Ruthie and Connie LGBTQI Elder Americans Act of 2025
This bill makes changes to federal programs serving older individuals to facilitate care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) individuals.
Under current law, certain services provided to older individuals must be targeted to populations with the greatest social need. The bill adds status as an LGBTQI individual and status as an individual living with HIV as factors contributing to greatest social need. The bill also explicitly allows grants that support the health, independence, and longevity of older individuals to be used for certain activities promoting services for individuals with the greatest social need.
The bill establishes an Office of LGBTQI Inclusion within the Administration on Aging (AOA). The office must promote access to services for LGBTQI older individuals and coordinate related activities within the Department of Health and Human Services and among other federal entities.
The bill also provides statutory authority for a national resource center on LGBTQI aging. The center must provide organizations that serve older individuals or LGBTQI individuals with information and technical assistance needed to effectively serve LGBTQI older individuals.
Finally, the bill requires certain studies and reports on issues affecting LGBTQI older individuals. Specifically, state long-term care ombudsmen must collect and analyze data on discrimination against LGBTQI older individuals in long-term care settings. Further, the AOA must study the services needed by LGBTQI older individuals and collect data on the number of such individuals served by various services and activities.