Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, § 5116: State organization, 1973

1. Organization. In order for an area of the State to be eligible to participate in the program of grants to area agencies from allotments under section 5115: A. The State shall be divided into distinct coordinated community program areas, hereinafter in this chapter referred to as an area, after considering the geographical distribution of individuals aged 60 and older in the area, the incidence of the need for social services, including the number of older persons with low incomes residing in such areas, the distribution of resources available to provide such services and the location of units of general purpose county and municipal government within the State; and [PL 1973, c. 630, §1 (NEW).] B. The state agency must, in accordance with regulations of the commissioner, designate an area agency as the sole area agency to: (1) Develop the area plan to be submitted to the commissioner for approval under section 5118; (2) Administer the area plan within such area; (3) Be primarily responsible for the coordination of all area activities related to the purposes of this Act; and (4) Review and comment on, under its own initiative or at the request of any state or federal department or agency, any application from any agency or organization within such area to such state or federal department or agency for assistance related to meeting the needs of older persons; and (5) Develop and provide, or assure the provision of, coordinated community programs for the delivery of social services; and [PL 2015, c. 494, Pt. D, §7 (AMD).] C. The area agency designated pursuant to paragraph B shall: (1) Determine which portions of its area will be included in the area plan to be developed in accordance with section 5118; and (2) Provide assurances satisfactory to the commissioner that the area agency will take into account, in connection with matters of general policy arising in the development and administration of the area plan for any fiscal year, the recommendations of older people in need of or served by social services provided under such plan. [PL 2015, c. 494, Pt. D, §7 (AMD).] [PL 2015, c. 494, Pt. D, §7 (AMD).]