In order to carry out the purposes of this subchapter, the Director shall:

(1) Serve as an advocate for the aged in the District of Columbia;

(2) Contract with, and make grants to, public and private agencies using Older Americans Act funds, other federal funds received by the Department, and District government appropriated funds;

(3) Provide information and technical assistance with respect to programs and services for the aged to the Mayor, the Commission on Aging, the Council of the District of Columbia, other District government agencies and departments, and the community, including, when necessary, contracting for consultant assistance outside the District government;

(3A) Provide information, through the Office of the Chief Technology Officer, to District of Columbia residents on prescription drug savings available under and eligibility for the AccessRx program established by subchapter I of Chapter 8A of Title 48 [§ 48-831.01 et seq.];

(4) Consider the advice and recommendations of the Commission in carrying out his responsibilities under this subchapter;

(5) File an annual report on the operation of the Department and an analysis of the needs of the aged with the Mayor and the Council of the District of Columbia, and make it available to the public;

(6) Publish a directory of services available to the aged through the District government and including, to the maximum extent possible, sources of nonpublic assistance and programs for the aged in the District of Columbia that directory shall be revised at least every 2 years;

(7) Identify areas of need for service or improvement of service and bring them to the attention of the Mayor and Commission, with suggestions for meeting such needs, including conducting or funding research and demonstration projects to test such suggestions;

(8) Carry responsibility for assuring necessary control, evaluation, audit, and reporting on programs funded through the Department;

(9) Prepare in timely fashion the state plan required under the Older Americans Act and forward it to the Commission for comment and Mayor for approval;

(10) Develop, with the advice of the Commission, a 5-year plan of policies, programs, services and activities to benefit aged residents of the District of Columbia. Such plan shall be reviewed and updated annually;

(11) Review and comment on proposed District and federal legislation, regulations, policies, and programs and make policy recommendations on issues affecting the health, safety, and welfare of the aged.

(Oct. 29, 1975, D.C. Law 1-24, title III, § 303, 22 DCR 2457; Sept. 14, 1976, D.C. Law 1-83, § 2, 23 DCR 2462; Dec. 7, 2004, D.C. Law 15-205, § 5602, 51 DCR 8441; Mar. 2, 2007, D.C. Law 16-191, § 31, 53 DCR 6794; Mar. 29, 2019, D.C. Law 22-276, § 2(e), 66 DCR 1721.)

1981 Ed., § 6-2213.

1973 Ed., § 6-1713.

This section is referenced in § 7-504.09.

D.C. Law 15-205 added par. (3A).

D.C. Law 16-191, in par. (3), substituted “community, including,” for “community. This shall include,”; and, in par. (6), substituted “Columbia that” for “Columbia. The”.

For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 5602 of Fiscal Year 2005 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2004 (D.C. Act 15-486, August 2, 2004, 51 DCR 8236).

For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 5602 of Fiscal Year 2005 Budget Support Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2004 (D.C. Act 15-594, October 26, 2004, 51 DCR 11725).

Short title of subtitle F of title V of Law 15-205: Section 5601 of D.C. Law 15-205 provided that subtitle F of title V of the act may be cited as the Office on Aging AccessRx Prescription Drug Assistance Amendment Act of 2004.

The “Older Americans Act,” referred to in paragraphs (2) and (9), is codified at 42 U.S.C. § 3001 et seq.