Contact:
Simona Combi
Public Relations Manager
571-527-3982
simona.combi@ncoa.org

October 3, 2024, Arlington, VA—The National Council on Aging (NCOA), the national voice for every person’s right to age well, has awarded 12-month, $100,000 grants to five of its Benefits Enrollment Centers (BECs) to advance equity-based practices within their organizations and in their services to older adults.

With funding from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, NCOA’s network of BECs assists low-income people with Medicare in applying for benefits programs that can help them afford health care, food, and more. The benefits include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicare Savings Program, and Medicare Extra Help/Low-Income Subsidy. NCOA's Benefits Participation Map shows that only 30-49% of eligible older adults are enrolled in these money-saving programs.

Under the new equity initiative, five of NCOA’s BECs will receive additional funding and intensive technical assistance to develop and implement an equity plan for their organization that focuses on internal leadership and staff, as well as the programs and services they deliver to older adults.

“We know that trust is critical when it comes to serving older adults of different backgrounds and experiences,” said Jessica Johnston, senior director of NCOA’s Center for Economic Well-Being. “This work will foster a culture shift that ensures our benefits outreach and enrollment efforts are equitable, so every person can have access to the resources they need to age with dignity.”

Recipients of the equity grants include:

• AgeOptions, Oak Park, Illinois
• Atlanta Community Food Bank, Eastpoint, Georgia
• Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York City
• Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging, Cranston, Rhode Island
• United Cambodian Community, Long Beach, California

NCOA is partnering with Intercambios to provide technical assistance to the grantees as they develop a roadmap to operationalize equity within their organization. Lessons learned will be used to develop a toolkit and best practices to share with other organizations in the network.

This project is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $14,707,650 with 100% funding by ACL/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS or the U.S. Government.

About NCOA 
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is the national voice for every person’s right to age well. We believe that how we age should not be determined by gender, color, sexuality, income, or ZIP code. Working with thousands of national and local partners, we provide resources, tools, best practices, and advocacy to ensure every person can age with health and financial security. Founded in 1950, we are the oldest national organization focused on older adults. Learn more at www.ncoa.org and @NCOAging.