Senior centers and Meals on Wheels urge $1 million boost as rising costs outpace reimbursements
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Summary
Representatives of Vermont senior centers told the committee that home‑delivered meal providers face a funding gap that leaves many meals unreimbursed; they asked for $1 million in FY27 to increase per‑meal reimbursements and address caps that leave providers facing funding shortfalls exceeding $7 million statewide.
Anna Jones, director of the Thompson Senior Center and president of the Vermont Association of Senior Centers and Meal Providers, urged the committee to invest $1,000,000 in the FY27 budget to support Meals on Wheels providers statewide.
Jones said senior centers and local meal providers deliver both home‑delivered and congregate meals and play a preventive role—reducing isolation and hospitalizations—while helping older Vermonters remain healthy and housed. She provided statewide figures from 2024 and a 2024 cost analysis: approximately 986,622 meals were delivered in 2024; an average cost per meal of $13.43 yields a total annual cost of about $11.1 million. Jones said current funding—$1,000,000 in state general funds (used to draw down about $1.3 million in Medicaid match) plus $1,862,594 in Older Americans Act funding—brings total current funding to roughly $4,162,594, leaving a funding shortfall that Jones described as over $7 million relative to the estimated cost of meals.
Jones told lawmakers that reimbursement caps imposed by area agencies on aging mean some providers are eligible for reimbursement on only a portion of meals; she cited her own site serving 14,000 home‑delivered meals but having reimbursement capped at 11,000. That dynamic, she said, results in many meals becoming unfunded later in the fiscal year and forces programs to rely on fundraising and local support.
During Q&A, members asked about how caps are set and how the $1,000,000 and related Medicaid and federal funds were distributed; Jones said distribution pathways vary by area agencies and that transparency about funding flows would be helpful. A witness identifying herself as a former staffer for the Vermont Association of Senior Centers noted she was now a volunteer because of funding shortfalls.
Jones asked the legislature to increase per‑meal reimbursements, consider removing or raising caps and strengthen infrastructure and capacity so providers can meet rising demand. The committee did not take a vote during the session.