State highlights increased transparency to keep older Pennsylvanians safe

Yahoo

21-04-2025

Apr. 20—WILKES-BARRE — Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Department of Aging (PDA) took action to boost transparency of its oversight of county Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), allowing the public for the first time to see information that shows how quickly those local agencies are conducting investigations of suspected elder abuse.
After launching this latest transparency effort the Department is highlighting AAAs that have made significant progress.
Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich this week praised the improvements, noting that they have led directly to increased compliance rates across Pennsylvania for the time it takes a local agency to complete an investigation.
For example, thanks to the Department's increased efforts with AAAs, Delaware County AAA more than doubled its compliance rate for timely determinations in older adult protective services — from 40% in 2024 to 89% in 2025. That means older adults in Delaware County are receiving the assistance and care they need faster and more efficiently than before.
"I commend the Delaware AAA leadership and the entire protective services team for their hard work and dedication to improving their performance," Kavulich said. "While working steadily on a much-needed major overhaul of the Department's performance monitoring system, we have also worked closely with AAAs to make sure they have the tools they need to improve. It is evident that our work is leading to real-world results that benefit and protect older Pennsylvanians."
Across Pennsylvania, AAAs investigate nearly 40,000 cases of suspected abuse each year. Reports of suspected abuse can be made to a AAA, or to the statewide elder abuse helpline at 1-800-490-8505.
The Helpline is answered live 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and all calls are confidential.
Property tax/rent rebate program resources
A tip sheet for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate (PTRR) program is now available in seven languages to provide eligible Pennsylvanians with information that can help them access this critical program. These languages include:
—ENG — English
—ARA — Arabic
—CHI — Simplified Chinese
—CHI — Traditional Chinese
—ESP — Spanish
—KOR — Korean
—VIE — Vietnamese
This work by the Department of Revenue (DOR) to provide additional resources for non-English-speaking Pennsylvanians is part of the Shapiro Administration's continued commitment to improve access to government resources — including the PTRR program.
This is especially important following Gov. Josh Shapiro's work to secure bipartisan support for a historic expansion of the PTRR program, increasing income limits and the maximum rebate for the first time in nearly 20 years.
"As Governor Shapiro has said, hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians speak a language other than English," said Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne. "That's why we are taking steps to break down language barriers so that the PTRR program helps as many eligible residents as possible. The PTRR program has served as a lifeline for more than 50 years, providing more than $8.6 billion in property tax and rent relief to some of Pennsylvania's most vulnerable residents. If you think you or someone you know may qualify for a rebate, please check out our tip sheet or visit our website to check your eligibility."
Following the PTRR program's historic expansion last year, it delivered more than 522,000 rebates totaling $319 million to eligible Pennsylvanians who applied for a rebate on property taxes or rent paid in 2024. This included roughly 106,000 first-time filers who received a rebate for the very first time.
So far this year, DOR has received more than 300,000 PTRR applications.
PTRR filing eligibility, assistance
The rebate program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians age 65 and older; widows and widowers age 50 and older; and people with disabilities age 18 and older.
Eligible applicants of the PTRR program are reminded to submit a new application (PA-1000) each year, as rebates are determined by annual income and property taxes or rent paid during the previous year.
Applicants can check their eligibility on the Department of Revenue's website.
State opens 3 new electric vehicle charging stations
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced the opening of three new federally-funded Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations — bringing Pennsylvania's total number of stations built using funds from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program to 11.
Pennsylvania is tied for second in the nation in stations built using the federal funds. Since the first NEVI-funded station opened in the Commonwealth — the charging stations have delivered more than 13,000 charging sessions, powering over 1.5 million estimated miles driven and reducing CO2 emissions by more 700,000 pounds.
"Gov. Josh Shapiro has set a clear directive to get things done for Pennsylvanians, and the PennDOT team is meeting that," said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. "We've been a national leader in the NEVI program, and we will continue to get stuff done for the people of Pennsylvania."
The 11 stations represent a federal investment of more than $7.2 million in the state's EV charger network. In total, PennDOT has obligated $70 million of the $171.5 million allotted by the NEVI program, of which at least 90 projects totaling roughly $59 million are under contract and expected to move forward.
The new stations are at the following locations:
—Kwik Fill in Kylertown, Clearfield County along Interstate 80 (Exit 133),
—Pilot Flying J Travel Center in Mill Hall, Clinton County along I-80 (Exit 173),
—Love's Travel Stop in Mifflinville, Columbia County along I-80 (Exit 242).
While charging, customers will have access to station amenities.
NEVI funding supports the expansion of EV charging along the previously designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs) (see a map of AFCs here). Pennsylvania has over 1,800 miles of AFCs.
Per guidance from U.S. DOT, NEVI formula funds must first be used to "build out" designated AFCs (meaning there must be no more than 50 miles between stations and less than 1 mile from an AFC exit) and meet U.S. DOT minimum standards and requirements.
The PA NEVI program includes multiple rounds of funding. During Round 1, of which these stations were awarded, the focus was on building out the AFC network along the interstates to meet the NEVI requirements. PennDOT has since announced awards for Round 1A and Round 1B of NEVI funding which were designed to fill the remaining gaps along the AFC network. A list of all NEVI awards is available on PennDOT's website.
National data on the status of the NEVI program by state is available at https://evstates.org/awards-dashboard/.
Pennsylvania can compete for billions of dollars in federal funds across a wide range of federal competitive grant programs through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
To help communities and organizations learn about these opportunities, PennDOT created a web page at www.penndot.pa.gov/IIJA with details on federal grant opportunities to help municipalities, townships, and other community agencies with understanding the multiple transportation program grants that are available.
The page includes grant alerts, guides and links to important resources for local municipalities and organizations interested in pursuing federal funding opportunities.
Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.