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The Ohio Department of Aging

Ohio Department of Aging History of the Ohio Department of Aging

  • 1965 - Congress passed the Older Americans Act, which required all states and U.S. Territories to establish a single state agency to implement and oversee a statewide aging program.
  • 1966 - Ohio established the Division of Administration on Aging within the Department of Mental Hygiene and Corrections.
  • 1967 - The Division established Glendale Terrace in Toledo as its first congregate housing for low-income older adults. A second facility, Worley Terrace, was established in Columbus in 1968.
  • 1969 - The U.S. Administration on Aging, a federal agency that serves as the national advocate for older persons, was established.
  • 1973 - The Ohio Division of Administration on Aging office became the Ohio Commission on Aging, under Governor John J. Gilligan. The first of the state's 12 Area Agencies on Aging were established.
  • 1975 - The Ohio Network of Educational Consultants in the Field of Aging was established as the technical advisory body to the Commission on Aging. This organization is now known as the Ohio Association of Gerontology and Education. The first regional long-term care ombudsman programs were established to advocate for the rights of consumers in long-term care facilities.
  • 1976 - The Commission introduced the Golden Buckeye program, the first public-private partnership in the nation to recruit merchants to offer voluntary discounts to Ohio residents age 65 and older.
  • 1977 - The Commission established the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame to honor outstanding older Ohioans for lifelong achievements.
  • 1978 - Voters in Ross County passed the state's first successful levy.
  • 1979 - The Commission oversaw the opening of the first multipurpose senior center in the state: the Martin Janis Senior Center on the state fair grounds.
  • 1984 - The Ohio Commission on Aging was promoted to a cabinet-level agency and was re-named the Ohio Department of Aging. The Director of the agency is the chief advisor to the Governor regarding issues and concerns affecting older Ohioans, and changes in national policy of the federal Administration on Aging. The Department of Aging established the highly successful PASSPORT program.
  • 1985 - The age limit for a Golden Buckeye card was lowered to 60 .
  • 1986 - The PASSPORT program began offering services in several counties.
  • 1990 - The PASSPORT program had expanded to serve all 88 counties. The Ohio legislature established the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman.
  • 1992 - The Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program was created by the Ohio Department of Insurance to provide insurance counseling to older Ohioans.
  • 1993 - The Department assumed responsibility for the Residential State Supplement. The Department also developed the Benefits Eligibility Screening Service (BESS), a computerized system to help older Ohioans identify government benefits and insurance programs for which they may be eligible.
  • 1994 - PASSPORT program assumed responsibility for preadmission review for all nursing home applicants regardless of payment source.
  • 1997 - The Department established Care Choice Ohio, a program that provides free assessment and consultation on long-term care to all Ohioans.
  • 1998 - The Department of Aging Web site was launched.
  • 1999 - The Department, in partnership with the ohio Department of MR/DD and the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council, received a grant to launch the Double Jeopardy project to address support issues for families of adult children with developmental disabilities.
  • 2000 - The Older Americans Act reauthorization created the National Family Caregiver Support Program.
  • 2001 - Governor Bob Taft Creates the Ohio Access Task Force to review Ohio's services and support systems for people with disabilities. The Choices Medicare waiver program was launched. The first Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition program was established in ten northwestern counties.
  • 2002 - BenefitsCheckUp.org a national benefits screening web site, replaced Ohio's Benefits Eligibility Screening System. Ohio also launched the Long-term Care Consumer Guide Web site.
  • 2003 - The Golden Buckeye program expanded to offer discounts on prescription drugs at most Ohio pharmacies. More than two million new Golden Buckeye cards are mailed to eligible Ohioans.
  • 2006 - The Department of Aging launches the Assisted Living Waiver Program that, for the first time, allows Ohioans on Medicaid to access the services they need in a residential care facility, rather than a nursing home.