State lawmakers seek input on monthly senior subsidy program

PALMER — A state program that provides up to $250 a month to Alaska’s seniors could end next year — and a pair of state lawmakers are looking for input as they work to keep it going.

The subsidy, known as the Alaska Senior Benefits Program, provides between $76 and $250 a month to Alaskans over 65 whose income sits at up to 175 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $35,500 annually for a two-member household.

The amount paid each month is is set by state law. While the payment amounts change only based on whether the program is fully funded, just who qualifies changes annually based on regular federal poverty recalculations.

Like many such measures both at federal and state levels, the law authorizing the senior benefit program comes with a built-in expiration date. If lawmakers don’t pass a continuation in 2018 to keep it going through 2022, the program will end completely.

“This much-needed program gives many of our seniors the little bit of assistance they need to stay in Alaska so they can enjoy their home, the Alaska way of life, and stay close to their families,” Rep. Ivy Spohnholz, a Democrat who represents the Anchorage area District 16, said in a statement last week. “Lawmakers need to hear about the importance of the Senior Benefits Program. Once they do, I am confident they will move quickly to keep this vital program up and running.”

Spohnholz and Fairbanks-area representative Scott Kawasaki, also a Democrat, are looking for input on the program from seniors and other stakeholders who use the program.They plan to host a dial-in listening session Sept. 28 with both a call-in number for those who want to participate from home and gathering locations statewide.

Spohnholz chairs the Health and Social Services Subcommittee and Kawasaki sponsored the legislation.

About 11,600 seniors are currently registered for the subsidy, program officials told lawmakers at a hearing earlier this year. The number of registrants goes up about 2 percent annually, they said, with about 10,580 registered in 2011 compared to the about 11,600 today.

The Alaska Senior Benefits Program replaced a previous measure known as the Longevity Bonus, which gave all seniors in the state monthly payments of up to $250. That subsidy, originally created in 1972, had become increasingly expensive as the state’s senior population grew.

The listening session on the Senior Benefits Program will be held from 2 to 5 p.m., on Sept. 28. Valley-area seniors interested in attending can call in to 1-844-586-9085, or can join a group session at the MatSu Senior Center. For more information on that location’s gathering, contact Rachel Greenberg and pscc@mtaonline.net or 907-770-2001.

The listening session on the Senior Benefits Program will be held from 2 to 5 p.m., on Sept. 28. Valley-area seniors interested in attending can call in to 1-844-586-9085, or can join a group session at the MatSu Senior Center. For more information on that location’s gathering, contact Rachel Greenberg and pscc@mtaonline.net or 907-770-2001.