Senate Finance Hears $180,000 Proposal to Boost Senior Volunteer Programs

The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday heard testimony on House Bill 704, which would set a contingent appropriation of $180,000 to be equally divided among the state’s four Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) sites if revenues exceed projections.

State Representative Mary Jane Wallner, the bill sponsor, said the funds would be spent to expand volunteer driver recruitment, offer mileage reimbursement to volunteers who cannot afford gas, add ‘‘bone builder’’ classes and support small home repairs and other services that help older residents remain in their homes. "One of the goals of the RSVP program is to help seniors remain in their own homes by providing home visiting to isolated seniors," Wallner said.

Nonprofit operators told senators the money would extend services already delivered under federal grants that require local matching. Nancy McKeon, executive director of the Friends program, said her agency runs an RSVP catchment covering parts of Merrimack, Rockingham and Belknap counties and that the program last year mobilized more than 300 volunteers who provided roughly 30,000 services. "Our goal with the funds would ultimately be to recruit more volunteers, to train more volunteers, [and] to provide some mileage to the seniors who want to volunteer but don't have the budget to pay for gas," McKeon said.

Lily Wellington, executive director of the State Commission on Aging, pointed senators to a recent study that she said found a high return on investment for volunteer-matching programs — a figure she summarized as about 24 times the investment — and emphasized the bill’s contingency language. "It was intentionally written so that this is not funded unless revenues are better than projected," Wellington said.

Senators questioned whether expanded community services could delay or reduce Medicaid long-term care spending and whether surplus funds identified under the current budget process would be used first to backfill earlier cuts. Agency general counsel Brian Clark said the appropriation would be an additional grant to existing RSVP programs and that while community supports can plausibly reduce institutional placements, the department could not quantify long-term Medicaid savings on the spot.

The chair closed public testimony after reporting 73 online sign-ups in support and none opposed. No committee vote on the bill was recorded in the transcript from this session; the matter remains before the committee for further action.

Clarifying details: the appropriation is $180,000 total; funds are contingent on revenues exceeding plan; the funds would be equally divided among four RSVP programs in New Hampshire. The bill’s stated uses include volunteer driver recruitment, mileage reimbursement, additional fitness/education classes, and support for volunteer-led small home repairs.

What’s next: the committee closed the public hearing and proceeded to other agenda items; no floor recommendation was recorded in this transcript.