III. Evaluating the programs

         A. Adequacy:
         1. Horizontal

Although the official structure of the OAA is vertical, it does encourage grass roots representation of the seniors themselves. Local Aging Advisory Boards, made up mostly of local seniors, have been an important driving force in policy implementation (Delgado, 1996). Since each AAA requires a good number of volunteers, all local areas have their own flavor as they try to meet local needs.

2. Vertical:

The AoA, PSAs, Aging Services, and the AAAs make up the OAA vertical structure. However, implementation requires other governmental structures including the President, Congress, State, Counties and Cities and the use of Block Grants. Coordinating both vertical structures is time consuming and results in different benefits for some older Americans, depending upon where they live.   

B. Financing
1. Equitable:

Since Block Grants are the main way that federal revenues are supplied to the OAA through the states, the financing of programs is not necessarily equitable and is in a constant flux. It has been noted by the Executive Summary (n.d.) that rural areas have not been on an equal footing with urban areas as far as OAA services are concerned.
2. Priority use of funds:

Due to Block Grants with expenditures decided on the State level, the priority uses of the funds are extremely varied. Justice (1995) suggests that the federal government and the states have different priorities and that the states usually fund the needs of the poorest elders right after funding the current operations of each senior center.   
3. Efficient:

The AoA Executive Summary (n.d.) does give a cost and benefit report for the year 2004.  However, they measure the seniors who have been served per million dollars rather than the seniors who need to be served. When looked at from the universal perspective, the OAA is extremely under funded for its mandates (DiNitto and Cummins, 2005).

4. Cost-benefit analysis: 2004 report
For those who are getting served, more is being provided with less money, largely due to increasing volunteers from the private sector (Executive Summary, n.d.).

C. Coherence:

     Since the elderly have been seen by the public as more deserving than others (Atchley, 2000), the programs of the OAA are well accepted by the general public.
Demographically, the adult children of those who are being served by the OAA are more pressured to work full time and the OAA programs assist them in taking care of their older relatives (Executive Summary, n.d.).

D.     Latent consequences:

One concern of the OAA is that it may contribute to senior citizens feeling set apart from the rest of the population. Some gerontologists are calling for more active integration of senior citizen into the fabric of society (Atchley, 2000).  Some even suggest that seniors are a great resource of knowledge that is being ignored (Kincaid, Rabiner, Bernard, Woomert, Konrad, DeFriese, et al., 1996).