State Office for the Aging outlines $45 million boost to unmet needs, warns of federal funding risk

Greg Olsen, acting director of the State Office for the Aging, told the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Aging on March 4, 2025 that the state has expanded funding to address waiting lists for in-home services and warned that potential federal cuts could jeopardize those services.

Olsen said the legislature and governor added $10 million last year to a program he described as meeting “unmet need” — services such as home-delivered meals, personal care, transportation and home modifications — and this year provided an additional $35 million. He also said nearly $5 million in cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) funding will go to aging programs. “We provide a variety of services in the home to help people stay at home and in the community as well,” Olsen said.

The funding increase is intended to reduce waiting lists for services that help older New Yorkers remain independent, Olsen said. He told committee members the State Office for the Aging is distributing the money by region and that the office coordinates across state agencies to serve older adults’ varied needs.

Olsen outlined several statewide program and research results the office is using to plan services. The agency’s first statewide needs-assessment survey collected about 27,000 responses, he said. The office administers what Olsen called the nation’s largest nutrition program, delivering roughly 22 million meals a year to about 300,000 people. He described the typical meals recipient as “an 83-year-old low-income woman who lives alone, has four to 10 chronic conditions, two assistance needs for activities of daily living and several instrumental activities of daily living.”

Olsen detailed partnerships and low-cost technology offerings the office is promoting. He said the office has 29 public–private technology partnerships; one free program the office promotes, GetSetUp, had about 700,000 users and offers more than 5,000 live classes for people over 50. Olsen also highlighted caregiver resources such as Trualta and said his office promotes a strength-training program called Vivo, which he credited with improving individual mobility and social connections.

On workforce and employment, Olsen described a statewide effort launched with the Department of Labor last year called the Office of Older Worker Development and federal Title V resources that provide job training and re-entry services for people 55 and older. He said about 100 sites across the state help with resumes and skills-building for older jobseekers.

Transportation gaps for older New Yorkers outside New York City remain large, Olsen said, noting the state funds about $30 million a year for transportation services but still has unmet demand. He described partnerships with services such as GoGoGrandparent and volunteer-driven programs like the Independent Transportation Network as stop-gap measures; Olsen said a nationwide volunteer driver network is planned for January 2026.

Olsen urged committee members to press federal officials after describing risks to federal funding streams that support aging services. He said the Older Americans Act is funded at about $1.4 billion and told the committee that House and Senate proposals differ on cuts; he described a proposed House reduction of roughly $300 million and said the Senate proposal was approximately $1 billion in additional funding for programs. He asked lawmakers to help “hold this harmless” before a March 14 congressional continuing-resolution deadline.

Olsen said his office can provide county-level breakdowns of funding, program staffing and the number of people served, and he promised to follow up with committee members with the materials and local data they requested. He also invited committee members to distribute free caregiver and education resources to constituents and to coordinate on senior events.