Carroll County approves FY26 area plan applications for aging services while staff warns of possible federal cuts

Carroll County commissioners voted May 1 to authorize submission of the Fiscal Year 2026 area plan and related grant applications for the Bureau of Aging and Disabilities and to accept the related awards if made.

Celine Steckel, director of citizen services, introduced the bureau team and said the applications bundle federal and state formula grants used to fund senior centers, home-delivered meals, the long‑term care ombudsman, caregiver services, Medicare counseling and other older‑adult programs. "We wanted to come before you to present this comprehensive overview of all of the different grants and funds that provide for our programming lines within the Bureau of Aging and Disabilities," she said.

Gina Valentine, bureau chief of aging and disabilities, reviewed program highlights and data. She told commissioners the bureau distributed more than 50,000 meals between congregate (senior-center) and home‑delivered programs, serves about 1,600 senior-center members and offers more than 2,000 classes or sessions at senior centers. She said rising food costs have driven the average congregate-meal cost from $4.83 in fiscal 2022 to $6.31 in 2025 and that serving roughly 33,000 congregate meals annually means a roughly $49,000 higher annual cost compared with 2022. Home-delivered meals rose from $6.91 to $7.93 over the same period.

Valentine and staff also summarized long‑term care and support programs: the long‑term care ombudsman program protects residents' rights in nursing homes and assisted‑living facilities; family‑caregiver supports and an expanding Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Team model now serve children through age 18 where substance use is a primary factor; and the senior-care and assisted‑living subsidy programs provide case management and financial assistance to keep older adults in the community.

Valentine said the bureau served 43 youth in out‑of‑home care in the bureau's child‑welfare summary (this tied to a separate Department of Social Services presentation earlier in the meeting), and that SHIP (the state health‑insurance assistance program) served roughly 2,800 residents last year with the help of volunteers. She said some billing and fee‑for‑service programs generate revenue for the bureau (for example, a senior‑inclusion program generating approximately $800,000 annually).

Staff flagged a pending, not‑yet‑final federal budget concern: a leaked budget draft would zero out several older‑adult program lines (titles cited included Title VII ombudsman, SHIP/MIPA/SMP, and Title III‑D health promotion), which county staff estimated could total about $60,000 of lost funding for the county. Staff said national and state advocates are mounting advocacy efforts and that Maryland Association for Area Agencies on Aging planned to submit a letter opposing the cuts.

Commissioner discussion noted the bureau's return on investment for veteran and benefits work and praised volunteers; the board thanked bureau staff for their outreach and asked staff to notify federal legislators if cuts appeared likely. A motion to approve submission of the FY26 area plan and related grant applications, and to accept the awards, passed by voice vote.

Ending: The board approved the grant applications. County staff said they would continue to monitor federal budget developments and keep commissioners apprised of any enacted reductions that would affect services.