Contact DHHS

Older Americans – A Triple Win

Providing jobs for older workers is a triple says Christine Donohoo of AARP, “It's a win-win-win. It's a win for the individual if they want to stay active and keep working, it's a win for the employer because they get mature, experienced work force with a good work ethic and it's also good for taxpayers, because you still have folks contributing to the tax rolls.”

The US Congress created a program to help older workers find jobs. It is called the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). It is funded through the Older Americans Act, serving persons with low incomes who are 55 years old or over and have poor employment prospects. The program has two purposes: 1) to provide useful community services and 2) to foster individual economic self-sufficiency through training and job placement in unsubsidized employment.

Historically many SCSEP older workers in Arkansas remained in SCSEP jobs for a number of years as cooks and van drivers. As a result of action by Congress, greater focus is being placed on job placement.

The Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration issued proposed rules for the SCSEP program. Just to highlight some of the proposed changes in the new regulations - the purpose of the SCSEP has been expanded to include an emphasis in increasing economic self-sufficiency and unsubsidized placement. There is much throughout the draft regulations to indicate this program is to serve the hardest to serve individuals not individuals who can be readily referred to unsubsidized jobs after receiving services that could be provided by the local Workforce Center.

The Department of Labor also intends to make the program more performance oriented and ensure that it is well managed, and will be enforcing responsibility tests more strictly than it has in the past by measuring: 1) The number of persons served, with particular consideration given to individuals with greatest economic need, greatest social need, or poor employment history or prospects, and individuals who are over the age of 60; 2) Community services provided; 3) Placement into and retention in unsubsidized public or private employment; 4) Satisfaction of the participants, employers, and their host agencies with their experiences and the services provided; 5) Earnings increase.

The U. S. Department of Labor allotted the State of Arkansas 225 positions and $1,611,033. Historically the eight Area Agencies on Aging mange the 225 positions the state receives. There are also four National Sponsors who received grants to operate SCSEP Programs in Arkansas. They are the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), Experience Works, United States Department of Agriculture - Forest Service, and The National Caucus and Center on Black Aged. The U. S. Department of Labor allotted these National Sponsors 873 positions in Arkansas. All together 1,098 positions totally $7,854,312 is allocated for Arkansas.

The Division of Aging and Adult Services (DHHS - DAAS) in cooperation with the AAAs and the National Sponsors are now working on the SCSEP Plan for program year 2004 (July 1, 2004 - June 30, 2005). Upon Completion of a draft plan, DAAS will post the draft plan on the DHHS-DAAS website for public comment. We will submit the draft plan to the Department of Labor (DOL), with the provision that we will forward a final version of the plan after receiving public comments. It is our goal to have the plan ready to be posted on the DHHS - DAAS website by April 1, 2004. Once posted, those interested in reviewing and commenting on the plan may view it by going to the following internet address: www.state.ar.us/dhs/aging (or click HERE).

Joseph Quinn, professor of economics at Boston College speaking on NPRs Talk of the Nation says the trend for men to retire earlier and earlier slammed to a halt in the mid-1980’s. Dr. Quinn attributes this change to several factors. Social Security used to penalize workers who continued to work beyond age 65. That is no longer the case. People are living healthier, and the occupational structure is changing in a way that makes continued work late in life more possible. For workers on the lower end of the socioeconomic scale, many don’t leave the workforce because they can’t. The need work to make ends meet.

Congress and the Department of Labor see the Senior Community Service Employment Program as a vehicle to help low income older Americans foster individual economic self-sufficiency through training and job placement in unsubsidized employment.