A proposed change in how California distributes money for senior services is raising concerns in Southern California, where officials say the shift could reduce meals and support for older adults who depend on them.
The California Department of Aging is revising its intrastate funding formula, the method used to divide state and federal aging dollars among local agencies. The state’s goal is to better align funding with need and improve equity across regions.
But Los Angeles County aging officials warn that the proposed formula could have serious consequences in large, high-demand communities. Maral Karaccusian, director of the Los Angeles County Aging and Disabilities Department, said the plan does not fully account for the scale and complexity of serving older adults in the state’s most populous county.
Across Los Angeles County, thousands of seniors rely on publicly funded meals each day. Some receive food delivered to their homes, while others gather for meals at senior centers and community sites. For many older adults, those programs provide more than nutrition; they also offer regular contact with others and a way to remain safely at home.
According to projections cited by county officials, Los Angeles County could see a 17% reduction under the proposed funding approach. That could translate into nearly 186,000 fewer meals served annually at community locations and more than 157,000 fewer home-delivered meals each year.
Combined, the reductions would amount to roughly 1,300 fewer meals per day.
County officials say the concern is not with the state’s effort to modernize the formula, but with how the proposed model weighs different factors. The formula considers age, income, disability and geography, giving them roughly equal weight. Critics argue those factors do not drive demand for services in the same way.
Low-income older adults, for example, are more likely to rely on publicly funded meal programs and supportive services. Dense urban counties also operate at a different scale than smaller regions, serving larger numbers of seniors with complex needs.
Los Angeles County serves about one-quarter of California’s older adults, including large numbers of low-income seniors and those requiring more intensive support. Officials also point to growth in the county’s aging population, noting that Los Angeles County added more than 92,000 older adults in a single year.
If the formula does not adequately reflect those realities, they argue, money could shift away from areas with the greatest demand. Other large regions with significant senior populations could face similar pressure.
Advocates say the state should test alternative versions of the formula before making a final decision, to ensure the system reflects actual service needs and does not unintentionally reduce access to food and care.
California has made aging in place and independent living major policy goals in recent years. Local officials say those commitments depend on funding systems that work not only in statewide calculations, but also in the communities where seniors rely on daily services.
Original source: CalMatters
