Public Policy & Action

• Federal Budget
• Older Americans Act Reauthorization
• Long-Term Services & Supports
• Elder Justice
• Advocacy Toolkit

Resources

For Professionals

• President Releases Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Proposal
• JobSource: A New Online Portal for Older Adults Seeking Employment
• Stretching Every Dollar
• Next Steps in the Federal Budget Debate
• Immigration Reform: Key Issues for Older Adults, Individuals with Disabilities, and Home and Community-Based Services - Past Event
• Federal Deficit Debates: What’s at Stake for Senior Services and Benefits - Past Event

For Older Adults and Caregivers

• Stretching Every Dollar
• Fiscal Cliff Deal: What It Means for Seniors

For Advocates

• President Releases Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Proposal
• Stretching Every Dollar
• Preventing Funding Cuts for Healthy Aging Programs: What You Can Do to Help - Past Event

Advocacy Toolkit: Nutrition

Current budget proposals would significantly harm programs that help millions of seniors who are struggling with hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity. Help us protect these programs!

Older Americans Act (OAA) Nutrition Programs

• How they help: OAA congregate and home-delivered meals programs provided over 240 million meals to older individuals who needed them in 2010. Meals are especially critical for the survival of the 28% of recipients who report these meals as the sole or majority of their food intake for the day.
• What's at stake: Funding for OAA nutrition programs has not kept pace with need or inflation. The Administration on Aging reports that keeping funding at the current level would could result in 22 million fewer meals served. Across-the-board cuts scheduled for Jan. 2, 2013 could eliminate at least $66 million.
• Learn more: Senior Hunger and the Older Americans Act: Watch a hearing from the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions Subcommittee on Primary Health & Aging.

Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)

• How it helps: CSFP provides nutritious food to low-income Americans at less than half the average retail value. Of the 588,000 individuals served each month, nearly 97% are older adults with incomes of less than 130% of poverty.
• What's at stake: Last year, the House proposed a 22% cut to the program, which would have resulted in about 150,000 low-income seniors losing food.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

• How it helps: One-third of SNAP recipients are older adults or individuals with disabilities. In 2011, SNAP lifted 4.7 million Americans above the poverty line, including nearly 300,000 seniors.
• What's at stake: Converting SNAP to a block grant and reducing its funding have been included in Congressional deficit reduction proposals. Doing so would cut benefits, create waiting lists, and make it more difficult for people to get this critical assistance.
• Learn more:
• Essential SNAP Facts for Older Adults
  See the numbers of how many older adults get food benefits—and how many are missing out.
• Food Stamps
  Understand the SNAP program with these resources from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
• SNAP Community Partner Outreach Toolkit
  Discover tips and tools to promote SNAP to seniors in your community.

Get Help

• BenefitsCheckUp® SNAP Map
  Screen older adults to see if they qualify for nutrition benefits, including SNAP. 
• Find a Meal
  Locate a local Meals on Wheels provider by city and state.
• Feeding America 
  Search for a local food bank and screen for nutrition benefits.

Learn More

• Understanding Senior Hunger
  Learn the facts, causes, and consequences of senior hunger from the Meals on Wheels Association of America.
• Facts on Senior Hunger
  Learn more from Feeding America.
• National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs
  Download issue briefs and presentations from NANASP's annual conference held in 2011.
• No Mas Hambre
  See how hunger affects the Latino community.

want to live in a country where

older adults don't have to choose between paying for medicine or food.