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County office for older adults outlines services, budget and capacity needs
Summary
Karen Toney, director of the County Office of Services for the Aging, told council the office fields more than 10,000 annual calls, conducted about 1,068 protective investigations (one-third substantiated), and is planning programs as it awaits a final FY25–26 state funding figure; the agency's preliminary budget was reported near $14.4 million.
Karen Toney, director of the County Office of Services for the Aging (COSA), presented an overview of elder services on May 6, detailing caseloads, programs, staffing and funding needs.
Toney said COSA answered 10,429 information-and-referral calls in the past year and carried out 1,068 older-adult protective-service investigations; about one-third of those investigations were substantiated. COSA provides Options Care Management (about 1,400 clients), a caregiver support program (108 caregivers assisted), home-delivered meals (free for eligible recipients), and the Foster Grandparent Program (40 volunteers providing roughly 47,000 service hours). COSA staff also conduct about 4,500 in-home Medicaid assessments and more than 6,200 redeterminations, the director said.
On finances, Toney described a preliminary FY2025–26 budget of approximately $14.4 million, noting the agency is awaiting final state figures. She described the funding mix as roughly 22% federal (Older Americans Act and Medicaid-related funds), about 68% from the Pennsylvania Lottery, and about 1% from the county. Toney said the agency recently signed two five-year contracts with the Pennsylvania Department for the Aging covering compliance and funding oversight and reported staff realignments to strengthen protective services and quality assurance.
Council members thanked Toney and encouraged senior participation in upcoming events (centenarian luncheon, Senior Games and a Senior Citizens Day). Toney said COSA is exploring partnerships (including HealthShare Exchange) to improve referrals and health programming for older adults with chronic disease.
The presentation concluded with questions and gratitude from council; no formal vote was required. The county will post any final COSA FY25–26 funding figures when state allocations are finalized.
