In its FY27 budget request, the administration reiterated its policy to restructure HHS. That includes merging the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and Administration for Children and Families (ACF) into a new Administration for Children, Families, and Communities (ACFC). 

The creation of a new Administration for Healthy Aging (AHA) also continues to be proposed, into which programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) would be moved, if they are funded at all.

What does this mean for aging services programs?

• Core OAA programs, including Supportive Services and Senior Centers, Nutrition, Caregiver Support, Preventive Health, Native American services, and Aging Network Support would be level-funded.  

• Falls Prevention, Chronic Disease Self-Management Education (CDSME), and the Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative would see their Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF) investments eliminated, which would mean zeroing out CDSME entirely.  

• OAA Elder Rights and Protections for Vulnerable Older Americans would be increased slightly.  

• The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) at the Department of Labor is again proposed for elimination. 

• The Medicare State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) would be level-funded. 

• CDC falls prevention would be eliminated. 

• The Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Aging in Place Home Modification Grants Program would receive $21 million, in contrast with the FY26 proposal to eliminate it.  

• AmeriCorps, including AmeriCorps Seniors, would be eliminated.  

• The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) would be eliminated. 

• The Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) would be level-funded.  

What’s ahead for the FY27 budget process? 

Congress has already begun work on the FY27 appropriations process. Throughout March, representatives who have championed OAA, falls prevention, SHIP, SCSEP, OAA long-term care programs like the Direct Care Workforce Strategy Center and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) mobilized joint letters to appropriators advocating for investments in these initiatives. Similar Senate letters are now in process.  

Appropriations subcommittees will convene hearings to learn more about the administration’s proposals over the next several weeks. House Appropriations Committee review and approval (markups) of the 12 individual bills is scheduled through May into early June with the Labor, HHS, and Education bill expected to be one of the last to be considered in committee.  

Given those scheduling realities, another Continuing Resolution (CR) with level-funding should be expected to keep the government open when FY27 begins on Oct. 1. Whether the appropriations bills are completed this year or multiple CRs keep federal dollars flowing will likely depend on the result of the November elections. Therefore, maintaining the status quo for Aging Services investments is a safe expectation for most of calendar year 2026. 

What can you do?

We continue to welcome any opportunity you may have to educate your elected officials about the importance of the federal Aging Services Programs for the work that you do in your communities. Use our Action Alert to help you deliver those messages via email, or use our tools for advocacy back home. There is also still time to register for the 2026 Age+Action Conference and Hill Day to visit with your senators and representatives while in the nation’s capital.