CONCORD — Gov. Chris Sununu is asking New Hampshire’s congressional delegation to push to revise the national formula that determines how much funding states receive for Meals on Wheels, which could lead to more money for its senior nutrition services.
“Reform is desperately needed,” the governor said in the letter, which was written in response to a report in the Valley News about the Grafton County Senior Citizens Council’s decision last fall to cut dessert from its home-delivered and congregate meals, part of an effort to save money due to increased demand and tight budgets.
While the letter cited the $30 million funding increase through fiscal year 2020 for the Older Americans Act Nutrition Services account ($15 million each for congregate and home-delivered meals), it noted that “funding for the program has failed to keep up with inflation and increased demand from a rapidly aging population.”
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, along with the rest of the delegation that includes Sen. Maggie Hassan, Rep Annie Kuster, and Rep. Chris Pappas, all Democrats, supported an increase in funding to funding for home-delivered meals that was included in the government funding bill signed into law last December, according to Ryan Nickel, spokesman for Shaheen.
“As our state’s senior population increases, the demand for Meals on Wheels will only grow — we need to be prepared to meet that demand,” Shaheen said in a statement. “That’s why I supported an increase in funding for Meals on Wheels in the government funding legislation that was signed into law last month, and why I’m also supportive of bipartisan legislation that would allow more dollars to be re-allocated to states like New Hampshire that have experienced changes in the age of their population.”
Congregate meal funding was increased nationally by 3% and home-delivered meal funding by 5.9%. That funding is separate from the Older Americans Act, which has yet to be renewed.
Sununu didn’t dispute the federal funding so much as how it’s allocated. He asked for a revision of the formula that determines the amount of money states receive, which uses Census data for the number of residents age 60 and older, but “not the proportion of individuals who are eligible for the program,” the letter said. “In addition, there is a two-year lag between the reference year of the population and the respective appropriation year.”
Age 60 is when people can start qualifying for services in the Older Americans Act, which also includes transportation, in-home assistance and preventive health services.
“We’re pleased to see this response,” Kathleen Vasconcelos, executive director of the Grafton County Senior Citizens Council. “We’re hopeful that this starts a conversation that leads to additional funding that fills the gap.”
As of December 2019, the council is on pace for another budget shortfall. The council served 70% of the home-delivered meals units in the contract as of Dec, 31, just halfway through the fiscal year.
“We’ve served 597 more home-delivered meals than we had at the same point the previous year,” Vasconcelos wrote in an email. “Plus, we’ve served 2,641 more congregate meals than the previous year.”
The Older Americans Act dictates that states provide a 15% match for supportive services, preventive health services and meals programs. According to Sununu’s letter, New Hampshire “overmatches” the federal match requirement by 54% for home-delivered meals. It also transfers money between congregate and home-delivered meals programs, “doing everything possible to leverage the federal funding stream.”
“Globally, it is important to address the needs of older adults as it relates to nutritional support services. What that will look like specifically will require a greater engagement on the part of the commission to become well informed about what the needs and the possibilities for addressing those needs night look like,” said State Rep. Polly Campion, D-Hanover, vice chairwoman of the Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee and chairwoman of the State Commission on Aging, which was formed in 2019 to address the needs of older adults in New Hampshire and is made up of lawmakers, members of the public and representatives from state agencies.
On Tuesday, a hearing will be held in the Statehouse for a bill that requests an additional $450,000 in state funding for Meals on Wheels programs throughout the state. According to the bill, that would provide an additional 75,000 meals to seniors throughout the state.
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
