderly and individuals with physical disabilities, serious mental illness, and/or developmental/ intellectual disabilities with the goal of serving all individuals with long-term care needs regardless of their age or disability.
  

• ​The Bureau of Aging Services is responsible for the oversight and administration of lottery-funded home & community-based programs that serve older adults, and programs operated in accordance with the federal Older Americans Act. These programs are administered locally through a network of 52 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs). The Bureau provides program development, training, and technical assistance to the AAAs.
• The Bureau of Aging Services is comprised of two divisions; The Division of Housing & Community Services and the Older Americans Act Division. The bureau staff also advocate on behalf of older Pennsylvanians on several additional committees, councils, meetings, and workgroups.

• ​Provides, through a pharmacy benefit administrator (PBA), an accessible high quality of care, comprehensive prescription drug benefit to an optimum number of eligible Pennsylvanians.
  
• Manages the pharmacy benefit for the Department of Health Chronic Renal Disease Program (CRDP) and the Department of Human Services Special Pharmaceutical Benefit Program (SPBP).
  
• Provides limited support to other state pharmacy benefit programs, such as the State Workers' Insurance Fund.
  

• Responsible for the licensure of older adult daily living centers in Pennsylvania.
  
• Develops and maintains a licensure process, forms and applications, inspection schedules, internal policies and procedures, as well as developing standards to ensure quality in the services provided at the centers.
  
• Conducts on-site inspections on at least an annual basis, recommends continued licensure status, investigates complaints, and provides technical assistance to prospective and licensed centers as needed.
  

• ​Oversees health and consumer education programs initiated by the department, including the Health Insurance Information Counseling and Assistance Program/PA MEDI and the Health Promotion/Disease Prevention Program.
  
• Coordinates logistics for the department's training activities, including statewide training for Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs).
• Supervises an extensive statewide volunteer program involving the coordination of volunteer activities at the local level and the administration of a volunteer recruitment, retention and recognition campaign.