The House Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee voted Thursday morning to recommend a budget for health and human service programs of $4.46 billion for the State Fiscal Year beginning July 1.

The budget approved by the Subcommittee represents a reduction of $462 million from the current year’s budget. House Speaker Thom Tillis has indicated that the full House Appropriations Committee will take up the budget bill next Wednesday and Thursday, with floor votes slated for May 2 and 3. Tillis told reporters that he believes the General Assembly is on track to have a state budget approved by the first week of June.

Lawmakers on the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee agreed to restore funding in the budget proposal for several aging programs that had been targeted for cuts. Funding for the Home and Community Care Block Grant (HCCBG) which provides money to support home and community based services such as home delivered meals and in-home aid services to help older adults stay in their homes was, for the most part, kept intact. A cut of $4.1 million had originally been proposed for the program which would have dropped an estimated 4,800 seniors from services.

In addition, a proposed reduction of $660,000 for senior centers was also not taken. The original proposal would have eliminated senior center general purpose funding for the 85 non-certified centers in the state and reduced funding for the 77 certified centers.

In other action, the Appropriations Subcommittee also voted not to restrict the use of State Adult Day Care Funds for persons age 60 and older. Although the fund will be cut by $1.1 million, the Subcommittee agreed to not limit services provided by the fund to adults aged 18 to 59 as previously considered.

The Appropriations Subcommittee failed to take action to provide $500,000 in funding for Project C.A.R.E. (Caregiver Alternatives to Running on Empty) program which supports families caring for persons with dementia. If this funding is not included in the final budget, the program will be severely impacted. Respite care services will be cut by 59% and program staff will be reduced. Services in 13 counties that just recently began to provide services will be eliminated, and the state will lose the ability to expand services to families in an additional eight counties that had been scheduled to be added to the program next year.

The Appropriations Subcommittee did not vote to include the Project C.A.R.E. funding in the budget proposal, but the actions they did take will ensue that key services will remain available to many older adults in our state.