Alexandria, Va.) – Maggie Elehwany, Argentum Senior Vice President, Public Affairs issued the following statement on the House Appropriations FY 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Funding Bill Cuts to Workforce Programs
This morning, the House Appropriation Committee’s Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Subcommittee approved FY 2024 spending levels that drastically cuts a number of critical federal workforce training programs. Details in the bill are still emerging, but the subcommittee proposed a nearly 30 percent reduction in the Department of Labor budget, the elimination of programs such as Job Corps, and reductions in grants for workforce and apprenticeship programs.
Argentum has made great progress in utilizing Jobs Corp, Job Centers, federal Closing the Skills Grants and federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity (WIOA) Grants to help alleviate the senior living workforce crisis. Senior living workforce training programs are currently being launched in several states through Department of Labor programs. Those efforts could be jeopardized if these cuts were to be enacted.
The timing of these cuts is particularly problematic for senior living providers, and the more than 2 million older Americans they serve. The senior care industry lost 400,000 positions during the pandemic, leaving the industry far below pre-pandemic levels. While the crisis has begun to ease, 82% of senior living providers are still experiencing staffing shortages, and 48% are concerned that the staffing shortages might force them to close.
Meanwhile, the American population is aging rapidly. Just last month, the Census Bureau reported that the median age in the United States reached a record high of 38.9 in 2022, up from 35 in 2000 and 30 in 1980. Today, 17 percent of Americans—or 55.7 million people—are 65 and older, a 38 percent increase from 2010. By 2040, 22 percent—or 80.8 million Americans—are projected to be 65 and older, more than twice as many as in 2000. By 2060, nearly one in four Americans will be 65 years and older.
Someone turning age 65 today has a 70 percent chance of needing some type of long-term care in their lifetime, and 20 percent will need it for longer than five years. Unfortunately, older adults are disproportionately affected by chronic conditions, such as diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease. According to a 2022 National Council on Aging report, 95 percent of older adults have at least one chronic condition, and nearly 80 percent have two or more.
The rapid aging of the population, coupled with the increased prevalence of chronic conditions are fueling the demand for long-term care services. By 2050, the number of Americans requiring paid long-term care services will triple from 8.3 million to 27 million. In order to meet this growing demand for services, the senior care industry will need to fill more than 20.2 jobs by 2040.
These proposed cuts to workforce programs are penny wise and pound foolish, jeopardizing gains that have been made to fill millions of jobs in the wake of the “Great Resignation.” I urge the Appropriations Committee to restore this funding when considering the bill later this summer.
About Argentum
Argentum is the leading national association exclusively dedicated to supporting companies operating professionally managed, resident-centered senior living communities and the older adults and families they serve. Since 1990, Argentum has advocated for choice, independence, dignity, and quality of life for all older adults.
Argentum member companies operate senior living communities offering assisted living, independent living, continuing care, and memory care services. Along with its state partners, Argentum’s membership represents approximately 75 percent of the senior living industry—an industry with a national economic impact of nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars and responsible for providing over 1.6 million jobs. For more information, visit www.argentum.org.
Contact:
Michael Keegan
Manager, Media and Public Affairs
ARGENTUM | Expanding Senior Living
1650 King Street, 6th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-599-7412 | [email protected]
