Senior Services Growth & Development Program
During the 2023 legislative session, funding was finally appropriated, including transfer authority, to fully fund the Senior Services Growth & Development Program! Thank you to the Missouri Legislature. This funding will support Area Agencies on Aging and programs and services through Senior Centers.
This fund was established In May 2019, with overwhelming bipartisan support, the Missouri Legislature passed SB275 which established the Senior Growth and Development Program Fund (SGDPF). The purpose of the fund is to supplement the funding the AAAs receive through GR and Federal funding.
Restoration of the Full MoRx Program
The Missouri Rx Plan provides pharmaceutical benefits to elderly and disabled Missourians who are struggling financially and facilitates coordination of benefits between the Missouri Rx plan and the federal Medicare Part D drug benefit program. In 2017, 58,000 seniors (1 in 4) lost prescription drug coverage through MO Rx due to drastic budget cuts. In 2019, the legislature restored some funding but has still not restored the full funding for thousands of seniors and adults with disabilities.
Modernization of the Older Americans Act
In the 57 years since inception of the OAA, various amendments have introduced new areas of focus, resulting in more work for the states and AAAs, without further reimbursement. To compound the challenges of additional responsibility without further reimbursement, Area Agency requests for an update of many OAA standards have been met with decades of bureaucratic delay. As a result, outdated limitations within the OAA thwart the progress and innovations that must be made to meet the burgeoning present and emerging needs of an expanding population of older adults.
RUCA Opposition Statement
Recently, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) determined new data reporting standards for AAAs across the nation. The data used in these reports help ACL, AAAs and other stakeholders understand performance, impact of services on priority groups, and overall health of the aging and disability network. These new standards have reclassified nearly 25% of Missouri’s rural population o the status of urban.