Legislation comes one week after Aging publicly detailed its plan to overhaul the older adult protective services system with the Comprehensive Agency Performance Evaluation, or CAPE – the result of nearly two years of work.
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Aging (PDA) today commended the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee for voting House Bill 372 out of committee – a bipartisan bill that would improve public transparency of Pennsylvania’s Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) Network, particularly in the area of older adult protective services – and praised the work of the House Aging & Older Adult Services Committee and the bill sponsor, Representative Lou Schmitt.
“Our Department is pleased to see this bill advance out of committee, which aligns with our own publicly stated commitment to providing greater public transparency by posting AAA performance on our website,” said Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich. “While working steadily on a much-needed major overhaul of the Department’s performance monitoring system, we have also worked closely with Representative Schmitt and the Committee to make sure that the legislation reflects the metrics and terminology established in the new system.”
As it heads to the House floor for a full vote, House Bill 372 has been amended to note that the Department will “report each area agency's compliance results with established performance measures.”
On March 18, PDA announced the rollout of the agency’s new Comprehensive Agency Performance Evaluation, or CAPE – an innovative tool designed to boost transparency and accountability of Pennsylvania’s AAA network that provides a host of services to older adults. House Bill 372 would further provide for similar improvements and enshrine them in state law.
In April, the Department will begin publicly posting performance results on its website for the first batch of AAAs to be monitored under CAPE, with more AAA performance results regularly added. After nearly two years of work, the public will be able to see for the first time how well their local AAA is performing in major program areas, including investigative activities related to suspected elder abuse.
Work on CAPE began in the spring of 2023. Last week, the Department of Aging unveiled details of the new monitoring system – the result of 22 months of work – to the legislature in a public hearing.
“Since taking office more than 25 months ago, one of the Shapiro Administration’s top priorities has been to modernize how we oversee AAA performance at the local level and make those results easily available to the public,” said Secretary Kavulich. “The completion of CAPE – the first major overhaul and upgrade of the department’s monitoring system in decades – is a huge achievement and monumental leap forward for this agency. We are transforming our ability to evaluate and improve services for older Pennsylvanians.”
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