The Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging invites you to join us for the 2013 Summit on Aging and Health. This year’s event will be held in Jefferson City, MO, August 21-23 at the Capitol Plaza Hotel. Be a part of this exciting and informative annual event. Sponsorship opportunities and exhibitor information is available [...]
The prevalence of diabetes among US adults grew by 45% over the past 20 years, with the greatest increase seen among seniors aged 65 and over, according to a new study based on surveillance data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Obesity explained most of the increase in the prevalence of diabetes in younger adults but only part of the increase in older adults. For additional details on the study reported by Medscape Medical News, CLICK HERE.
Posted in In the News, Spotlight On ... | Comments Off
According to reports from the Associated Press, Gov. Jay Nixon has vetoed legislation that would have repealed a tax break for low-income seniors and disabled residents who live in rental housing.
Although he had proposed the elimination of the tax break earlier this year, the governor had said he would accept the tax-break repeal only if it were part of a broad-based overhaul of Missouri’s numerous tax credit programs.
The Republican-led Legislature sent Nixon a stand-alone bill that would have ended the tax break for senior and disabled renters. It has not passed a separate, more comprehensive tax credit overhaul and is running out of time to do so before the session ends at 6 p.m. Friday.
Read the full story as it appeared in the Rolla Daily News by CLICKING HERE.
Posted in Government Watch, In the News | Comments Off
Jefferson City, Mo. – The Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging (MA4) today expressed deep concern over a Joint House and Senate Budget Conference Committee recommendation that would eliminate $1 million in state funding for home delivered meals programs in Missouri that serve the senior population.
In March of this year, the Missouri House proposed a budget increase of $1.5 million for home delivered meals programs in Missouri. In April, the Missouri Senate stripped that funding from its version of the budget, forcing the issue to be considered by a joint conference committee.
On Tuesday, May 7, the conference committee reported that it had recommended adding back $570,000 in funding for meals, but made the remaining $1 million in funding contingent upon savings that would be realized only if the legislature eliminated the Circuit Breaker Tax Credit program for senior renters – a program that also benefits a large number of seniors throughout the state. At this time, the renters’ tax credit is NOT slated for elimination – therefore the $1 million in funding would be cut from the meals program. That cut would result in the loss of nearly 200,000 home delivered meals for seniors.
“Food is a basic need,” said Catherine Edwards, Executive Director of MA4, “and no senior should have to go hungry in our state.Meals programs in Missouri have seen no increase in funding for five years, yet food costs continue to rise, and the senior population continues to grow. The addition of $570,000 by the legislature is appreciated, but it only brings us to 2010 funding levels. The additional $1 million in funding that is now in limbo is crucial in maintaining our ability to serve seniors throughout Missouri,” added Edwards.
Edwards suggests that despite the conference committee recommendation that did not include the additional $1 million, the legislature as a whole could elect to fund the home delivered meals program through general revenue funds and not tie the issues of nutrition and renter tax credits together.
“In April we learned that the State of Missouri had realized 11.2% more in revenue than had earlier been expected,” said Edwards. “That means there is more money available than when these budgets were first being considered. We would certainly support taking $1 million of those newfound funds and applying them to a program that has served our senior population well for years. It makes good economic sense. And it is the right thing to do. All it would take is an amendment from the floor,” added Edwards.
MA4 has consistently maintained that long-term, improper nutrition can lead to increased costs for long-term care and increased Medicaid outlays. If only 90 seniors enter a nursing home because of the loss of home delivered meal service, the state of Missouri would spend MORE in MO HealthNet matching dollars for nursing home care than the funding currently proposed to be cut from the Home Delivered Meal Program. Missouri currently ranks 14th in the nation in terms of the number of seniors who experience food insecurity.
ABOUT THE HOME DELIVERED MEALS PROGRAM
The home delivered meals program is designed to deliver a nutritionally balanced meal that represents one-third of a typical adult’s Recommended Daily Allowance of nutrients to homebound individuals. Participants must be 60 years of age or older and physically or mentally unable to leave their homes. Priority is given to people who have no immediate family members available to assist in meal preparation or delivery; individuals in greatest economic and social need; and people who are in the protective services program of the Missouri Division of Senior and Disability Services.
A high percentage of these meals are delivered by local volunteer drivers. State funding for this program is combined with federal funds, client contributions and other private and public donations to expand the reach of the program.
During 2012, the 10 Area Agencies on Aging delivered approximately 5 million meals to Missouri seniors in their homes.
ABOUT MA4
The Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging (MA4) was founded in 1973 to serve as a statewide advocate and resource for older Missourians. MA4 is comprised of the state’s 10 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA), which were created under the 1973 amendments to the Older American’s Act of 1965. For 40 years, these local agencies have been providing vital services, programs and information to millions of Missourians and their caregivers, including legal services, home-delivered meals, disease prevention and health promotion, transportation, public benefits counseling, senior centers and in-home services. The 10 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) provide a coordinated network of care in implementing statewide initiatives that are designed to help older Missourians maintain their independence and give them a voice in articulating their concerns and changing needs.
As the official statewide association of these agencies, MA4 is dedicated to carrying out its mission of service, information and advocacy to improve the lives of older Missourians and to plan for the changes that will take place as the aging population grows in number and importance in the next decade.
Posted in In the News | Comments Off
The following letter appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Monday, May 6, 2013:
Dear Editor:
The Missouri legislature is facing many tough choices for the next fiscal year’s budget. One of those choices is to fund an increase for the Area Agency on Aging’s meals program in Missouri. One of every 7 seniors suffers from food insecurity or hunger. This program provides for the basic need of food for those unable to cook or shop for themselves. It can mean the differnce between staying healthy through enough nutrition, recovering from surgery or illness and ending up rentering a hospital or prematurely entering a skilled nursing facility.
Missouri will have to choose if it will feed seniors when gas and food costs have drastically increased and the population of seniors who need assistance is increasing. Missouri can help them now or have to help them later at a much greater cost.
Mary E. Schaefer
Executive Director
Mid-East Area Agency on Aging
TO VIEW THE LETTER AS IT APPEARED IN THE ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, CLICK HERE.
Posted in In the News | Comments Off
Missouri House and Senate conferees will begin formal talks on Monday, May 6 in an effort to find a compromise budget and work out differences that currently exist between the budgets developed by each chamber. Among the many differences is the budget line item associated with home delivered meal funding. House members voted to include an additional $1.5 million for the program, while the Senate cut that item from its version of the budget.
Now is the time to contact legislators in an effort to maintain the increased funding. Negotiators and the full Legislature have until Friday of this week to work out a compromise and pass a budget.
Dear Senior Advocates: We now have the names of the House members who will be on the Conference Committee which will meet to reconcile the two budgets (Senate and House versions).
House members who will be serving on the Conference Committee are:
Representatives Sue Allen, Rick Stream and Jeannie Kirkton.
Senators on the committee are: Senators Schaefer, Rupp, Kehoe, Walsh and Curls.
Posted in Government Watch, In the News | Comments Off
The Missouri Legislature has sent mixed signals regarding funding for Missouri home-delivered meals funding for seniors. In March, the Missouri House approved renewed funding for $1.5 million dollars in additional funding, money that had been stripped from the state budget 3 years ago. Unfortunately, the Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee recommended last week that those funds not be restored in the budget currently under consideration.
Debate now moves to the full Senate this week – and on to Committee action if the two chambers still disagree.
For a more complete report on this issue, visit KOMU TV in Columbia MO by CLICKING THIS LINK.
Posted in Announcements, In the News | Comments Off
The SMP program, also known as Senior Medicare Patrol program, helps Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries avoid, detect, and prevent health care fraud. In doing so, they help protect older persons and promote integrity in the Medicare program. Because this work often requires face-to-face contact to be most effective, SMPs have recruited nearly 4,500 volunteers nationwide to support this effort.
Now they have extended their reach even further by launching a new website full of information that helps seniors avoid Medicare fraud.
Visit the new website at www.missourismp.org.
Posted in Announcements, In the News | Comments Off
This week the Missouri Legislature reconvened and immediately began further consideration of the new state budget. Among items NOT included in the forthcoming budget is expansion of the Medicaid program in Missouri – a key provision of the federal 2010 Affordable Care Act.
Get details relating to this action in the St. Louis Business Journal by CLICKING HERE.
Posted in Announcements, In the News | Comments Off
On Wednesday, March 13 two separate legislative committees voted not to approve expansion of the Medicaid program in Missouri. The Senate Appropriations Committee failed to give its stamp of approval to the bill called for under provisions of the new federal health care law. Likewise, the Missouri House Budget Committee failed to pass two amendments that would have added the expanded Medicaid proposal to next year’s state budget.
For additional details regarding this story, CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY IN THE COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN.
Posted in In the News | Comments Off
The Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee today gave first round approval to SB 350, a bill that would discontinue the “circuit breaker” tax credit program as it currently exists. While provisions in the bill do create a new “senior protection fund”, the practical impact of the bill would be to eliminate discretionary use of tax credit funds by the seniors who need those funds most.
MA4 and the Area Agencies on Aging oppose this legislation and urge all seniors to urge defeat of this bill on the Senate floor and in the Missouri House.
For a copy of MA4′s testimony on SB 350, CLICK HERE.
Posted in Announcements, In the News | Comments Off
Copyright © 2010 Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging. All rights reserved. · Privacy · Terms of Use · Screen Reader Compliant
Loading ...
