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Older Americans Month 2025: The Importance of Public Programs as We Age

Chris Herman, MSW, LICSW
Senior Practice Associate–Aging

May 2025

Introduction

In 1963 President John F. Kennedy established the annual observance of Older Americans Month (OAM), which is celebrated each May. Two years later, the Older Americans Act (OAA) was signed into law. As of this writing, many federal policies, programs, and structures are at risk of elimination or drastic alteration by the Trump Administration and the Republican-dominated Congress. This publication provides an overview of the history of, and current threats to, some of these policies, programs, and structures. It concludes with advocacy in which we can engage, as social workers, to preserve publicly funded and administered programs that help all of as we age.

Historical Context: Policies and Programs That Support Us as We Age

As of this writing, a timeline outlining the evolution of the OAA and other programs benefiting older adults remains posted on a federal website (https://acl.gov/about-acl/authorizing-statutes/older-americans-act). That timeline includes the following developments (summarized here), among others:

  • The Social Security Act was signed into law in 1935, creating a retirement benefit for people 65 years and older. (The program was expanded later to include benefits for retirees’ spouses and children, survivors benefits, and disability benefits [Social Security Administration, 2025]. It is worth noting that social workers Frances Perkins and Grace Abbott were instrumental in developing and passing the Social Security Act, respectively [NASW Foundation, n.d.-a, n.d.-b].)
  • Thirty years later the OAA established the Administration on Aging (AoA) as a distinct entity within the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) and mandated creation of State Units on Aging (SUAs). That same year, William (Bill) Bechill—a social worker (NASW Foundation, n.d.-d)—was named the first federal Commissioner on Aging; Lennie-Marie Tolliver, also a social worker (The American Presidency Project, n.d.), subsequently held the role in the early 1980s. Also in 1965, the Medicare and Medicaid programs were created as part of the Social Security Act.
  • In 1973 the OAA was amended to establish Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs). The 1973 OAA amendments also established the Community Services Employment Program (later renamed the Senior Community Service Employment Program, or SCSEP), which provides employment opportunities to people 55 years and older who have low incomes.
  • 1974 marked several milestones: the creation of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); the enactment of the Housing and Community Development Act, which provided housing for adults with disabilities and older adults who had low incomes; and the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) program was authorized under Title XX of the Social Security Act, thereby enabling states to provide programs such as Adult Protective Services (APS).
  • OAA amendments established grants to Indian Tribal Organizations in 1975 and 1978. The latter set of amendments also required each state to establish a long-term care ombudsman program for nursing homes.
  • 1987 marked the signing into law of the Nursing Home Reform Law as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA ’87), which mandated numerous changes to promote quality of life and quality of care for nursing home residents. The same year, OAA reauthorization added funds for new services, including the prevention of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation and outreach to promote enrollment in Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid, and food stamps. In this reauthorization, Congress emphasized that the OAA should prioritize services to people in the greatest economic and social need, including people of color who had low incomes.
  • In 1990 the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law, thereby extending protection from discrimination in employment and public accommodations to persons with disabilities—protections that have benefited innumerable older adults.
  • In 1992 the Commissioner on Aging position was promoted to Assistant Secretary for Aging, who would report directly to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS, the successor of HEW). The following year President Bill Clinton appointed social worker Fernando Torres-Gil (USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, n.d.) to fill the new role. Torres-Gil was succeeded by fellow social worker Jeanette Takamura (NASW Foundation, n.d.-c).
  • In 2000 the OAA was amended to authorize the National Family Caregiver Support Program, which Takamura had established. The subsequent reauthorization, six years later, included self-directed community-based services to enable older adults to remain in their homes and evidence-based prevention programs.
  • In 2012 Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee combined AoA, the Administration on Disabilities, and related entities to form the Administration for Community Living (ACL), an operating entity of HHS. (By this time, the federal, state, Tribal, and local structures created by the OAA were known as the “Aging Network.”) (ACL, 2025)

The following developments, which are not included in the ACL timeline, are also noteworthy:

  • Assistant Secretary for Aging Greenlee championed programming and funding to prevent and address elder abuse throughout her tenure. During that time, President Obama signed into law the Elder Justice Act (S. 795) as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA, Pub. L. 111–148). This law included provisions to strengthen Adult Protective Services (APS) and establish a federal Elder Justice Coordinating Council, among other innovations.
  • The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a rule (CMS-2421-F) in 2023 to streamline eligibility determination for and enrollment in Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs). MSPs, which are funded by Medicaid, cover part or all of beneficiary out-of-pocket costs for Medicare Part A and Part B deductibles, coinsurance, copayments, or some combination thereof. Ten million Medicare beneficiaries (one in six) are enrolled in an MSP (Justice in Aging et al., 2025), and millions more are eligible but unenrolled (Johnson, Leruth, & Vardaman, 2025). (Visit https://www.ncoa.org/article/what-are-medicare-savings-programs-msps/ to learn more about MSPs.)
    Implementation of the MSP access rule, which NASW supported (Bedney, 2022), will increase health care access and affordability for older adults and people with disabilities. Provisions of this rule were to take effect between October 2024 and April 2026. The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), which has locations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (https://www.shiphelp.org/about-medicare/regional-ship-location), plays an integral role in helping Medicare beneficiaries access MSPs.
  • In 2024 CMS issued a final rule (CMS-3442-F) mandating minimum staffing requirements for nursing disciplines (registered nurses, licensed practical–vocational nurses, and certified nurse aides) who provide direct care to residents of Medicare- and Medicaid-funded LTC facilities (nursing homes). NASW has supported the need for such minimums while continuing to advocate for enhanced professional qualifications and staffing ratios for nursing home social workers (Bedney, 2023).

The aforementioned policies, programs, and structures benefit all of us as we age and if we live with disability. They are essential to the well-being of our families and communities—indeed, to our entire society.


Programs Currently at Risk

As of this writing, many of the previously described federal policies, programs, and structures are at risk of elimination or drastic alteration by the Trump Administration and the Republican-dominated Congress.


Social Security

The newly confirmed Social Security Commissioner, Frank Bisagno, has been instrumental in laying off 7,000 Social Security Administration (SSA) employees, exacerbating understaffing in both the national office and field offices at a time when the “U.S. Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) is requiring in-person field office visits by almost 2 million Social Security beneficiaries each year (Lopez, 2025; Romig, 2025). Bisagno also enabled “harmful and poorly rolled out policy changes … [and] their sudden reversals” and theft of sensitive personal data by DOGE (Social Security Works, 2025a). Moreover, the Trump administration’s budget blueprint for fiscal year (FY) 2026 includes no funding increase for SSA (Vought, 2025)—a move described by Social Security Works president Nancy Altman as “a de-facto cut since SSA’s fixed costs, such as field office rents, go up every year by over $600 million” (Social Security Works, 2025b).


Medicaid and Medicare

The President has promised for months not to cut Medicaid. Yet, he is encouraging House Republicans to “unite” in support of what he describes as “one big, beautiful bill” that would cut approximately $715 billion from the Medicaid program (Mascaro, 2025; Wright, 2025). According to a partial estimate by the Congressional Budget Office (as cited in KFF, 2025), the cuts would result in at least 7.6 million people losing Medicaid coverage by the year 2034. (Cuts to ACA Marketplace coverage would deprive another 6.1 million people of health insurance [Parrott, 2025; Wright, 2025].) The Trump Administration plans to use these Medicaid “savings” to fund $4.5 trillion in tax breaks for corporations and ultra-wealthy people (Mascaro, 2025). (Visit https://www.kff.org/tracking-the-medicaid-provisions-in-the-2025-budget-bill/ for detailed information regarding the Medicaid provisions in the budget reconciliation bill.) Medicaid cuts could be particularly devastating to older adults who access Medicaid-funded LTSS, whether in nursing homes or in home- and community-based settings.

Cuts to Medicaid would affect access to services available under Medicare. For example, the House budget reconciliation bill would postpone implementation of the MSP access rule requirements until 2035. (Visit https://justiceinaging.org/a-cut-to-medicaid-is-a-cut-to-medicare-fact-sheet/ to learn more the impact of Medicaid cuts on Medicare beneficiaries.)

Another area of Medicaid–Medicare overlap in the House budget reconciliation bill is nursing home staffing. The bill would prohibit the HHS from implementing, administering, or enforcing the final rule addressing nursing staffing (CMS-3442-F). The impact of such understaffing has been well documented; please refer, for example, to reports by the Consumer Voice (2022, 2023).

The Medicare program as a whole is at risk for even greater privatization under CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, who has espoused “Medicare Advantage for All”—even as the Medicare Advantage program has been shown repeatedly to waste taxpayer dollars (Grossi, 2024; Lipschutz, 2025a, 2025b).


The Aging Network and Elder Justice

In late March the President announced that the dismantling of ACL, stating:

The critical programs within the Administration for Community Living (ACL) that support older adults and people of all ages with disabilities will be split across the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). (The White House, 2025).

The White House announced simultaneously that it would reduce CMS staffing and combine ASPE with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to create the “Office of Strategy” (White House, 2025)—changes that would exacerbate the challenge in integrating ACL programs within CMS and ASPE.

NASW and other advocates greeted the news of ACL’s dissolution with trepidation, fearing it would lead to program cuts. A document from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which addressed the HHS budget for FY 2026 and was leaked to the press on April 16, confirmed these fears were realistic. Although the document did not constitute a final version of the President’s proposed budget for FY 2026, it indicated the direction in which the Trump administration intends to move. This direction includes not only the moving of ACL functions into ACF, CMS, and ASPE (the latter within the new Office of Strategy, as noted previously), but also eliminating discretionary funding for multiple programs or eliminating the programs altogether.


Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs)

Funded by ACL, ADRCs are “one-stop shops” for information about publicly administered long-term services and supports (LTSS). Sometimes known as “access points” or “no wrong door” systems, ADRCs “provide unbiased, reliable information and counseling” to older adults, people of all ages with disabilities, veterans, and family caregivers (hereafter, “care partners”), regardless of income (ACL, 2017, 2022; USAging, n.d.). The leaked OMB document revealed that the administration is considering eliminating discretionary funding for ADRCs in FY 2026. (The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities [2024] provides a helpful overview of the federal budget process, including the distinction between discretionary and mandatory spending.) Such a move would make it much more difficult for older adults, care partners, and other persons served by ADRCs not only to obtain clear information about LTSS, but also to access LTSS.


State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)

Managed by ACL and operated in partnership with state offices, local agencies, grantees, and community providers, SHIP provides free, one-on-one counseling, assistance, and education regarding Medicare (ACL, 2024) in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Unlike private insurance brokers, SHIP counselors do not sell Medicare plans (such as Medicare Part D prescription drug plans or Medicare Advantage plans), nor do they receive commissions for enrolling beneficiaries in Medicare plans. According to the leaked OMB document, the administration is considering eliminating discretionary funding for SHIP in FY 2026. If this were to occur, Medicare beneficiaries and care partners would lose their only unbiased, trustworthy source of information (SHIP Technical Assistance Center, n.d.). Groups particularly affected could be beneficiaries with low literacy (including health, financial, or digital literacy), beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease or other complex health conditions, and beneficiaries with a second type of coverage, including Medicaid.


Elder Abuse and Elder Justice

The leaked OMB document revealed the administration’s intent to eliminate several programs critical to preventing and addressing elder abuse. According to the OMB document, states would be allowed “to use grant funding they receive from federally funded formula grant programs to provide or invest in services provided by programs that the Budget eliminates” (OMB, p. 37). Yet, the document does not address how much money would be available for such grants or how they would be administered (National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care [Consumer Voice], 2025).

  • Elder Justice/APS
    As described in ACL’s budget request justification for FY 2025,
    Elder Justice and Adult Protective Services support programs and systems change initiatives focused on upholding the rights of older people and preventing and addressing abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Key areas of focus include establishing a nationwide system of adult protective services, promoting guardianship reform, and addressing the opioid crisis. In addition, this program provides modest funding to support ACL in convening the Elder Justice Coordinating Council on behalf of the Secretary of HHS. (Barkoff, 2024, p. 148)
    The Elder Justice/APS program is particularly important because APS has, for most of its 51-year history, lacked the federal leadership and infrastructure support that has been afforded Child Protective Services (Barkoff, 2024). This dearth has limited the effectiveness of hardworking state, local, and Tribal APS programs (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2011). Although the Elder Justice Act authorized a national APS formula grant program, Congress did not approve funding for this program until FY 2021 and FY 2022, as part of the American Rescue Plan Act. Only in FY 2023 was an ongoing annual appropriation of $15 million enacted, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (Barkoff, 2024). Should the Elder Justice/APS program be cut, progress made in recent years may stall or even be reversed. Moreover, the Elder Justice Coordinating Council—which spurred 1,000 elder justice activities by 800 agencies between 2012 and 2024 (Whittier Eliason, 2024)—would no longer be funded. This loss would lead to fragmentation of elder justice activities at the federal level and, based on the EJCC’s accomplishments, would likely decrease the number and quality of activities within each federal agency.
  • Elder Rights Support Activities
    ACL’s budget request justification for FY 2025 (created during the Biden Administration) explains:
    Elder Rights Support Activities programs provide grants, technical assistance, and other resources to states and communities to uphold the rights of older Americans and protect them from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The Elder Rights Support Activities include the National Center on Elder Abuse [NCEA, currently based at the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine], the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center [NORC, currently based at the Consumer Voice], the National Center for Law and Elder Rights [NCLER, currently based at Justice in Aging], and the Legal Assistance Enhancement Grant Program. (Barkoff, 2024, p. 142)
    The loss of these programs would be monumental. For example, for more than 30 years NCEA has provided up-to-date information and resources on preventing and responding to elder mistreatment, with a focus on research, training, policy, and best practices. Its publications and programs are relevant to and used by older adults, care partners, and service providers, including social workers. Moreover, NCEA leads and coordinates the observance of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD, https://eldermistreatment.usc.edu/weaad-home/) in the United States. NCLER and NORC, with which NASW also collaborates, are similarly invaluable. Furthermore, the Legal Assistance Enhancement Grant Program “support[s] innovations that strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of legal assistance programs” (Barkoff, 2024, p. 143).
  • Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP)
    The LTCOP “advocate[s] for the rights, health, safety, and wellbeing of residents in long-term care settings [including nursing homes, assisted living, and other residential care communities for adults] through complaint resolution, education, and systemic advocacy” (National Ombudsman Resource Center [NORC], 2025). All LTCOP services are free and confidential. Statewide LTCOPs exist, as mandated by the OAA, in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico (NORC, 2025). In calendar year 2023 alone, LTCOPs conducted more than 342,000 visits to 48,000 long-term care (LTC) settings; provided information and assistance to more than 502,000 residents, family members, and other concerned individuals; investigated and resolved nearly 203,000 complaints; provided more than 3,100 training sessions for LTC facility staff; and supported residents at nearly 17,100 resident council meetings (NORC, 2025). Without state LTCOPs, many residents would have no way to express and resolve their concerns about the care they receive.


Other ACL Programs Slated for Elimination in the OMB Document

The OMB document also called for the elimination of the following programs (among others) that play important roles in the health and well-being of older adults:

The OMB document also called for elimination of several disability-focused ACL programs, including Limb Loss Resource Center, Paralysis Resource Center, Voting Access for People with Disabilities, State Councils on Developmental Disabilities, and Developmental Disabilities Protection and Advocacy. These program cuts are significant for older people with lifelong or longstanding disabilities and for people who develop disabilities later in life.


Mental Health and Substance Use Services

The Trump Administration’s late March announcement of its plan to disband ACL included a plan to consolidate the Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) with four other agencies within a new “Administration for a Healthy America” (AHA) while retaining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a freestanding entity within HHS (The White House, 2025). The administration’s May 2 budget recommendations to the Senate confirmed this plan but included little detail about changes proposed for the CDC and even less information about its recommendations for programs currently under SAMHSA (Vought, 2025). The May 2 document recommends elimination of the National Center for Chronic Diseases Prevention and Health Promotion, National Center for Environmental Health, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, and the Global Health Center, as well as for Public Health Preparedness and Response, and the Preventive Health and Human Services Block Grant (Vought, 2025). Given the relative lack of detail, however, it is unclear whether the administration will recommend elimination of some of the mental health and substance use programs that were included in the leaked OMB document, such as African American Behavioral Health Center of Excellence; Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Behavioral Health Center of Excellence; Assertive Community Treatment for Individuals with SMI [serious mental illness]; Center of Excellence on LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity; Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers [CCBHC]; Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention Research; Geriatrics Health Workforce Training; Hispanic/Latino Behavioral Health Center of Excellence; Interagency Task Force on Trauma Informed Care; Mental Health Awareness Training; Minority AIDS Initiative; Overdose Prevention; Primary and Behavioral Health Integration; Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment [SBIRT]; State Offices of Rural Health; Traumatic Brain Injury; and Tribal Behavioral Health Grants.


National Institutes of Health (NIH)

According to the leaked OMB budget document of April, the administration intends to retain the NIA as a standalone institute within NIH. In its May 2 budget recommendations to the Senate, the administration recommended elimination of the National Institute on Minority and Health Disparities, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Fogarty International Center, and National Institute of Nursing Research (Vought, 2025). Moreover, the recommendations call for the consolidation of multiple institutes into five focus areas (Vought, 2025). A weakened health research infrastructure will diminish the well-being of people across the lifespan, including in later life.


Housing

The administration’s May 2 budget recommendations propose converting “the current Federal dysfunctional rental assistance programs”—which include Section 202 Housing for the Elderly—into a state-based grant program (Vought, 2025, p. 25). Additionally, the administration has recommended eliminating the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant (Vought, 2025). Although not addressed in the May 2 budget recommendation, the April OMB document called for elimination of both the Homeless Prevention Program and Treatment Systems for Homelessness.


Social Services Block Grant (SSBG)

Although not named in the budget proposals to date, SSBG has been a target for Congress in the past. NASW and other organizations have been advocating to protect this vital program for FY 2026 (see, for example, National Adult Protective Services, 2025; SSBG Coalition, 2025a, 2025b).


Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

The House Agriculture Committee’s reconciliation bill proposes shifting a significant portion of SNAP costs, for the first time, from the federal government to the states (Bergh & Rosenbaum, 2025). This move would increase food insecurity drastically for SNAP enrollees (Bergh & Rosenbaum, 2025), more than 18 percent of whom are 60 years or older (Jones, 2024).


Bureau of Indian Affairs

The administration has recommended reduction of funding for programs (among others) that directly fund tribal operations such as housing and social services, which it does not consider “core priorities for tribal communities” (Vought, 2025, p. 29). Such cuts would decrease the well-being of Indigenous older adults.


Employment and Volunteerism for Older Adults

The administration’s May 2 budget recommendations call for the elimination of the Senior Community Service Employment Program, currently part of the U.S. Department of Labor (Vought, 2025). It also proposes elimination of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a freestanding agency that includes AmeriCorps Seniors (Vought, 2025).


Intersectional and Cumulative Impacts

Equally noteworthy is the Trump administration’s intent to eliminate numerous programs that support children and adolescents (such as Adverse Childhood Experiences [ACES], Head Start, Youth Violence Prevention, and anything supportive of transgender youth) and younger adults (such as Family Planning and Maternal Health Programs), as outlined in the April OMB document. Likewise, House Republicans have proposed slashing access to the Child Tax Credit (Parrott, 2025) program, among other harmful proposals. Destruction of these programs, among many others targeted by the administration—such as the potential elimination of some programs within the National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH; Vought, 2025)—will have cumulative effects on well-being as we age. So, too, will the administration’s erosion of voting rights, labor rights, limitations on free speech, disregard of due process, and targeting of immigrants and refugees, communities of color, nondominant religious communities, LGBTQ+ communities (especially transgender and nonbinary people), and people with low and moderate incomes, among others.


Advocacy Opportunities for Our Profession

This article is far from comprehensive in breadth and depth. Similarly, changes in federal government structures, policies, and funding are evolving rapidly. Nonetheless, it is clear that numerous publicly administered and funded programs that enhance the health and well-being of older adults face grave threats under the current administration and Congress.

Just as our profession has helped create and strengthen these programs, so, too, we must work together to protect them. To this end, NASW staff members are collaborating with scores of external partners to advocate with Congress for the individuals, families, and communities served by our profession. We encourage you to join us during Older Americans Month by using the advocacy alerts at the end of this article. Whether you call, send an email, or write a letter, please incorporate the following strategies:

  • Emphasize the need to preserve and fund sufficiently all programs that support older adults and people of all ages with disabilities.
  • Stress that these programs help all of us as we age.
  • Include firsthand experience (professional, personal, or both) about the value of and need for these programs will make your message more effective.

NASW advocacy alert on Medicaid:
https://www.votervoice.net/iframes/NASW/Campaigns/125164/Respond

AFL-CIO alerts

Alliance for Retired Americans virtual phone bank to save Social Security: https://retiredamericans.org/save-social-security-virtual-phone-bank-2/

Consumer Voice advocacy alert on LTC facility nursing staffing rule and Medicaid: https://secure2.convio.net/tncv/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=217

Elder Justice Coalition advocacy alert on Elder Justice/APS, LTCOP, Elder Rights Support Activities, and ADRCs: https://mstr.app/98005f19-880f-4c00-af60-78c75271fb58

USAging advocacy alert on keeping OAA programs together within the federal government: https://www.usaging.org/content.asp?admin=Y&contentid=1715


References

Administration for Community Living. (2025, February 13). Older Americans Act. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

https://acl.gov/about-acl/authorizing-statutes/older-americans-act


Administration for Community Living. (2025, January 16). State health insurance assistance program (SHIP). U.S. Department of Health

and Human Services.

https://acl.gov/programs/connecting-people-services/state-health-insurance-assistance-program-ship


Administration for Community Living. (2022). Aging and disability resource centers program/no wrong door system. U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services.

https://acl.gov/programs/connecting-people-services/aging-and-disability-resource-centers-programno-wrong-door


Administration for Community Living. (2017). Aging and disability resource centers. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

https://acl.gov/programs/aging-and-disability-networks/aging-and-disability-resource-centers


American Presidency Project. (1981). Nomination of Lennie-Marie P. Tolliver to be commissioner of the Administration on Aging.

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/nomination-lennie-marie-p-tolliver-be-commissioner-the-administration-aging


American Rescue Plan Act, 2021, Pub. L. 117–2. (2021)


Barkoff, A. (2024). Department of Health and Human Services. Fiscal Year 2025. Administration for Community Living Justification of

Estimates for Appropriations Committees. https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/about-acl/2024-03/FY2025ACL-CJ-508.docx


Bedney, B. (2023, October 27). NASW comments to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure regarding proposed minimum staffing 

standards for long-term care facilities and Medicaid institutional payment transparency reporting (CMS–3442–P). National Association

of Social Workers. https://www.socialworkers.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=gJdfP3_dG0U%3D&portalid=0


Bedney, B. (2022, November 7). NASW comments to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure regarding proposed rule to streamline 

the Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Basic Health Program application, eligibility determination, and enrollment 

processes (CMS–2421–P). National Association of Social Workers.

https://www.socialworkers.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=fa_ZSgL0CNs%3D&portalid=0


Bergh, K., & Rosenbaum, D. (2025, May 13). House Agriculture Committee proposal would worsen hunger, hit state budgets hard. Center 

on Budget and Policy Priorities.

https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/house-agriculture-committee-proposal-would-worsen-hunger-hit-state-budgets


Burns, A. (2025, April 9). Final budget resolution codifies unreconciled differences on Medicaid cuts in House and Senate reconciliation. 

KFF.

https://www.kff.org/quick-take/unreconciled-differences-on-medicaid-cuts-in-house-and-senate-budget-reconciliation-plans/


Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (2024). Policy basics: Introduction to the federal budget process.

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Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, Pub. L. 117–328. (2023)


Elder Justice Act of 2009, (S. 795), 111th Cong. (2009)


Grossi, G. (2024, December 11). Dr. Oz’s Medicare proposals face scrutiny from Democrats. AJMC.

https://www.ajmc.com/view/dr-oz-s-medicare-proposals-face-scrutiny-from-democrats


Johnson, K., Leruth, S., & Vardaman, K. (2025). State policy levers can increase enrollment In Medicare Savings Programs. Health Affairs.

https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/forefront.20250116.81434/full/


Jones, J. W. (2024, July). Distribution of SNAP participants by age, fiscal year 2022 [Chart]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic

Research Service. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/chart-detail?chartId=54640


Justice in Aging, Medicare Rights Center, Center for Medicare Advocacy, & Community Catalyst. (2025). A cut to Medicaid is a cut to

Medicare. https://justiceinaging.org/a-cut-to-medicaid-is-a-cut-to-medicare-fact-sheet/


KFF. (2025, May 14). Tracking the Medicaid provisions in the 2025 reconciliation bill. https://www.kff.org/tracking-the-medicaid-provisions-

in-the-2025-budget-bill/


Levitt, L. (2025, April 10). The rubber is about to hit the road on Medicaid cuts. https://www.kff.org/quick-take/the-rubber-is-about-to-hit-

the-road-on-medicaid-cuts/


Lipschutz, D. (2025a). Largest Medicare Advantage insurer under increasing scrutiny, as insurance industry cheerleader nominated to run

Medicare. Center for Medicare Advocacy. https://medicareadvocacy.org/ma-under-scrutiny-as-oz-nominated/


Lipschutz, D. (2025b). Senate to hold confirmation hearing on nominee for CMS administrator. Center for Medicare Advocacy.

https://medicareadvocacy.org/senate-to-hold-confirmation-hearing-on-nominee-for-cms-administrator/


Lopez, A. (2025, April 26). Employee cuts at Social Security are leaving remaining workers struggling to keep up. National Public Radio, All

Things Considered. https://www.npr.org/2025/04/26/nx-s1-5368480/social-security-workforce-cuts


Mascaro, L. (2025, May 12). House Republicans unveil Medicaid cuts that Democrats warn will leave millions without care. Associated 

Press. https://apnews.com/article/medicaid-cuts-trump-tax-cuts-bill-1e2b12a91a3d12ceb0420ce7053de58e


Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment 

Transparency Reporting. 88 Fed. Reg. 61352 (Sept. 6, 2023).


NAPSA. (2025). Social Services Block Grant under threat! Tell your senators and representative to protect SSBG.

https://mstr.app/c0a9d7d2-22a7-4f69-a1b1-380425f8424d


National Association of Social Workers. (2025, April). Urge your members of Congress to protect Medicaid [Advocacy alert].

https://www.votervoice.net/iframes/NASW/Campaigns/125164/Respond


National Association of Social Workers Foundation. (n.d.-a). Frances Perkins [NASW Pioneers Biography Index].

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