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Area agencies on aging, AARP and advocates press lawmakers for $4 million biennial boost
Summary
Area agencies on aging and advocacy groups urged the Section B subcommittee to add $2 million per year to support core services for older Montanans who are not eligible for Medicaid but cannot afford private care; groups said the ask restores 2016 buying power.
Representatives of Montana’s nine Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), AARP Montana and senior advocacy groups testified to the Section B subcommittee that AAAs need an additional $4 million over the biennium to sustain core services for older residents who do not qualify for Medicaid but lack resources to pay private rates.
Lisa Sheppard, executive director of Missoula Aging Services and vice president of the Montana Association of Area Agencies on Aging, told legislators AAA funding has not kept pace with inflation and that FY25 state funding is only about 7.6 percent higher than 2016 while costs have risen roughly 32 percent over the same period. The AAAs asked for an additional $2 million per year (total $4 million biennial) to restore that buying power and preserve services such as in-home assistance, home-delivered and congregate meals, legal help and information-and-referral.
Why it matters: AAAs deliver a mix of Older Americans Act programs and state-funded services that help older adults remain in the community and delay or avert costlier institutional care. Testimony argued that modest additional state support can prevent higher Medicaid spending later.
Advocates’ points - AARP Montana (representing roughly 134,000 members in the state) said 90 percent of its members prefer to “age in place,” and urged the committee to sustain and bolster AAA funding to meet demand as Montana’s population ages rapidly. - Big Sky 55+ and other organizations highlighted that many Montanans are “too rich for Medicaid and too poor to pay private providers,” estimating that the proposed $2 million per year would preserve services for an estimated 630 people and would be cost-effective compared with institutional care.
Provider and workforce context - Testimony to the committee also raised concerns about provider capacity across assisted-living, home-care and nursing-facility sectors; advocates said increasing AAA funding, alongside targeted rate and slot decisions, should be part of a larger capacity plan.
Next steps Committee members asked staff and department officials for more detailed funding and program information. The AAAs’ request and related testimony were part of the hearing record; no formal committee action was taken at this meeting.
