Upper Savannah Area Agency on Aging Receives the Remainder of its Federal Funding

The Upper Savannah Area Agency on Aging (AAA) has received Older Americans Act (OAA) federal funding through Sept. 30, 2026, AAA Director Peggy Merritt announced this week.

“The mood is very hopeful because we know we have the funding,” Merritt said.

A delay in federal funding had forced the AAA to reassess spending and not be able to assist new clients in their service area of Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick and Saluda counties.

Prior to approximately one week ago, only 45 percent of federal funding had been received by the AAA. But those concerns which resulted in long waiting lists for services have been eased with the arrival of the remainder of Older Americans Act funding.

“We are pulling people off the waiting lists as we speak,” Merritt said, with a smile.

On May 5, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Community Living (ACL) announced the release of $1.1 billion in funding to provide critical services to older adults, people with disabilities, and their family caregivers.

Now that the funding has trickled down to the state level, the AAA can begin to serve new clients with home-delivered meals, medical and essential transportation, home care, respite care, minor home repair (ramps, grab bars, handrails), chore services, and family caregiver support.

Also, the S.C. House and Senate have agreed to fund an extra $10 million for Aging programs statewide in FY ’26 as it awaits Governor McMaster’s signature. That is double what the state has typically been funding annually.

There was even more good news received late last week by the Aging network. Due to advocacy efforts of USAging and the nation’s Area Agencies on Aging, the Trump Administration changed course on how the HHS reorganization proposal would administer the OAA programs moving forward.

USAging learned in April of proposals to split up the OAA’s integral programs across two agencies and zeroing out some programs including Long-Term Care Ombudsman and State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) which Upper Savannah provides. However, new formal documents shared by the Trump Administration indicate a change of plan, according to USAging.

Supplemental budget materials officially released by HHS indicate all of its OAA programs administered by the ACL will move to a newly renamed Administration for Children, Families and Communities.

The programs that made up ACL will continue to be housed in one HHS agency, which will allow for continued collaboration between the aging and disability networks and, most importantly, coordination in the delivery of critical services to millions of older adults and caregivers.

Additionally, the final President’s budget does not include any funding cuts to OAA programs including Ombudsman and SHIP.

During the uncertainty leading up to the great news of recent days, the Upper Savannah AAA adjusted budgets to maintain funding levels for seniors who were currently receiving home-delivered meals, transportation, home care services, etc. The AAA also reallocated minor home repair and chore funding to more urgent needs.

“It was very important that seniors currently receiving services not lose them, but maintain continuity,” said Merritt.

But now minor home repair and chore programs can resume and waiting lists for home-delivered meals, transportation, etc. can begin to be cut.

Also some cross-training occurred during these times of uncertainty. SHIP Coordinator Christy Stroud has been certified to monitor congregate and home-delivered meal nutrition sites. Also, Information and Referral Specialist Langley Richardson has added Aging program financial administration to her duties.

Long-Term Care Ombudsman Ericca Livingston and Ashley Capps attended SHIP training and will be testing for certification this month. Merritt added, “All AAA staff worked very hard to ‘plan not panic,’ and our efforts paid off by allowing services to continue even as funding stopped. Our goal now is to serve more seniors and fulfill our goal to Reach the Region.”