BATON ROUGE - Several area agencies are concerned funding cuts and a shift to population-based programs could hurt the ability to provide meals to senior citizens.

Last year, the state of Louisiana saw more than one million dollars cut from the Nutrition Services Incentive Program, or NSIP, which helps fund efforts to serve elderly residents meals through the Older Americans Act. In fiscal year 2024, Louisiana saw $2.3 million in NSIP funding. In 2023, it was $3.7 million.

Executive Director for the Capital Area Agency on Aging Craig Kaberline said Louisiana is dependent on funding from NSIP and that the Biden Administration cut funding and moved it to the C1 and C2 meal programs which are population-based.

"Last year alone was about $48 million decrease, which is about $1.4 million decrease to the state of Louisiana. The capital area which we serve is roughly 350,000 dollars," Kaberline said.

The CAAA serves more than 700,000 meals a year, many in rural areas. Kaberline said a shift from performance-based programs like NSIP where agencies are paid per meal served to a population-based program would hurt Louisiana as states with larger elderly populations would receive more money regardless of whether residents used the food meal program or not.

In an email sent last September to councils on aging state-wide, the Governor's Office on Elderly Affairs shared that the Administration of Community Living which administers OAA programs requested a budget decrease of about $80 million. It estimated Louisiana would see a decrease in NSIP funding of just over $1 million dollars.

"It would take 75-80 percent of the dollars for the Nutrition [Services] Incentive Program for our seniors," Kaberline said.

The funding goes to area councils of aging like the one in Ascension Parish.

"In January of this year, we were notified that our federal NSIP funds were being cut. Unfortunately, when we were told, we had used up the whole allotment for fiscal year 2025," Executive Director of Ascension Council on Aging Darlene Schexnayder said.

Schexnayder said that was an additional $65,000 lost, approximately 75 cents a meal.

"That along with increased food costs and the number of people coming into the center, we were facing a 108,000 dollar shortfall," Schexnayder said.

The Ascension Council on Aging serves over 600 people on food delivery routes in addition to 100 people in person every weekday. Cuts are already being made to the Ascension Council on Aging's utility assistance program as well as its program to build ramps in the homes of seniors. Schexnayder said she's worried about additional cuts coming.

"No one wants to tell a senior citizen I can no longer give you a meal," Schexnayder said.