Area Agency on Aging asks Dickinson County to continue funding health insurance and meal programs

The Area Agency on Aging’s executive director told the Dickinson County Commission the agency’s 2026 funding request totals $6,063,838, a modest decrease of $12,884 from its 2025 request, and asked the county to continue local support for employee health insurance and senior meal programs.

Julie Robert Walter, executive director, said the agency’s request reflects grant funding that has not kept pace with inflation and that counties often provide the local share that allows the agency to offer staff health insurance for direct‑service employees working 30 or more hours per week. “We’re requesting a total of $6,063,838 dollars,” Walter told commissioners.

Walter noted demographic factors: about 30% of county residents are over age 60 and roughly 21.3% of those live alone; the agency also reported growing demand for home‑delivered meals compared with congregate dining. The agency said it paid 17 employees with agency funds in 2024 (including drivers and substitutes) and highlighted the economic and social value of friendship (congregate) and home‑delivered meals for older residents.

Walter urged commissioners to monitor federal funding for the Older Americans Act titles, cautioning that federal appropriations have lagged inflation and that a tight federal budget could force local program adjustments. She asked commissioners to relay the program’s importance to federal representatives if possible.

Ending

Commissioners thanked the Area Agency on Aging representatives and offered no immediate action; the agency’s request will be considered as part of the county’s budgeting process.