The governor asks social service agencies to try to cut the number of Kansans waiting on government aid that allows them to continue living at home.
Without promising additional dollars, Gov. Bill Graves on Tuesday asked state officials to find a way to cut the waiting list for poor, elderly Kansans seeking the government aid that allows them to live at home instead of in costlier nursing facilities.
"The governor wants to make it clear that serving these vulnerable Kansans is a priority," said Graves spokesman Mike Matson.
Currently, 190 Kansans -- all of them poor, frail and older than 65 -- are on waiting lists for services funded by a blend of state and federal funds.
Thirty-one people are on the waiting list in Douglas, Jefferson and Shawnee counties, the area served by the Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging. Two weeks ago, there were 26.
The services -- bathing, housekeeping, meal preparation, and nursing -- help the elderly to continue living in their own homes. Almost 7,000 Kansans currently receive services.
In years past, services were provided with the informal understanding that funding shortfalls would be covered by later legislative spending authorization.
But this year, lawmakers capped spending at $37.5 million -- a $1.35 million increase over last year but not enough to offset increasing demand for services.
Citing a lack of funding, many of the state's programs for the elderly froze new enrollment, which meant waiting lists began forming on July 1, the start of the state's fiscal year.
Matson said Graves' meeting with budget analysts Tuesday is part of an effort "to get his arms around what it is we're dealing with here -- the number of people we're talking about, the kind of flexibility there is in the budgets, who's eligible. . .all sorts of where-are-we-now questions."
At the meeting, Graves asked representatives of the Division of Budget, the state Department on Aging and Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services to look for ways to reduce the waiting lists within the limits of existing agency budgets, Matson said.
"For the past five or six years, we've had the luxury of having enough financial flexibility to avoid these kinds of things," Matson said. "But there's no such flexibility this year. It's gone."
The governor, Matson said, is not promising an immediate solution.
At the meeting Graves expressed concern about the need for priorities in selecting people from the waiting list, which is now first-come, first-serve, Matson said
"There is no quick or permanent fix," he said. "And whatever comes together is going to require vigilance on the part of all involved and creativity on the part of the number crunchers."
It's not known whether Graves will propose adding significantly more money to the aging programs' budget next year.
But Maria Russo, Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging executive director, said spending increases are inevitable.
"Without additional funding, things are just going to get worse," she said. "The state's demographics -- more and more people are getting older -- tell us we're going to have to have more services."
She added, "The people affected by this have contributed so much to the good of society over so many years. Now, it's time for society to at least recognize those contributions by helping them maintain their independence."
-- Dave Ranney's phone message number is 832-7222. His e-mail is dranney@ljworld.com.
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