Department of Aging and Disability Services Commissioner Amy Porter and Bureau of Aging manager Margie Gerondo Marquette told the Appropriations Committee that senior nutrition programs are continuing to operate but are exposed if federal FY26 Older Americans Act (OAA) allocations are delayed by the federal shutdown.

Porter said current service levels are maintained by a mix of FY25 federal carryover, state nutrition appropriations and some COVID-ARPA recovery funds. Margie Gerondo Marquette said that the states five Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) delivered about 1.4 million home-delivered meals and more than 400,000 congregate meals in FY24. The bureau reported roughly $1.8 million of title-3 nutrition carryover and about $485,000 remaining of ARPA nutrition funds, but warned the OAA FY26 notices of award have not been received and that the potential federal shortfall for nutrition funding is approximately $10.3 million.

Operational impact: some AAAs have instituted waitlists and service reductions as budgets reach capacity. The south-central and western AAAs reported combined waitlists of about 100 people. Another AAA reduced days of service, and officials said additional waitlists are likely if federal funding is not allocated.

Policy context: the Older Americans Act contains separate titles (3B supportive services, 3C nutrition, 3E caregiver support, 7 elder abuse/ombudsman) and each title is finite and allocated by formula. The bureau told lawmakers that FY26 notices of award for several titles had not been delivered and that some small programs (for example, the elder-abuse prevention line item) already had limited carryover and could be paused without new federal allocations.

What the agency requested: officials said they had allowed AAAs to access up to 75 percent of their state nutrition appropriation earlier in the fiscal year to bridge the gap and asked lawmakers for continued monitoring and possible contingency options. The bureau also described coordination with DSS on SNAP outreach and said AAAs are assisting seniors with SNAP enrollment and emergency food referrals.

Provenance: remarks by Commissioner Amy Porter and Margie Gerondo Marquette, and the Bureau of Aging presentation, appear in the transcript beginning at 01:31:35 and continuing through the Department of Agings segment. Officials agreed to supply AAAsspecific depletion schedules and lists of waitlisted individuals where appropriate.

Ending note: Aging officials said they can sustain current meal operations into December using the mix of federal carryovers, state nutrition dollars and ARPA funds, but that longer shutdown impacts could force service suspensions and wider waitlists.