Subject Line: Please Fund Area Agency on Aging Budget Request
Salutation: Members of the Joint Budget Committee
My name is ?_______. I live in ?_____City/County. I am writing you today to urge you to fully fund the Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) request for a $5 million base increase. The AAAs have not had a base funding increase since FY 2019-20, even as demand for services and costs have increased during that time. As a result, AAAs around the state face serious budget shortfalls beginning FY2024-25 and their providers face large reductions. This will result in many older adults throughout the state losing access to much needed services.
As immediate and urgent as this need for funding is, I also urge you to consider the long-term sustainability of AAA funding. The state should consider ways to structure AAA funding to ensure its adequacy over time, especially as the state demographer estimates the over 60 population will grow at a significantly faster rate than any other in Colorado.
Finally, please keep in mind that AAA services are cost-effective investments for the state. They help people age in the community and enable older adults to avoid or delay the need for higher level hospital or long term care, which are more expensive and put more pressure on the state budget, particularly Medicaid.
Thank you,
[Your Signature]