Both the House and Senate Committees have decided to fund the Elder Justice Initiative at $4 million for Fiscal Year 2016. The Initiative was funded for FY 2015 at $4 million, representing first-time Congressional funding for the Elder Justice Act, and at a proposed level of $25 million in the President's FY 2016 budget.

The House and Senate are both currently in the middle of determining funding levels for FY 2016, which begins October 1. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees met last week to vote on their respective Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bills, which contain funding for the Initiative as well as other elder justice programs. These programs include the Social Services Block Grant (funded by both chambers at $1.7 billion, the same as this year) and OAA Title VII (also funded at the same level as this year in both bills).

This funding, if passed by the full Congress and signed by the President, would represent a second-time Congressional appropriation for the Elder Justice Act. This remains uncertain; Congress must make the larger decision as to whether sequestration (across the board cuts) will again be imposed starting on October 1 for FY 2016. A final decision is expected later this summer on funding levels, which could impact the Initiative.