Amid budget shortfalls, Allegheny County’s Area Agency on Aging earned high marks in a state-conducted evaluation in several senior service programs. At the same time, it fell well below state standards in parts of its protective services operations.
The county’s Area Agency on Aging provides resources and services to county residents 60 and older.
The state’s Comprehensive Aging Performance Evaluation, known as CAPE, found the agency performed strongly in programs that provide support and care for older adults. But the evaluation also identified significant shortcomings in protective services designed to safeguard adults who lack the capacity to protect themselves from abuse, neglect, abandonment or financial exploitation.
The Pennsylvania Department of Aging launched CAPE last year. The system evaluates each of the state’s 52 Area Agencies on Aging through a single comprehensive review, rather than multiple site visits over time.
Each agency is evaluated on an 18-month rotation.
The review examines programs including Older Adults Protective Services, which investigates elder abuse cases, and the Options Program, which allows individuals to receive support and services in their homes.
It also evaluates Caregiver Support Program Services, which provide aid to people who serve as primary caregivers for others.
For the evaluation, state officials score each program in different categories. The Department of Aging requires agencies to score at least 75% in every category to meet compliance standards.
Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging performed well above the threshold in all categories under the Options Program and caregiver support programs, receiving scores of at least 90% or higher. The department had nearly perfect scores in administrative oversight, care management and program eligibility.
“We are pleased with our stronger performance in Options and caregiver support services. We remain committed to ensuring that older adults receive high-quality services and support to age in their homes, despite the fact that budget shortfalls resulting from [the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act] will make this more challenging,” said Cydney Cooper, spokeswoman for the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, in a statement.
Alex Jutca, interim director of the Department of Human Services, told TribLive in April that the agency faced a projected shortfall of more than $5 million in its roughly $50 million budget.
Jutca was not made available to provide comment on the results of the CAPE report.
However, the county scored above the 75% compliance threshold in only one category for protective services.
Allegheny County’s Area Agency on Aging received an 88.4% score in administrative oversight, while categories such as data management, investigative activities, as well as risk mitigation and safety, fell just short of compliance.
The documentation requirements category scored 49.2%.
Cooper said that following the CAPE results, Allegheny County developed an improvement plan that was approved by the state and has been implemented.
The plan includes enhanced staff training, strengthened supervisor development and additional quality assurance measures. Cooper did not elaborate on the specifics of the plans.
The Pennsylvania Department of Aging did not respond to questions about the program and evaluation.
The county’s agency is transitioning Older Adult Protective Services to an in-house staffing model effective July 1 as part of an effort to improve compliance with state policies and coordination with the Pennsylvania Department of Aging.
Officials said the change is expected to be cost-neutral, hiring targets have been met and services will continue without interruption.
“Protecting older adults is one of our most important responsibilities, and Allegheny County conducts more than 5,000 investigations annually. Despite funding constraints, Allegheny County has not reduced our investment in older adult protective services operations,” Cooper said.