Aging advocates press for expanded meals, case management and capital funding after executive budget restorations

The Department for the Aging (NYC Aging) told the Council’s committees on Aging and Finance that the FY 2026 executive budget restores prior reductions and adds funds for core services, but advocates and several council members said gaps remain in case management, home care and capital investment for older‑adult centers.

Executive plan and restorations Commissioner Lorraine Cortés‑Vásquez said the executive budget increases NYC Aging’s FY 2026 baseline to $554.4 million and that the mayor’s plan restores pegs that otherwise would have left a fiscal cliff for older‑adult programs. “This year's executive budget … keeps their word and funded the backfill by the expiring stimulus dollars and programs to eliminate the peg programs,” the commissioner said.

What was added in the executive plan (agency presentation) - Baseline restorations: The executive plan includes $81.5 million in FY 2026 (and $75 million baseline in early out years) the agency described as restorations that return funding for older adult centers and other programs to FY 2025 levels. - Meals and home delivered meals: NYC Aging reported record volumes — roughly 10.3 million meals citywide in FY 2024 — and said the FY 2026 plan provides additional support for home‑delivered meals providers. The department said Home Delivered Meals (HDM) reimbursement rose to $13.78 per meal in FY 2025, up from $11.78 in FY 2023, and told the committee it is negotiating with OMB about whether additional rate increases are needed. - Case management and waiting lists: The department's case management funding is projected at about $53.2 million for FY 2026. The agency told the council there were roughly 491 older adults on the formal case‑management waiting list at the end of FY 2024. NYC Aging said caseworkers are spending more time per client because cases have become more complex, which both reduces the total number of clients served per worker and increases unmet demand. - Home care: The executive plan includes $37.7 million for home‑care programs (in‑home services for elderly people not on Medicaid). The commissioner urged state action to maintain parity in wages for ISEP/home‑care workers, citing a temporary 55% salary match last year. - Capital and facilities: NYC Aging’s capital commitment plan remains small relative to the provider network: the department reported a total capital plan of $85.1 million for FY 2025–29 and identified about 15 older adult center renovation projects in the immediate plan (project size ranges noted in the May 2 letter were roughly $180,000 to $6,000,000 per project).

Advocates and council members push for more Speakers from older‑adult service networks, nonprofits and think tanks urged deeper investments in several areas: a larger capital fund for center repairs and kitchen upgrades; increases in HDM reimbursement rates and a citywide plan to provide 7‑day meal coverage for homebound New Yorkers (Intro 770 was cited by multiple witnesses); and a substantial expansion of case management staff. Testimony and council preliminary budget requests coalesced around these headline asks: - Capital: advocates asked the council and administration to create an ongoing capital fund (advocates suggested $50 million or multi‑year funding lines) to support kitchens, HVAC, accessibility and aging‑in‑place infrastructure at older adult centers and NORCs. - Meals: multiple providers and advocacy groups recommended increasing HDM reimbursement (council preliminary request included $7.3 million to bring HDM to $15.31/meal) and funding Intro 770’s aim to require everyday meal access for HDM recipients; the department said procurement and reimbursement processes are being negotiated with OMB. - Case management: providers and council members urged new baseline funding and more intake coordinators and case managers; several groups asked for $40–44 million to reduce caseloads and clear the waiting list. City Meals on Wheels and live‑on advocacy groups described pilot programs (breakfast boxes, mobile groceries, emergency meal allocations) that they want to scale with modest city investments.

Federal funding uncertainty Commissioner Cortés‑Vásquez and several witnesses warned that aging programs rely on federal Older Americans Act and other grant funds that face an uncertain federal outlook. The department said it is running multiple fiscal scenarios (moderate and worst case) and continues to press state and federal partners for sustainable funding.

RFP timing and procurement NYC Aging told the committee it intends to issue the next Older Adult Center (OAC) RFP in late 2025 and aims to have new contracts in place by July 1, 2026 if possible. The department cautioned that it needs clarity on budgets before issuing a fully funded RFP and said it will not issue a competition that cannot support the services the city expects providers to deliver.

Ending: oversight and next steps Council members welcomed the executive restorations but signaled they will press for more funding at adoption — particularly for capital repairs, case management and HDM reimbursement increases. The department pledged to continue negotiations with OMB on new‑need requests and to provide the council with more detailed reconciling information on case‑management demand, HDM volumes and capital project lists.