INFORMATION MEMORANDUM
AoA-IM-00-02 (OPOD)

TO :	STATE AND AREA AGENCIES ADMINISTERING PLANS UNDER TITLE III AND TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS ADMINISTERING PLANS UNDER TITLE VI OF THE OLDER AMERICANS ACT OF 1965, AS AMENDED

SUBJECT :  2000 Poverty Guidelines

LEGAL AND RELATED : Older Americans Act, As Amended

REFERENCES :

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Purpose

This Information Memorandum transmits the 2000 update of the poverty guidelines issued annually in the Federal Register by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The most recent guidelines were published in the Federal Register of February 15, 2000. A copy of the 2000 poverty guidelines from this notice is attached to this memorandum.

As set forth in Part 41 of Section 102 of the Older Americans Act, as amended, these guidelines provide guidance concerning the definition of "greatest economic need" in Part 29 of this section. The Secretary's guidelines vary by family size and are updated annually to account for changes in the cost of living (as measured by the change in the average annual value of the Consumer Price Index or CPI-U). The 2000 poverty guidelines represent income standards expressed in 1999 dollars (the reference to "2000" in the 2000 guidelines is to the year of issuance).

The Secretary's guidelines are based on the definition of poverty maintained by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Bureau of the Census. However, OMB's poverty thresholds are adjusted by the Secretary before being converted into poverty guidelines. The Secretary's guidelines include higher poverty levels for Hawaii and Alaska (115 percent and 125 percent, respectively).

The information in this memorandum supersedes AoA-IM-99-02.

EFFECTIVE DATE : None

INQUIRIES TO : State agencies should address inquiries to Regional Administrators on Aging, DHHS regional offices

___________________________________
Jeanette C. Takamura
Assistant Secretary for Aging

ATTACHMENTS : 

1 2000 Poverty Guidelines

2. HHS Federal Register Notice: Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines [PDF version]

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2000 Poverty Guidelines
Size of family unit	Contiguous (48) states and District of Columbia	Alaska	Hawaii
1	$ 8,350	$10,430	$ 9,590
2	11,250	14,060	12,930
3	14,150	17,690	16,270
4	17,050	21,320	19,610
5	19,950	24,950	22,950
6	22,850	28,580	26,290
7	25,750	32,210	29,630
8	28,650	35,840	32,970
For each additional person, add	2,900	3,630	3,340

For family units with more than eight members, add the following amounts for each additional family member: $2,900 (contiguous states and the District of Columbia); $3,630 (Alaska); and $3,340 (Hawaii). In each case, the same increment applies to smaller family sizes also, as can be seen in the figures above.

The information in this table was originally published in the Federal Register, Vol. 65, No. 31, February 15, 2000, pp. 7555-7557.