Letters to the 106th Congress March 2, 2000 The Honorable Arlen Specter Chair Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Committee on Appropriations United States Senate Washington DC 20510 Dear Mr. Chair: I write on behalf of the American Bar Association, to express our continued support for the Older Americans Act and the programs it funds, particularly those providing legal assistance to our nation's most vulnerable elders. We are seeking your help in encouraging the Administration on Aging to provide FY 2000 funding of senior legal hotlines and existing national legal support centers at levels at least equal to the FY 1999 levels anticipated by the Senate Appropriations Committee. It is our understanding that approximately $790,000 will remain unallocated in the FY 2000 budget for Title IV, after earmarks of $24,160,000 for specific programs and $7,650,000 for "ongoing projects scheduled for refunding in FY 2000" are spent. We urge the Subcommittee to direct the Administration on Aging to spend at least $1.5 million on statewide hotlines, and not less than $950,000 (the FY 1999 level after restoration) on existing national legal support centers. The Administration tentatively plans to spend only $1.2 million on statewide hotlines and $750,000 on national legal support centers in FY 2000, but as noted above, unallocated funds exist to cover the additional $500,000. Using the surplus in this manner will further the Appropriations Committee's goal of funding a "national system of statewide senior legal services hotlines and related elder rights activities." National legal support centers, such as the National Senior Citizens Law Center and the American Bar Association's Commission on Legal Problems of the Elderly, are valuable resources for state and area agencies on aging, legal assistance developers, local legal assistance providers, long-term care ombudsman programs, the private bar, and other elder rights advocacy programs. These centers currently offer case consultations, training, substantive legal advice and assistance, and help in the design and delivery of local legal assistance and elder rights delivery systems. Moreover, they provide a national perspective on substantive law and legal services delivery issues, a perspective that is frequently lacking in state and local agencies operating in isolation. Additional funding would allow these centers to provide critical services, including high quality training, current materials and case updates, to local agencies and programs providing legal assistance under the Act. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please call upon us if you have any questions. Sincerely, Robert D. Evans Director, Govermental Affairs Office cc: Members, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education 106th Congress Letters Home

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