Orange County Should Have More Respect for Its Elders*

Orange County Office on Aging is not currently prepared to serve the future wave of older adults in this County. Response: Disagrees wholly with the finding This finding is not directed to the correct agency. The Office on Aging does not solely deliver services to the County's population of older adults nor oversee and implement the preparation process for the Master Plan for Aging. The County of Orange (County) is proactively spearheading the Orange County Master Plan on Aging (OCMPA) to ensure service needs are identified and considered through the OC Cares model and the annual Strategic Financial Plan (SFP) development process. This effort is being led by the County Executive Office (CEO) as CEO has authority and oversight over the County departments delivering services to older adults, which includes more than just the Office on Aging (OoA).

Based on the limited general funds allocated by the County for the Office on Aging, the well-being of older adults is not reflected as a County priority. Response: Disagrees wholly with the finding The OoA serves as Orange County's Area Agency on Aging and receives funding to administer State programs. Twelve other County departments also receive funds to support older adults, demonstrating that the well-being of older adults is a Countywide priority, no matter the funding source. Page | 2

The Office on Aging does not have its own dedicated Event Coordinator to manage outreach, resulting in missed opportunities to engage and educate older adults and their caregivers about the services provided. Response: Disagrees partially with the finding While the County does not have an Event Coordinator position classification for use by OC Community Services (OCCS), OCCS utilizes various staff in other classifications to conduct outreach for the OoA as well as use of a dedicated Public Information Officer (PIO). The OoA also relies on a network of contracted service providers who participate in community events across Orange County.

The Office on Aging does not have its own dedicated employee responsible for website design and modernization as well as for updating information and events; as a result, the Office on Aging website and mobile application (app) have outdated information and are difficult to navigate. Response: Disagrees partially with the finding Website design and modernization is based on Countywide policy, so not entirely within the OoA's authority to change. However, in early 2025, the Older Adults Advisory Commission (OAAC) Website Ad Hoc was formed to work with the OoA PIO to gather feedback and enhance website user experience.

The Office on Aging suffers from limited resources and staffing and is therefore reactive rather than proactive to the needs of Orange County older adults. Response: Disagrees partially with the finding The OoA serves as Orange County's Area Agency on Aging and receives funding to administer programs on behalf of the State. While an increase in State funding could allow for enhanced services, the County values its older adults and is proactively spearheading the OCMPA to ensure service needs are identified and considered through the OC Cares model and the annual SFP development process, which are the required processes for identifying and communicating resource needs to the Board of Supervisors.

The Administrative Unit of the Orange County Community Services agency is at times slow to respond to requests from the Office on Aging, causing unnecessary delays to older adult services. Response: Disagrees wholly with the finding Statistical data from the OCCS Administrative Unit indicates that over 95 percent of those OoA requests, for which OCCS Administrative Unit has the sole authority to resolve, are properly addressed within 24 hours, demonstrating commitment to timely support for all agency divisions, including those serving older adults. Page | 3

The Administrative Unit of the Orange County Community Services agency does not pursue sufficient feedback, input, or discussion with the Office on Aging and non-profit providers before implementing changes affecting the non-profit providers who are serving older adults. Response: Disagrees wholly with the finding The OCCS Administrative Unit prioritizes open communication and regularly seeks feedback from the OoA and its contracted service providers. The OCCS Administrative Unit consistently issues notifications, provides training, and offers feedback opportunities when introducing or revising processes.

The new invoicing system launched on July 1, 2024, by Orange County Community Services for the Office on Aging has caused certain non-profit providers difficulty in understanding how to implement the new system due to insufficient information and training provided, thereby causing a delay in payment for services to some non-profit providers. Response: Disagrees wholly with the finding OCCS' automated invoicing system, which received a 2025 National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Award, was rolled out with comprehensive training, including multiple retraining sessions and personalized technical assistance. All OCCS contracted providers have successfully transitioned to the new system, ensuring contract compliance and any questions were addressed with tailored training and ongoing technical support.

It takes the Office on Aging an estimated six to nine months to fill a vacancy, due to the County hiring process. With the Office on Aging having roughly twenty employees (based on their most recent organization chart), any long-term vacancies have an outsized impact on the quality of services provided to Orange County older adults. Response: Disagrees partially with the finding The County hiring process follows standard public sector hiring protocols as prescribed by state and federal employment rules. The OoA collaborates closely with County Human Resource Services to focus on expediting recruitments and retaining valuable staff resources. At times, circumstances such as a lack of qualified applicants or a hiring freeze can delay hiring.

The Orange County Older Adults Advisory Commission advises the Office on Aging but is frustrated at the OOA's current outreach activities, website revisions, marketing program, and the time it took to create a new brochure for the senior centers. Response: Agrees with the finding. While some Commission members have expressed frustration, these concerns are being addressed through implementation of the OCMPA.

The Office on Aging has to rely on the Orange County Community Services Administrative Unit as well as the Contracts Monitoring and Program Compliance Unit for decision making affecting older adult services. The inherent delays with this type of system, as well as a lack of timely collaboration between the Office on Aging and Orange County Community Services, causes unnecessary delays in decision making affecting services to older adults. Response: Disagrees partially with the finding The OCCS organizational structure is consistent with that used by other County departments and is intentionally designed to ensure accountability, regulatory compliance, and the responsible use of public funds.

The human services administrators, analysts, and staff specialists at the Office on Aging provide quality oversight of the non-profit providers and are making good faith efforts to advocate for the non-profit providers in getting paid for providing their services. Response: Agrees with the finding. OoA staff, with support of the OCCS Administrative Unit and tools like the automated invoicing system, work collaboratively with non-profit providers to serve older adults in Orange County.