New aging committee starts on Alaska's plan for Older Americans Act money

The Alaska Commission on Aging's new State Plan Advisory Committee will meet for the first time Monday, Nov. 2, to begin guiding the state's next four-year plan for senior services.

Alaska has to submit the plan to keep receiving federal Older Americans Act money for senior programs, according to the state's solicitation for a consultant to help write it. The plan also includes a formula for distributing that money within the state, which must give priority to older Alaskans with the greatest social and economic need across nine regions.

The plan will cover a fast-growing group. Alaska had the fastest-growing senior population per capita in the country over the past decade, according to the commission's annual report. The state had 162,175 residents 60 and older in 2025, about 22% of the population and up 78% from 2010, and the number of Alaskans 85 and older is expected to nearly quadruple by 2050, to more than 29,000, according to the commission's senior snapshot. Alaska's median annual nursing home cost, $364,453 in 2024, was the highest in the country.

The committee is made up of agencies that serve Alaska seniors, plus every member of the commission. The first meeting will set the agenda for five more, according to the meeting notice. The public can watch the online meeting, from 1:30 to 3 pm, but "public comment will not be taken."

Older Alaskans can weigh in sooner at a listening session in Juneau on Thursday, Oct. 29, from 1 to 2:30 pm at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library. The draft plan is due out in April 2027, with public comment then. The final plan, signed by the state health commissioner and the governor, is due to the federal Administration for Community Living by Aug. 1, 2027. The current plan runs through September 2027.