NORRISTOWN, PA — Pennsylvania is replacing its pass-or-fail oversight of local aging agencies with a performance system that identifies specific deficiencies and publicly reports results, a shift Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich highlighted Tuesday in Montgomery County following an evaluation of the county’s aging services.
The Comprehensive Aging Performance Evaluation, or CAPE, was launched in 2025 to monitor Pennsylvania’s 52 Area Agencies on Aging, which administer services including protective services, in-home assistance and caregiver support. Rather than evaluating programs separately under the previous system, CAPE reviews multiple programs during a single monitoring cycle to provide a broader assessment of an agency’s operations.
The Department of Aging described the previous pass-or-fail system as inadequate because it did not identify the steps agencies needed to take to correct compliance problems. CAPE instead provides more detailed findings that can be used to direct technical assistance and training.
The change also makes agency performance more visible to the public. Monitoring results are now posted by the state and include performance in Protective Services, OPTIONs in-home services and the Caregiver Support Program.
“CAPE assists us to advance our practice as aging service providers,” Jennifer Haeussler-Barnhart, administrator of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Aging Services, said. She cited the system’s more detailed data and technical assistance as tools for improving agency performance.
Statewide protective-services data indicate most agencies are meeting one of the state’s principal timeliness benchmarks. As of March, 48 of Pennsylvania’s 52 Area Agencies on Aging responded to reports of suspected elder abuse on time in at least 85% of cases, often within 24 hours, according to the Department of Aging.
Performance is less uniform on another benchmark measuring how quickly agencies reach determinations in protective-services cases. Twenty-eight agencies met the state’s 20-day timeframe in at least 85% of cases as of March.
Kavulich said the revised oversight model is intended to give agencies more actionable information than the previous system.
“CAPE completely upends that process and raises the bar of accountability to ensure our local aging agencies not only know their score but are armed with the right insight to improve their services and ultimately keep older adults safe,” Kavulich said.
The department has also begun using findings across agencies to identify broader performance problems. Kavulich conducted a virtual training last month for 500 aging-network professionals to address issues identified through CAPE reviews.
Results for 31 Area Agencies on Aging covering 42 counties have been posted by the department, including recently completed evaluations of agencies serving Butler, Cambria and Crawford counties.
Pennsylvania’s 2026-27 budget provides an additional $1 million for CAPE to continue the expanded oversight program. The budget also includes a separate $1 million increase for Aging Our Way, PA, the state’s 10-year strategy for services supporting older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers.
The Department of Aging reported that state investment in programs supporting older Pennsylvanians has increased by more than $20 million since 2023.
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