Editor, The Smithfield Times:

Our General Assembly’s leaders, Speaker Don Scott and Sen. Louise Lucas along with others, and the Youngkin administration have neglected to address in the 2024 and this 2025 session the 25 Virginia Area Agencies on Aging’s requests for needed funding for specific essential services. 

These are healthy meals (home-delivered and congregate), transportation, in-home personal care, case management, and support for caregivers.

The governor and General Assembly as a whole in their “final” actions on the Fiscal 2026 budget can execute legislative and executive action to reallocate the critically needed $4.35 million to this group, V4A. This will enable Virginia’s Area Agencies on Aging to meet the growing and diverse critical needs of older Virginians and their caregivers.  By doing so, this will ensure that older Virginians have access to resources and services that support healthy, independent and engaged aging — doing so safely and securely at home.

As a former Isle of Wight School Board member on and off for 13 years, I know there are funds available with the additional $200 million being given to “public education” for Fiscal 2026.  Believe me, regarding the misapplication of tax dollars by school boards and their superintendents who fail miserably to exercise “cost control management” routinely, this will cause them to have to do so, finally. Result? Save waste of funds and effect needed support of older Virginians who receive short shrift as a group compared to K-12,  from my personal experience. 

Having been a member of the Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia board and seen services this Southside agency provides cost effectively over these years, I know the funds will be applied effectively. This $200 million (above) is where the $4.35 million can easily be extracted to care for our older Virginians’ needs. Older Virginians soon will outnumber the number of K-12 students in Virginia and locally within my Isle of Wight County.

 

Herb De Groft

Smithfield