We urge Congress and the administration to:
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Increase funding and support for senior nutrition providers to address the growing crises of senior hunger and isolation:
- Provide at least $2.285 billion in funding for the Older Americans Act (OAA)Title III-C Nutrition Program in FY 2027. This is critical to address the unmet need resulting from increased demand and rising costs for food, fuel and program operations.
- Protect and increase other federal funding sources that support local Meals on Wheels providers and older adults, including Social Services, Community Development and Community Services Block Grants, Medicare and Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS), Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) and importantly the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
- Improve charitable giving, volunteerism and tax incentives for nonprofits to generate resources and
expand capacity, pass the Charitable Act and Volunteer Driver Tax Appreciation Act.
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Protect and strengthen Older Americans Act programs:
- Safeguard the core objectives of the OAA by addressing hunger, social isolation and loneliness, while enhancing the health and well-being of older adults by keeping the administration of OAA programs together with sufficient funding and staff.
- Increase authorized funding levels for all OAA programs and establish incentives and funding for enhanced nutrition services (e.g., medically tailored or culturally appropriate meals).
- Unify the Title III-C Nutrition Program (Home-delivered, Congregate and NSIP) to improve efficiency and enable local providers to more easily tailor services to seniors’ needs.
- Prioritize community-based organizations for nutrition services contracts and improve the reimbursement and payment processes.
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Advance Food Is Medicine interventions and expand nutrition access and social connection for older adults:
- Advance Food Is Medicine interventions such as establishing home-delivered meals provided by community-based providers as a fully reimbursable benefit through fee-for-service Medicare, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid and passing the Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Demonstration Act.
- Address social isolation and loneliness through nationally coordinated awareness, initiatives and research, as proposed in the National Strategy for Social Connection Act, Improving Measurements for Loneliness and Isolation Act and the Social Engagement and Network Initiatives for Older Relief (SENIOR) Act.
- Strengthen and increase funding for USDA nutrition programs and improve access and support for older adults as proposed in the Senior Hunger Prevention Act and the Delivering for Rural Seniors Act.