across the federal government, to call out what
we can do to advance some of the programs and
address cer tain policy issues so that people with
disabilities can more easily gain employment.
It’s more than being about just a job, it’s
about meaningful employment that has career
progression and really makes a dif ference.
Gary Barg: Can you point out some of the ways
that family caregivers are directly affected by the
work of your team and through the network that
affects them on a daily basis?
Lance Robertson: I was talking with Secretary
Azar just a couple days ago, and he asked a similar
question, Gary. He said, ‘within the ACL, in the three
dozen programs that you operate, which ones really
do impact family caregivers?’ And I said, ‘Sir, in my
opinion, they all do. Because almost everything we
do directly or indirectly impacts a caregiver.’
I’ll call out a few examples. The Lifespan Respite
Program, under the Older Americans Act, helps
secure respite vouchers for family caregivers, so
they can take care of themselves, which you and I
both believe is a priority.
The biggest program I operate here, of course, is
our meals program. If you think about how many
older adults, particularly homebound, are provided
a meal, and how that really helps families, because
it’s also a wellness check and certainly it helps fight
off food insecurity.
The ACL funds the Assistive Technology program.
There are a lot of families whose loved ones are
better aided in their daily activities through the use
of assistive technology.
As a caregiver, I often would look for resources
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that would help my grandfather and
grandmother have a more meaningful
day and to be able to do things that
were important to them.
Gary Barg: I was in your home
state recently in Tulsa, hosting a
caregiving session at the Blinded
Veter ans As soc iat ion Annual
Conference. During the Q&A, it
seemed like they can be best served
with support from a combination of
government agencies. How helpful
have you found support between
federal agencies in your efforts
serving people living with disabilities,
seniors, and caregivers?
Lance Robertson: Some of the
biggest successes we have had at
ACL, is because of partnerships and
working across agency lines. When
you look at the $1.3 trillion Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS),
we have 11 operating divisions, and ACL is one of
them. Whether it’s The Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) or Food and Drug or Health
Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) or
Indian Health, all of the other divisions are now
really strong partners with ACL.
Outside of HHS, we work very closely with the
Veteran-Directed Care program, where they have
the funding and the mission to help veterans remain
independent in the community and supported in a
way that makes sense. They came to us and said,
‘Hey, we could use some help, because we know
that ACL has a lot of experience in doing this work.’