Administration for Community Living (ACL)

ACL does not require notification of a death, and families do not report a death to it. Notifications about Social Security, Medicare enrollment and similar federal benefits go to those agencies directly.¹

There is no enforced deadline for calling the Eldercare Locator; families call it when they need local support services.²

ACL is a separate operating division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It does not pay benefits, issue Medicare cards or process claims; it funds the community-based network that supports older adults and people with disabilities.³

Most of ACL's aging-network programs are authorized by the Older Americans Act, passed in 1965 and most recently reauthorized in 2020. ACL also administers programs under the Elder Justice Act and the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act.^{4, 5, 6, 7}

Social Security questions⁸

Medicare enrollment and claims questions, and general Medicare questions⁹

A public service of the Administration for Community Living that connects older adults and their families to local services. It refers callers to the Area Agency on Aging and to community-based programs such as meals, transportation, caregiver support and home and community-based services.^{10, 11}

Who qualifies: Older adults, family members and caregivers, including surviving spouses and executors handling an older adult's estate

Free, one-on-one Medicare counseling for beneficiaries, their families and caregivers. After a death, SHIP counselors help survivors understand and reconcile the deceased's final Medicare claims, Medicare Advantage or Part D coverage, and any cost-assistance programs that were in place.¹²

Who qualifies: Medicare beneficiaries, their families and caregivers, including survivors handling a deceased beneficiary's final coverage

Ombudsmen identify, investigate and resolve complaints from residents and their families about nursing homes, assisted living, board and care and other residential care communities. Every state has an Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, headed by a full-time State Long-Term Care Ombudsman.^{13, 14}

Who qualifies: Residents of long-term care facilities and their family members

Helps Medicare beneficiaries, their families and caregivers prevent, detect and report suspected health care fraud, errors and abuse, including claims billed to Medicare in the name of someone who has died. It provides one-on-one counseling and refers suspected fraud to federal and state authorities.^{15, 16}

Who qualifies: Medicare beneficiaries, their families and caregivers

An Area Agency on Aging is a public or private nonprofit agency designated by a state to coordinate Older Americans Act services such as home-delivered meals, homemaker assistance, caregiver support, and information and referral. The network includes 56 state agencies on aging and 618 area agencies on aging.^{17, 5}

Who qualifies: Older adults and their family caregivers; eligibility for individual services varies by Area Agency on Aging and program

Available in every state through contracts with Area Agencies on Aging. It helps older adults with civil-legal remedies against elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation, with rights to housing, health care, nutrition and autonomy, and with estate, benefits and consumer-protection issues.^{18, 6}

Who qualifies: Older adults; priority and income criteria are set by each state and Area Agency on Aging under the Older Americans Act

The national resource center on legal assistance and elder rights, funded by ACL.¹⁸