What is the Elder Justice Coordinating Council?
Passed in 2010, the Elder Justice Act establishes the Elder Justice Coordinating Council (EJCC) to coordinate activities related to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation across the federal government. The EJCC is directed by the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Secretary serves as the Chair of the Council. The HHS Secretary has assigned responsibility for implementing the EJCC to the Administration on Aging (AoA) within ACL. AoA has long been engaged in efforts to protect older individuals from elder abuse including financial exploitation, physical abuse, neglect, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse. Through the Older Americans Act, AoA endeavors preserve the rights of older people and protect those who may not be able to protect themselves.
The EJCC is charged with identifying and proposing solutions to the problems surrounding elder abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation. It is a permanent group, which meets twice a year, with the goal of better coordinating the federal response to the elder abuse problem. The EJCC receives continuous input and support from the Elder Justice Interagency Working Group, a group of federal employees in Cabinet-level departments and federal agencies with expertise in the field of elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation.
The Elder Justice Act also names the Attorney General (AG) of the U.S. as a permanent member of the Council. In addition to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the AG, the statute provides for inclusion as EJCC members the heads of each federal department, agency, or governmental entity identified as administering programs related to abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation.
View a list of EJCC members (PDF).
For more information about the EJCC, including past meeting materials, reports to Congress, and other products, and to register for upcoming meetings, visit the Elder Justice Coordinating Council website.