Leveraging the Contribution of Volunteers: The Critical Role and Economic Value of Volunteers in Older Americans Act Programs

ABSTRACT

The United States is facing a surge in the aging population, which will increase the demand for services and supports that allow older adults to age independently. This study assessed the size and value of the volunteer labor force in two home- and community-based programs funded under the Older Americans Act (OAA). Using publicly available program data for fiscal years 2015–2019, we calculated the annual contribution of volunteers, based on the total number of volunteer hours and share of labor effort, and estimated the economic value of volunteers in these OAA programs. In fiscal year 2019, volunteers contributed a total value of $1.7 billion in the OAA Title III program and $14.0 million in the Title VII long-term care ombudsman program. These results highlight the value of volunteers in OAA programs and the need for policies to support volunteers in the aging services network.

KEYWORDS:

• Older Americans Act
• volunteers
• economic value
• aging services network

Key Points

• The demand for services and supports in the United States to allow older adults to age independently is expected to rise, given the rapidly aging population.

• Volunteers play a major role in OAA programs that provide critical services and supports for older adults.

• Volunteers contributed a total value of $1.7 billion in the OAA Title III program and $14.0 million in the Title VII long-term care ombudsman program in fiscal year 2019.

• Federal funding and policies are needed to strengthen the recruitment, use, and retention of volunteers.

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the following individuals for their expertise and assistance in reviewing the manuscript: Susan Jenkins, PhD (Administration for Community Living), Raphael Gaeta, PhD (New Editions Consulting, Inc.), and Lisa Kretz, PhD (New Editions Consulting, Inc.). The authors would also like to thank Deborah Brouse for her editing of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The contents of this article do not necessarily represent the policy of OPE, ACL, or HHS, and readers should not assume endorsement by the federal government. No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This article was prepared for the Office of Performance and Evaluation, Administration for Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, by New Editions Consulting, Inc., under contract number [HHSP233201500113I/HHSP23337002T].