Budget Cuts may hurt Missouri's Senior Citizens

ST. LOUIS, MO, June 2010 - Budget cuts could mean fewer services that enable Missouri seniors to live independently and remain in their homes and communities, according to people working with the agencies that provide those services. Meals on Wheels, transportation and in-home services are likely targets.

David Sykora, executive director of the St. Louis Area Agency on Aging, says the cuts make it harder to provide transportation that takes seniors on necessary trips to places like medical appointments, senior centers and grocery shopping, and may result in the loss of a home-delivered meal once a month.

Some seniors may be forced to move into a nursing home, which costs the taxpayers more money in the long run, he warns.

"Certainly, providing a home-delivered meal that runs somewhere between $5.50, $6, $7 is a lot cheaper than having them go into a nursing home."

The Missouri legislature passed a budget for fiscal year 2011 that included over $500 million in new cuts, in addition to $900 million in funds that have been withheld over the last year by Gov. Nixon.

Ruth Ehresman, director of health and budgetary policy with the Missouri Budget Project, says a balanced approach is the solution. Along with cuts, the state needs to increase revenue, she says. Ways to do it include adding a streamlined sales tax for internet purchases and a tobacco tax, closing tax loopholes and restructuring the personal income tax bracket, which hasn't been done since the Great Depression.

"We're in a really serious position in our state. Our budget situation is very challenging, there's no doubt, but we're not helpless."

Ehresman says the Missouri Budget Project is highlighting a different group each day on its website throughout the month to identify those who will be harmed by budget cuts. The governor is expected to sign the new budget at the end of the month.

More information is available at www.mobudget.org.