(a) The Department of Social Services shall equitably allocate, in accordance with federal law, federal funds received under Title IIIB and IIIC of the Older Americans Act to the five area agencies on aging established pursuant to section 17a-304. The department, before seeking federal approval to spend any amount above that allotted for administrative expenses under said act, shall inform the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging and human services that it is seeking such approval.

(b) Sixty per cent of the state funds appropriated to the five area agencies on aging for elderly nutrition and social services shall be allocated in the same proportion as allocations made pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. Forty per cent of all state funds appropriated to the five area agencies on aging for elderly nutrition and social services used for purposes other than the required nonfederal matching funds shall be allocated at the discretion of the Commissioner of Social Services, in consultation with the five area agencies on aging, based on their need for such funds. Any state funds appropriated to the five area agencies on aging for administrative expenses shall be allocated equally.

(c) The Department of Social Services, in consultation with the five area agencies on aging, shall review the method of allocation set forth in subsection (a) of this section and shall report any findings or recommendations to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies and human services.

(d) An area agency may request a person participating in the elderly nutrition program to pay a voluntary fee for meals furnished, except that no eligible person shall be denied a meal due to an inability to pay such fee.

(P.A. 86-368, S. 2, 3, 5; P.A. 88-301, S. 1, 2; P.A. 92-230, S. 1; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; P.A. 03-278, S. 66; P.A. 13-125, S. 15; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2, S. 294.)

History: P.A. 88-301 changed the formula for the allocation of state funds in Subsec. (b) and added Subsec. (d) allowing an area agency to request a voluntary fee for meals furnished; Sec. 17-136h transferred to Sec. 17a-305 in 1991; P.A. 92-230 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting formula for allocation of federal funds and substituting requirement that funds be allocated equitably between the five area agencies on aging and amended Subsecs. (b) and (c) for consistency; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department on aging, effective July 1, 1993; Sec. 17a-305 transferred to Sec. 17b-422 in 1995; P.A. 03-278 made technical changes in Subsecs. (a) to (d), effective July 9, 2003; P.A. 13-125 amended Subsecs. (a), (b) and (c) by changing “Department of Social Services” to “Department on Aging” and “Commissioner of Social Services” to “Commissioner on Aging” and further amended Subsec. (a) by adding reference to joint standing committee on aging, effective July 1, 2013; Sec. 17b-422 transferred to Sec. 17a-305 in 2015; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2 replaced references to Department and Commissioner on Aging with references to Department and Commissioner of Social Services, effective October 31, 2017.