Existing law requires the California Department of Aging to administer the federal Older American’s Act in California and the Mello-Granlund Older Californians Act, and imposes various functions and duties on the department with respect to the administration and development of programs for older individuals. Existing law requires the department, in allocating specified state and federal funding to older individuals, to ensure that priority consideration is given to elderly individuals identified as in greatest economic or social need. Existing law defines “greatest social need” for purposes of the act to mean the need caused by noneconomic factors, that include physical and mental disabilities, language barriers, cultural or social isolation, including that caused by racial and ethnic status, that restrict an individual’s ability to perform normal daily tasks or that threaten his or her capacity to live independently.

This bill would revise this definition to include cultural or social isolation caused by sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.