Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging officials say they have strengthened staff training after a state evaluation identified deficiencies in how protective services for older adults were documented. “I think we’ve broadly found it not just useful as an exercise in transparency, but on the ground improvements,” said Alex Jutca, interim director of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services. Under the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) provides resources and services to more than 40,000 county residents ages 60 and older every year. Dr. Shannah Tharp-Gilliam, director of Allegheny County’s Area Agency on Aging, said the number of cases has increased from 900 to 1,500 due to a backlog from when services were handled by contractors. Kavulich told TribLive that Allegheny is not the only county to struggle with meeting the proper documentation requirements set by the state.