State officials told lawmakers Thursday they do not have a solution to a multimillion dollar shortfall that means there are fewer meals available for Kentucky seniors.
Lawmakers on the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee told the Department for Aging and Independent Living officials that if they were unable to find the money, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear needs to call a special session.
“Our seniors should never be left wondering where their next meal comes from,” said Committee Chair GOP Sen. Greg Elkin from Winchester. “Either find a solution or call us into special session. This is not a partisan issue. I don't care if we're Democrat, Republicans or Independents; I think we would all forgo our compensation to come here and fix this. It has to be fixed.”
The hearing comes a month after the department told area development districts the state can no longer provide additional assistance to support senior meal programs that have expanded significantly in recent years. The department sent letters in September telling the districts the funds they were initially counting on to bolster that rapid growth were no longer forthcoming — they would need to rely on already allocated funds alone.
Citing an estimated $300-million budget shortfall, Department for Aging and Independent Living Commissioner Victoria Elridge said they are no longer able to furnish a higher level of support that they had been able to provide in prior years through a mixture of federal COVID relief funds and reallocated state funds. She said the program has expanded rapidly between 2019 and 2025.
“There has been a 35% increase in Kentuckians participating in the program and a 55% increase in the number of meals served to hungry older adults,” Elridge said. “The increase in need for food has outstripped the funding available when the current budget was put together in fall of 2023.”
In a statement to Kentucky Public Radio, GOP House Speaker David Osborne from Prospect said, “The governor has ample opportunity and authority to fix this issue on his own, but we are willing to do what is necessary if that requires a special session.” A state Senate spokesperson said the governor has the authority to move funds around in the budget as needed and should do so.
Scottie Ellis, Beshear’s spokesperson, said in a statement the funds they used last year to bolster the program have been fully expended, but the governor remains committed to fighting hunger.
“Kentucky law requires that the commonwealth operate on a balanced budget, which the Governor has done by creating a fiscally responsible administration. It is incumbent upon all agencies to plan and work within the dollars available,” Ellis said. “The governor has not received any request for a special session but is always willing to meet with legislators.”
Several development districts have already had to make difficult choices in response to the sudden notice that additional funds would not be available. Some cities, like Louisville, have been able to plug the hole using local funds. In the Purchase Area Development District, which covers the westernmost counties in the state, senior centers will have to make due with a funding reduction that will cover just two days of meal deliveries instead of five.
Sen. Danny Carroll, a Republican from Paducah, whose district falls within the Purchase area, first mentioned the possibility of calling a special session, saying seniors in his district need immediate relief.
“It doesn't sit well when you have seniors that are going hungry, and all we're doing is talking about, ‘We're discussing this and that,’ and this has got to be fixed, and it's got to be fixed yesterday.”
The General Assembly gave the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services $10 million per year to support the senior meal program, which is in addition to $12.7 million in federal funds this year. The department lauded the investment as historic — even as they explained it would not be enough to continue the rapidly expanding program at its current level.
The development districts, which manage the senior meal programs across the state, initially asked for more money from the two-year budget crafted in 2024. Elridge said the cabinet had a lower estimate, which is what the General Assembly used.
Carroll said he doesn’t want to go into a special session, but would if it means finding a solution if the executive branch is unable to find the money in its existing budget.
“I don't want to spend that money. I'd give up my salary too for it,” Carroll said. “It affects our assistants when they take these calls from people that are a 94-year-old woman calling wondering where her next meal is going to come from. That hurts. Is this what we're about as a state government? Where are our priorities?”
GOP Sen. Phillip Wheeler from Pikeville said it’s especially important to him to get the situation sorted out ahead of the holidays.
“I'm sure many of my colleagues would come down here and make sure that these families get fed, especially around the holidays,” Wheeler said. “We have Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, and the thought that older people aren't able to get what they need at a time that is supposed to be comforting and to be with their families and be happy — the fact that they have to worry about whether they're going to starve to death because we can't get out there and feed them is of great concern to me.”
Democratic Sen. Lindsey Burke from Lexington appeared doubtful about calling a special session, suggesting it would not be the best use of funds while stating she is “committed to doing my part” to ensuring seniors get the meals they need.
“Would you prefer that we spend money calling a special session that could be allocated to food? Or would you prefer that we get to that as soon as we start in January?” Burke asked.
Sen. Reginald Thomas, a Lexington Democrat, said that the governor still deserves credit for prioritizing the senior meal program in the first place.
“It is true, the General Assembly appropriated money but the governor came forward first, and said, ‘It's time we have money in our budget for senior meals,’” Thomas said. “And the governor deserves a great deal of credit for having done that and put that forward.”
In response to repeated questions, the state officials said they had not personally been in touch with anyone within the governor’s office in order to find a solution, although they said the cabinet’s top official Commissioner Steven Stack had been in discussions.
