Elder Justice Coalition

Elder Justice Coalition
Name	Elder Justice Coalition
Formation	2005
Type	Nonprofit, advocacy
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Region served	United States
Leader title	Founder
Leader name	Barbara Frum

Elder Justice Coalition The Elder Justice Coalition is an American nonprofit advocacy group focused on elder rights, elder abuse prevention, and policy reform. Founded in 2005, it engages with legislative bodies, regulatory agencies, and community organizations to advance protections for older Americans and survivors of financial exploitation. The Coalition liaises with lawmakers, healthcare advocates, and legal aid networks to shape national discourse on elder justice and supports local service providers through training, research, and public education.

History

The Coalition emerged amid growing national attention after events such as the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, high-profile investigations into Nursing home abuse, and congressional hearings on elder exploitation led by members of the United States Congress. Early milestones included coordination with coalitions formed after the Elder Justice Act debates, collaborations with advocacy campaigns originating from the AARP and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and testimony before subcommittees of the United States Senate. The organization's timeline intersects with policy actions from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, investigative reporting in outlets like The New York Times and ProPublica, and research from institutions such as the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution.

Mission and Activities

The Coalition's mission centers on preventing elder abuse, combating financial exploitation, and strengthening legal protections through advocacy influenced by cases handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, civil litigation precedents in the United States Court of Appeals, and regulatory rulemaking at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Activities include grassroots mobilization modeled after campaigns by Public Citizen, public awareness initiatives similar to those by the National Alliance for Caregiving, and policy analyses drawing on frameworks used by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The organization regularly issues position statements aligned with investigations by the Government Accountability Office and participates in stakeholder meetings convened by the Administration for Community Living.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs often mirror partnerships seen in collaborations between the Legal Services Corporation and state elder protection units, including training modules used by the National Center on Elder Abuse and toolkits resembling products from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Initiatives include volunteer-driven outreach campaigns inspired by the structure of AmeriCorps programs, awareness events synchronized with observances proclaimed by the United States Senate or endorsed by the Department of Justice's elder justice task forces. The Coalition promotes policy toolkits comparable to resources disseminated by the Center for Medicare Advocacy and supports pilot projects that echo grant-funded research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Advocacy and Policy Impact

Advocacy efforts have targeted legislation at the level of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate, engaging with lawmakers from committees such as the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Aging. The Coalition has coordinated with legal advocacy groups like the National Consumer Law Center and the Legal Aid Society to influence bills addressing restitution, mandatory reporting, and elder justice funding. Its lobbying and public campaigns intersect with testimony and rulemaking processes involving the Office of Inspector General (HHS), the Federal Trade Commission, and oversight from the Congressional Research Service. The group's influence is visible in amendments to appropriations bills and in supporting provisions modelled after recommendations from the Institute of Medicine and the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging.

Organizational Structure and Partnerships

Organizationally, the Coalition operates through a central board and advisory committees composed of former staff from entities such as the AARP Foundation, the National Center for State Courts, and the American Association of Retired Persons. It forms partnerships with nonpartisan organizations including the Bipartisan Policy Center and collaborates with academic partners like the Georgetown University Law Center and the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The Coalition also networks with frontline providers such as the Eldercare Locator and state-level Adult Protective Services offices that liaise with the Administration on Aging.

Funding and Accountability

Funding sources historically mirror nonprofit sector patterns involving grants from foundations like the MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation, small-donor contributions promoted through channels similar to those used by MoveOn.org Civic Action, and occasional project funding from federal grant programs administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Accountability mechanisms include annual audits performed by accounting firms experienced with nonprofit clients and governance reviews comparable to standards from the Council on Foundations and the Charity Navigator evaluation framework. The Coalition's transparency practices reflect norms advocated by watchdogs such as the Sunlight Foundation and the Center for Public Integrity.

Category:Nonprofit organizations based in Washington, D.C.