Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich testifies before the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee.

The Department of Aging has received flat funding for the past six years. Before the House Appropriations Committee, Secretary Jason Kavulich said the lean-operating agency could use more investment.

In the same time that the number of aging Pennsylvanians has increased by 22%, the department’s funding has increased by only 3%. The state’s over 3.4 million seniors are largely served by the state’s 52 Area Agencies on Aging, or Triple A’s.

“We know that six years of flat funding our Triple A’s has put us in a really difficult predicament,” said House Aging and Older Adult Services committee Chair Maureen Madden, D-Tobyhanna. “We know that there is a 20% increase for Meals on Wheels. We know that elder abuse cases have gone up 67% in the last five years.”

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s latest budget proposal includes a $20 million increase to those agencies through PENNCARE and an additional $2 million dollars toward monitoring those agencies.

“It’s hard to put a number on that level of service,” said Kavulich. “Working with programs that already exist, that already are funded across the commonwealth like looking at Whole-Home Repairs as a program – that program is not designed for older adults, yet it benefits older adults better than anyone else,” noting that every time a department improves quality of life in the state, they help an older adult.

Kavulich says that funding from PENNCARE is largely discretionary and gives Triple A’s the flexibility to spend on programs that make sense for their area’s specific needs. In contrast, federal funding comes with specific strings, which means when an agency can’t use them, they have to be returned and redistributed.

About 19% of the department’s funding comes from federal resources. The impact of losing those funds would be catastrophic for an agency already working with a skeleton crew. The department uses about 3% of its funding for operations and sends the remaining 97% into communities.

Kavulich noted that the entirety of PA MEDI, the Medicare Part B helpline, is funded federally, as are seven positions within the agency. He added that it would likely result in the closure of some senior centers and a reduction in meals provided to older adults.

For monitoring Triple A’s, the department has recently implemented a new system called the Comprehensive Aging Performance Evaluation which Kavulich says has created a process allowing for better outcomes when Triple A’s are in violation of their mandate. He says the new system is grounded in law and regulation, making it less subjective than previous monitoring.

Through the new monitoring process, the department is creating cooperative agreements with Triple A’s. With the agreements in place, the state will be better able to take remedial and, when necessary, punitive actions against Triple A’s who are failing or endangering the senior population. As it stands, the only punitive option available is to withhold funding, which would take much needed services away from seniors.

One program, the Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly, has been reduced in this year’s budget. The program, which reduces the cost of prescription drugs, typically operates as a surplus.

Another redistribution of funds raising eyebrows includes $325 million from the state lottery to Community HealthChoices, which provides direct home care to Medicare and Medicaid recipients. Though the Department of Health program does not exclusively serve older Pennsylvanians, they make up the largest demographic of home care recipients.

Both legislators and the department have a vested interest in keeping seniors at home as long as possible. They’ve found that when people are allowed to age in place and remain in touch with their communities, they have a higher quality of life and fewer medical costs.

To that end, housing programs were another key concern for House representatives. Partnering with the Department of Human Services, the Shared Housing Resource Exchange program allows seniors to open their homes to each other, making for more affordable living while combating isolation.

Much of the essential work of Triple A’s is connecting seniors with programs like the state’s property tax and rent rebate program.