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Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110

§5013 Grants and Contracts for Volunteer Service Projects

Title 42 › CHAPTER 66 — DOMESTIC VOLUNTEER SERVICES › SUBCHAPTER II — NATIONAL SENIOR SERVICE CORPS › Part C — Senior Companion Program › § 5013

Last updated Sep 23, 2026|Official source

Summary

Makes grants or contracts to public and nonprofit groups to pay part or all of the cost of projects that let low-income people age 55 or older serve as senior companions. The program can include paying individuals who serve under the same rules as section 5011(a). Senior companions help people with exceptional needs, such as those needing long-term care (home health, nursing care, or home-delivered meals), people leaving institutions, and those with developmental disabilities or other special companionship needs. Subsections (d), (e), and (f) of section 5011 and other needed rules from part B apply here, but any mention of “part B” in those rules is treated as referring to this part. Grants may fund projects to help homebound elderly stay at home or return from institutions. The Director may recruit volunteer trainers (for example, doctors, nurses, social workers) and volunteer leaders to train and mentor senior companions in needs assessments and in-home services. Those volunteer trainers must not be paid stipends.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §5013

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Costs of project development and operation
The Director is authorized to make grants to or contracts with public and nonprofit private agencies and organizations to pay part or all of the cost of development and operation of projects (including direct payments to individuals serving under this part in the same manner as provided in section 5011(a) of this title) designed for the purpose of providing opportunities for low-income persons age 55 or older to serve as “senior companions” to persons with exceptional needs. Senior companions may provide services designed to help older persons requiring long-term care, including services to persons receiving home health care, nursing care, home-delivered meals or other nutrition services; services designed to help persons deinstitutionalized from mental hospitals, nursing homes, and other institutions; and services designed to assist persons having developmental disabilities and other special needs for companionship.
(b)Application of other laws
Subsections (d), (e), and (f) of section 5011 of this title, and such other provisions of part B as the Director determines to be necessary, shall apply to this part, except that for purposes of this part any reference in such subsections and such provisions to part B shall be deemed to be a reference to this part.
(c)Senior companion projects to assist homebound elderly
(1)The Director is authorized to make grants or contracts after subsection (a) for senior companion projects to assist homebound elderly individuals to remain in their own homes and to enable institutionalized elderly individuals to return to home care settings.
(2)(A)The Director is authorized to recruit, subject to subparagraph (B), senior companion volunteer trainers who on the basis of experience (such as, doctors, nurses, home economists, social workers) will be used to train senior companion volunteers to participate in and monitor initial and continuing needs assessments and appropriate in-home services for senior companion volunteer recipients. The needs assessments and in-home services shall be coordinated with and supplement existing community based home health and long-term care systems. The Director may also use senior companion volunteer leaders, who on the basis of experience as volunteers, special skills, and demonstrated leadership abilities may spend time in the program (in addition to their regular assignment) to assist newer senior companion volunteers in performing their assignments and in coordinating activities of such volunteers.
(B)Senior companion volunteer trainers recruited under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph shall not be paid stipends.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2009—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 111–13 substituted “age 55 or older” for “aged 60 or over”. 1993—Subsec. (c)(3). Pub. L. 103–82 struck out par. (3) which required an evaluation of, and report on, impact of senior companion projects to assist homebound elderly. 1989—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 101–204 inserted “after subsection (a)” after “grants or contracts”, and “individuals” after “elderly” in two places. 1986—Pub. L. 99–551 inserted “for volunteer service projects” in section catchline and amended subsec. (b) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (b) read as follows: “The provisions of section 5011(d) of this title and section 5011(e) of this title and such other provisions of part B as the Director determines to be necessary shall apply to the provisions of this part.” 1984—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 98–288 added subsec. (c).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2009 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 111–13 effective Oct. 1, 2009, see section 6101(a) of Pub. L. 111–13, set out as a note under section 4950 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1993 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 103–82 effective Oct. 1, 1993, see section 392 of Pub. L. 103–82, set out as a note under section 4951 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1986 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 99–551 effective Oct. 1, 1986, except as otherwise provided, see section 11 of Pub. L. 99–551, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 4950 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 5013

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Sep 23, 2026

Release point: 119-110