New York City Department for the Aging


The New York City Department for the Aging is the department of the government of New York City that provides support and information for older people. Its regulations are compiled in title 69 of the New York City Rules. As of April 9, 2019 Lorraine A. Cortés-Vázquez is the new commissioner.

History

The passage of the federal Older Americans Act in 1965 created a nationwide aging network consisting of the federal Administration on Aging, along with state offices and local area agencies. In 1968, New York City established the Mayor's Office for the Aging, which was funded as a three-year demonstration project by the Older Americans Act. The office was responsible for planning, coordinating, and funding services for the elderly such as nutrition and hot meal programs in underserved and unserved communities, and initiating home-delivered meals.
In 1975, through an amendment of the New York City Charter, the Mayor's Office for Aging became the New York City Department for the Aging. Alice M. Brophy, who had headed the Mayor's Office for the Aging since its creation in 1968, became the first commissioner.

Commissioners

The following is a list of the commissioners since the department was created:
NameYears in OfficeMayoral Administration
Alice M. Brophy1975 – 1978Abraham D. Beame
Janet S. Sainer1978 – 1989Edward I. Koch
Prema Mathai-Davis1990 – 1993David N. Dinkins
Herbert W. Stupp1994 – 2001Rudolph W. Giuliani
Edwin Mendéz-Santiago2002 – 2008Michael R. Bloomberg
Lilliam Barrios-Paoli2008 – 2013Michael R. Bloomberg
Donna M. Corrado2013 – 2019Bill de Blasio
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez2019 - currentBill de Blasio