AARP Backs Legislation to Prevent Falls Among Older Veterans

Action needed to address this deadly issue that affects older veterans more than others

Emily Paulin & Natalie Missakian,

Updated April 28, 2025

AARP

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Published October 01, 2024

/ Updated April 28, 2025

An older veteran walks up his front walkway using a walker

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More than 14 million adults 65 and older — or 1 in 4 — report falling each year. These falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among older Americans, responsible for more than 40,000 deaths in 2023. Veterans are particularly vulnerable to falls due to higher rates of physical disabilities and other chronic health conditions.

That’s why AARP is endorsing federal legislation that would help protect older veterans from falls. The Supporting Access to Falls Education and Prevention and Strengthening Training Efforts and Promoting Safety Initiatives (SAFE STEPS) for Veterans Act was reintroduced to Congress Feb. 20 by U.S. Sens. Angus King (I-Maine) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.).

“While falls among older adults are common and costly, they are also preventable,” Bill Sweeney, AARP senior vice president for government affairs, wrote in an April 15 letter endorsing the SAFE STEPS for Veterans Act. “Your bipartisan bill would help prevent dangerous falls among our nation’s veterans by improving home safety and supporting the changes they need to age with dignity and independence.”

Preventing falls requires coordination among health care providers and screening for risk, yet there is no single authority that leads fall prevention efforts at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), according to the bill’s sponsors.

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The legislation would change that by creating an Office of Falls Prevention within the Veterans Health Administration. The Office would be responsible for a national education campaign on fall prevention strategies and VA benefits offered to reduce falls, such as grants, devices or services. The legislation would also set up a pilot program to provide home improvements and structural alterations to prevent falls for eligible veterans.

The legislation also calls for more fall risk assessments and fall prevention services for certain veterans, improvements to patient handling and transfer techniques, plus more veteran-specific research and reporting on falls.

Falls are not only deadly but costly

In addition to improving the safety and health of older veterans, the legislation seeks to reduce the “massive expenses” associated with falls, according to King. Roughly $80 billion — including $53 billion from Medicare — was spent on non-fatal older adult falls in 2020, according to a report by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Those costs increased by roughly $30 billion over the previous decade.

“We all know the saying that ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,’ so preventative action is a win-win for patients, family support systems, VA beneficiaries and taxpayers,” King said in a press release.

AARP’s endorsement of the SAFE STEPS for Veterans Act is just one of several ways we’re fighting for veterans in Congress. We supported provisions of a comprehensive federal bill that became law in January, which will help veterans age successfully in their own homes and support family caregivers of veterans. We also provided testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Veterans Affairs in September on why family caregivers caring for veterans need more support, including a federal caregiver’s tax credit.

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AARP’s Veterans Resources Hub empowers veterans, active duty and military families by providing information about VA benefits, caregiving, fraud, and more. We have a free digital tool to help veterans and family members navigate health benefits, including help available through the PACT Act for veterans exposed to toxins. There's also a guide to benefits for veterans who want to modify their homes and a military caregiving guide.

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Emily Paulin is an editor at aarp.org who covers nursing homes, health care, and federal and state policy. Her work has also appeared in Broadsheet, an Australian lifestyle publication.

Natalie Missakian covers federal and state policy and writes AARP’s Fighting for You Every Day blog. She previously worked as a reporter for the New Haven Register and daily newspapers in Ohio. She has also written for the AARP Bulletin, the Hartford Business Journal and other publications.