Pennsylvania launches objective CAPE monitoring for area agencies on aging; results to be posted publicly in April

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging said it has deployed a new Comprehensive Aging Performance Evaluation, or CAPE, to replace inconsistent, subjective monitoring of the state’s 52 area agencies on aging (AAAs).

"The results are that we wanna see older adult services thrive," Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kovulich told the House Aging and Older Adults Services Committee, summarizing the stated purpose of the new system.

The CAPE evaluates AAAs with objective, verification‑backed measures tied to state or federal requirements, department staff said. Jonathan Bowman, Acting Deputy Secretary and a lead developer of CAPE, told members that protective services are assessed by 25 individual performance measures and the Options and Caregiver Support Program by 36 measures; each individual measure uses an 85% compliance threshold.

Under CAPE, the department will also report category‑level results publicly. Category minimums now begin at 75% and may be raised by up to five percentage points after each cycle until category thresholds reach 85%, Bowman said. The department said it piloted CAPE in five counties, built the tool over…