ACL was created in 2012, bringing together the federal government’s work to help older adults and people with disabilities maintain their health and live in their communities. While these two populations are very different in many ways, the services and supports they need to live and fully participate in their communities are often the same. Bringing federal work to support community integration together under one umbrella has improved coordination and collaboration, reduced duplication of effort and gaps in services, and improved program reach and effectiveness. We are more easily able to share expertise across aging and disability networks, and we are better able to bring the partners we work with at all levels together to work together where the needs of the people we serve overlap.
Organizational History
The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (Kathleen Sebelius, at the time) established ACL using her authority on April 18, 2012. This decision brought together the Administration on Aging, the Office on Disability, and the Administration on Developmental Disabilities. Since its creation, ACL has continued to grow and assume new responsibilities each year.
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In the FY 2014 annual appropriation, Congress transferred to ACL the State Health Insurance Assistance Program ($52 million) from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as well as the Paralysis Resource Center ($7 million) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 transferred to ACL the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research as well as the Independent Living and Assistive Technology programs (totaling $238 million) from the Department of Education in FY 2015. That same year, the Limb Loss Resource Center ($2 million) was transferred from CDC to ACL. In the FY 2016 annual appropriation, Congress transferred the Traumatic Brain Injury program ($9 million) from the Health Resources and Services Administration to ACL.
On June 2, 2015 the Federal Register published ACL’s updated Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority (PDF). It reflects ACL’s expanded mission and details the organizational structure, roles, and responsibilities of its centers and offices (Refer to Section V, Component Information, for additional information).