Ruthie and Connie LGBTQI Elder Americans Act of 2025

This proposal updates the Older Americans Act to make sure LGBTQI older adults and people living with HIV are treated equally in aging programs. It adds LGBTQI and HIV status to the factors used to spot older people with the greatest social need, and it defines those terms, including LGBTQI under the law’s “minority” definition.

It creates an Office of LGBTQI Inclusion inside the federal Administration on Aging to coordinate services, improve access, share information, and run grants, with a report to Congress every five years. It also directs the creation of a National Resource Center on LGBTQI Aging to train and assist state and local groups, educate aging services and LGBTQI organizations about each other’s needs, and provide resources to older adults and their caregivers, with basic expertise standards and a funding floor tied to fiscal year 2026 . States can involve organizations that serve LGBTQI people in their aging program grants, and federal activities must support culturally responsive care for those with the greatest social need. The long-term care ombudsman program must collect and report data on discrimination against LGBTQI older adults in long-term care settings, including admissions, transfers, discharges, and inadequate care.

• Who is affected: LGBTQI older adults, older people living with HIV, caregivers, and aging and long-term care providers .
• What changes: New federal office and resource center; updated definitions; more training, research, and technical help; LGBTQI-serving groups included in state grants; required data tracking on discrimination in long-term care .
• When: The new office must report every five years; resource center funding is set at not less than the amount provided to the existing center for fiscal year 2026 .