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Elder Justice Coordinating Council Meetings

The fall 2023 meeting of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council was held in executive session on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. The Council was briefed on the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Healthy Aging and Age-Friendly Communities, which was established by the authority of the Older Americans Act to support national plans to support the ability of older individuals to age in place and access preventive health care, promote age-friendly communities, and address access for older adults to long-term care services and supports. The Council engaged in an interactive discussion of plans to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Council, with a retrospective study and report on the coordination among and achievements of the member agencies over the first 10 years since the inception of the Council. Plans were presented for a public celebration of the Council’s accomplishments at a public EJCC meeting anticipated to take place in early 2024.  At that time, the Council will commence planning for the next 10 years of Council engagement, and continue an all-of-government approach to elder justice.

 

Last modified on 11/22/2023

The June 8, 2023 meeting highlighted the importance of including older adults in preparedness planning for disasters, emergencies, and pandemics and discussed the future of the elder justice movement as we prepare to commemorate World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
 

 

Plenary: Legal Aid Program Spotlight: What It Feels Like to Live through Natural Disasters
 

 

Panel: Emergency and Disaster Preparedness: The Unique Needs and Responses for Older Americans (Co-Sponsored by FEMA)
 

 

Panel: Recognizing World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
 

 

Last modified on 6/21/2023

The November 15, 2022 virtual EJCC meeting explored the impact of the Elder Justice Act since its passage in 2011, and how the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic has strengthened adult protective services programs around the country.
 

 

Panel: Impact of CRRSA and ARPA funds on APS Program Investment
 

 

Panel: Significance of the Elder Justice Act
 

 

Last modified on 12/22/2022

The June 21, 2022, virtual EJCC meeting focused on the administration’s goals and objectives in reforms and improvement to nursing home quality and enforcement, and effective messaging to combat scams and fraud targeting older adults.
 

 

Last modified on 08/02/2022

The December 7, 2021, EJCC meeting was the first convened under the Biden-Harris Administration. This virtual meeting focused on the administration’s goals and objectives in addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and social isolation, the connection between elder justice and advancing equity, and the importance of critical partnerships. The meeting also highlighted launching of a new EJCC website.
 

 

Last modified on 08/02/2022

The fall 2020 meeting of the Elder Justice Council took place on October 20. This meeting, held in Executive Session, expanded on the June 10, 2020 meeting to discuss follow-up items presented on the federal government's early COVID-19 health pandemic response.

 

Last modified on 07/09/2021

The spring 2020 meeting of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council took place on June 10, 2020. This first-ever virtual meeting focused on the federal government’s response and enforcement actions taken against scams targeting older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting also featured a report on what separates victims of scams from non-victims, an update on Economic Impact Payments going out by Debit Card, and lessons learned from AARP’s BankSafe program.
 

 

Last modified on 07/09/2021

The fall 2019 meeting of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council took place on December 3, 2019.
 

  • Agenda (DOCX | 102 KB)
  • 2018 Adult Maltreatment Report (PDF | 4.1 MB) - This report is the third annual release based on 2018 data from the National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System (NAMRS), which is a voluntary data reporting system collecting data from state adult protective services systems. All states, territories and district contributed data to this report. Data for this period is published in one volume.

 

The written testimonies can be accessed below:
 

 

Last modified on 07/08/2020

The Council met on September 3, 2019, in Executive Session, for a conference call to finalize a National Elder Justice Research Agenda in preparation for the December 3, 2019 EJCC meeting.

 

Last modified on 07/09/2021

The fall 2018 meeting of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council took place on December 5, 2018. The meeting included an update from ADM Brett P. Giroir, MD, the Assistant Secretary for Health on the federal government’s response to the Opioid Crisis, as well as an in-depth discussion on the unique elder justice concerns faced by rural and tribal communities by federal leaders, including Assistant Secretary for Aging and ACL Administrator Lance Robertson.
 


 

The Spring 2018 meeting of the Elder Justice Coordinating Committee took place on June 5, 2018. The meeting included an in-depth discussion on the opioid crisis and elder abuse and featured remarks from a federal leaders including HHS Secretary Alex Azar, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Jay Clayton.  
 

 

Last modified on 06/14/2018

The fall 2017 meeting of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council was conducted in executive session on October 30. The agenda included review of the collaborative efforts of EJCC member Departments since the inception of the Council and consideration of strategic focuses for the EJCC for the future. The EJCC members discussed ongoing and future elder justice coordination among federal partners consistent with the Eight Recommendations from the Elder Justice Coordinating Council for Increased Federal Involvement in Addressing Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation (PDF | 106 KB) adopted by the Council in May 2014.

 

Last modified on 11/02/2021

The Spring 2017 Elder Justice Coordinating Council (EJCC) meeting built on momentum metaphors that were developed by the Frameworks Organization. Frameworks developed two metaphors that are design to reframe the individuals thought to toward aging. The metaphors were designed to address the myths of ageism. Ageist beliefs and policies categorize seniors as a homogenous group, ignoring diversity issues and individual needs. Frameworks explored creative ways broaden people's thought on aging; its perspective, ideology and definition. During the meeting, a representative form Frameworks and the National Center on Elder Abuse shared the metaphors with the Elder Justice Coordinating Council and the attendees. The goal of the Metaphors is to live in a society that makes informed choices on policies and practices that address elder abuse and  to help ensure nationwide implementation and impact of the new communication strategy on elder abuse.

 

Watch a video of the meeting.(link is external)

 

Learn more about the Talking Elder Abuse Toolkit(link is external) on the USC Center for Elder Mistreatment(link is external) website.

 

Last modified on 09/09/2020

The fall 2016 meeting of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council took place on October 5, 2016. 
 

 

The written testimonies can be accessed below:
 

 

Last modified on 12/13/2019

Wednesday, April 27, 2016, 9:00 am–12:00 pm ET

Dirksen Senate Office Building: Room 106

 

This meeting has ended. Full video from the meeting will be posted on this page as soon as it is available.

 

The Elder Justice Coordinating Council (EJCC) brings together leaders from across the federal government to address issues of elder justice nationally.

 

The Spring 2016 EJCC meeting built on momentum from the 2015 White House Conference on Aging and explored ways to further incorporate elder justice into the work of agencies throughout the federal government. During the meeting, national experts from government and private industry discussed the issues of elder abuse research, the financial services industry’s response to elder abuse and financial exploitation, and developments in training about elder abuse across a variety of fields.

 

Read a blog post from Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee reflecting on the EJCC meeting, the progress that has been made in the five years since the EJCC was established, and the future of the elder justice movement.

 

Meeting Materials

 

Background Materials
 

 

Meeting Agendas and Executive Summaries of Remarks

 

Welcome and Introductions
 

  • Kathy Greenlee, Designated Chair and HHS Assistant Secretary for Aging
  • Greetings from members of the Council
  • Congressional Member Remarks

 

Panel Presentations
 

  1. Research—Opportunities to Advance the Field
    1. Jeff Hall, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (executive summary) (PDF | 455 KB)
    2. Marie Bernard, MD, Deputy Director, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health (executive summary) (PDF | 218KB)
    3. Carrie Mulford, PhD, Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (executive summary) (PDF | 93.4 KB)
    4. Laura Mosqueda, MD, Director of the National Center on Elder Abuse (executive summary) (PDF | 316 KB)
       
  2. Financial Exploitation—Incorporating the Financial Services Industry Into the Work of Elder Justice
    1. Jason Karlawish, MD, Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania (executive summary) (PDF | 117KB)
    2. Ken Bentsen, CEO, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association
    3. Deb Whitman, PhD, EVP AARP, Chief Public Policy Officer (executive summary) (PDF | 201KB)
    4. Naomi Karp, JD, Senior Policy Advisor, Office for Older Americans, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
       
  3. Training—Expanding the Family of Responders
    1. Andy Mao, JD, Director of the DOJ Elder Justice Initiative (executive summary) (PDF | 169 KB)
    2. Stacy Rodgers, MPA, Social Security Administration, Agency Chief of Staff (executive summary) (PDF | 203 KB)
    3. Mark Lachs, MD, Cornell Weill Medical Center, Co-Director New York Center on Elder Abuse (executive summary) (PDF | 438 KB)

 

The Work Ahead—Kathy Greenlee

 

Last modified on 04/03/2019

On April 22, 2015, the Council met in Executive Session to hear presentations on planning for the 2015 White Conference on Aging and the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day outreach campaign. The Council received an updated progress report on the Adult Protective Services Program Voluntary Consensus Guidelines and federal stakeholder engagement proposals. These presentations and planning activities fully address the statutory charge of the Council, to review how best to enhance coordination at the federal level.

 

Last modified on 07/09/2021

On November 5, 2013, the Council met in a closed, Executive Session to discuss and further refine the proposals. The Council agreed to and adopted a final set of eight recommendations for federal action to combat elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation that address a broad range of elder justice issues important to stakeholders and constituents. These recommendations were provided to and approved by the DHHS Secretary in May 2014, in accordance with the EJA.

 

The Council believes the recommendations represent a focused, yet well-balanced, approach for establishing greater federal leadership in the area of elder justice and for improving the federal response to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. These recommendations fully address the statutory charge of the Council, to review how best to enhance coordination at the federal level.

 

Last modified on 07/09/2021

September 24, 2013

 

The third meeting of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council will be held on September 24, 2013, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Washington, DC. The Council will receive from the Federal Interagency Elder Justice Working Group (PDF | 191KB) (Working Group) a summary of the strategic action steps for the nine proposals (PDF | 102KB) to advance federal involvement in the prevention, detection, and prosecution of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The proposals were presented to the Council at the spring meeting held on May 13, 2013.

 

The meeting is open to the public and it will be webcast live (URL will be available at a later date). To attend this meeting in person or to watch the live webcast, please RSVP with your name and organization to Brandon Bayton, brandon.bayton@kauffmaninc.com. Details for participating in person or via the web will be provided in your confirmation response. Note:  space for attending in person is limited. Also, please note in your RSVP if you wish to speak at the public listening session that will be held in the afternoon portion of the meeting. Slots will be assigned on a first come first serve basis.

 

All programmatic questions should be directed to Stephanie Whittier Eliason, 202-357-3519 or Stephanie.WhittierEliason@aoa.hhs.gov, at the Administration for Community Living/Administration on Aging.

 

Every year, far too many of our seniors face elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The Elder Justice Coordinating Council is a unique opportunity that demonstrates federal leadership and commitment to addressing these issues. On October 11, 2012, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius held the inaugural meeting of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council. The Secretary was joined at the meeting by Attorney General Eric Holder, then Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), and representatives of other member federal departments and agencies.

 

View the full presentation (PDF | 1.41MB)

 

Last modified on 12/22/2016

On October 11, 2012 the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius held the inaugural meeting of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council. The Secretary was joined at the meeting by Attorney General Eric Holder, Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), and representatives of other member Federal Departments and Agencies. The meeting included four panels of nationally-recognized, non-Federal government experts who presented testimony on issues of paramount importance in addressing elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

 

At the staff level, the Council is supported by the Elder Justice Interagency Working Group (EJWG). Since the October meeting, the EJWG has worked to organize, analyze, and prepare proposals for the Council on priority elder abuse issues requiring the attention of the federal government, based on the expert panel testimony and white papers drafted by the experts. The Working Group has also coordinated in preparing a report of Federal Accomplishments (PDF | 191KB) in elder justice since 2010.

 

On May 13, 2013, Assistant Secretary for Aging Greenlee was joined by Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West in convening the 2013 Spring Council meeting. The agenda (PDF | 126KB) for this meeting included EJWG member presentation of proposals for federal action to address elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Nine (9) proposals (PDF | 191 KB) were presented to the Council. Information on the proposals was organized to provide the Council with a summary of:
 

  • Purpose or desired outcome of the proposal;
  • Current status in the area, including brief background on work federal agencies may already be involved in; and
  • Next steps for analyzing the proposals for implementation.

 

View the full presentation (PDF | 2.5 MB) In developing implementation strategies for each of the proposals, the Working Group will incorporate comments and directions expressed by the Council, as well as consider input from the advocates and stakeholders. You may submit ideas or suggestions on implementing any of the 9 proposals by emailing the Council.

 

Watch video of the meeting:
 

 

Last modified on 04/24/2017

The inaugural Elder Justice Coordinating Council meeting took place October 11, 2012 in Washington, DC, under the direction of the Administration on Aging. The Meeting Agenda (PDF | 126KB) was developed with input from experts on the Elder Justice Interagency Working Group, a National Institute on Aging and National Academy of Sciences State of the Science meeting(link is external) (PDF | 214 KB), and the Department of Justice’s Concept Mapping Project (PDF | 137KB). Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, Attorney General Eric Holder, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), and representatives of the other member Federal Departments and Agencies made opening statements.
 

 

The meeting was comprised of four panels of nationally recognized, non-Federal government experts who presented testimony to Council members and their representatives on issues of paramount importance in addressing elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Council members and their representatives also had the opportunity to pose questions to Panel members about their areas of expertise. These panels were organized around the following major topics related to elder mistreatment:
 

 

It is anticipated that, with input from the Elder Justice Interagency Working Group, these priority areas will be considered at the Coordinating Council’s future meetings. They will be prioritized and then constitute assignments for the various Departments and Agencies to begin working toward solutions of some of the most pressing problems in the area of Elder Justice.

 

Expert White Papers

 

 

What's Next?

 

The Elder Justice Interagency Working Group will organize, prioritize, and make recommendations to the Elder Justice Coordinating Council on the recommendations derived from the Expert Panelists within the categories listed above (i.e. Financial Exploitation, Public Policy and Awareness, Enhancing Response, and Advancing Research). These recommendations will reflect the major content themes of the Coordinating Council’s inaugural meeting. It is anticipated that the Coordinating Council will consider these priorities, and assign activities through the Elder Justice Interagency Working Group, which will in turn be charged with the planning and implementation of these assignments.

 

The Coordinating Council will meet biannually; the next meeting is anticipated for the spring of 2013. The Elder Justice Interagency Working Group is likely to report to the Elder Justice Coordinating Council through the Administration on Aging on an ongoing basis. Using this mechanism, it is expected that the Federal government can initiate a coordinated effort to begin solving problems related to elder abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of the senior citizens of the United States.

 

Last modified on 09/19/2022

Last Modified: 12/12/2023