The Alaska Commission on Aging is holding conference calls to discuss legislation affecting seniors during the 2019 legislative session. At the Haines Senior Center, seniors and other community members can listen in and give public comment—sometimes directly to legislators. 

There’s a clipped beep as participants get on the line for the Alaska Commission on Aging’s bi-weekly legislative conference call.  A moderator calls roll: “Is there anyone from Southeast other than Juneau?”

“Haines Senior Center  is on the line,” said Caroline Hankins, the site manager for the Haines Senior Center.

“People can come here and listen directly and make public comment right here in Haines at the Senior Center,” she said. “It makes a difference. They want to hear from seniors. They’re not hearing enough from seniors and if they do it might change people’s opinions.”

Silverware clatters in the dining room where the rest of the center is preparing for lunch. Hankins says up to 30 seniors eat lunch here every day. Most of them get here—and anyplace—in the Care-o-van, a ride service for seniors and people with disabilities. She says many seniors help pay for these services using money they receive from the Senior Benefit Payment Program. The state program is a monthly check for seniors with moderate to low incomes. Over 11,000 seniors statewide receive this benefit—87 of them live in Haines.

“I think if we were to lose the Senior Benefit Program people would lose a sense of independence,” said Hankins. “I think it would affect people coming to the Senior Center for lunch because they feel like they couldn’t afford it. Even though we are donation based and we don’t want to turn anyone away… I think in the big picture if people lose their Senior Benefit Program, we’ll start losing money and I know people wait for their Senior Benefit Program to come into their bank account to come here and have lunch.”

If passed, Senate Bill 58 would not only zero out the budget for the program–It would repeal it entirely. Variations of the program have existed in Alaska by different names for nearly half a century, but this bill would take it off the books.

Leslie Thompson from the Alaska Commission on Aging says losing the Senior Benefit Payments Program could be devastating.

“That could mean the difference between a senior being able to afford food or prescriptions,” she said. “That could be up to 250 dollars a month, which is a lot for a low income person. A lot for anybody.”

She’s also worried about the medicaid cuts, especially adult dental care. She says the commission doesn’t want the state to lose its seniors because they can’t afford to stay.

“If you’re a 75 year-old widow it’s not easy to go back to work to make more money. If some of these programs go away, I think seniors are going to have a very hard time making a go of it in the state of Alaska.”

These services are especially important in Haines. According to the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development, nearly 800 seniors live here. It has the oldest population in the state.

Thompson says bills that threaten services are moving through the legislature now: “So now is the time to really encourage legislators to put money back in[to the budget] for senior benefits or adult dental.”

On the phone, one lawmaker changes his mind about SB58. He decides that instead of abstaining, he’ll support a motion to oppose the bill.

It’s just Hankins on the call today—no seniors made it in. But she’s been on every call. She says she’s worried about seniors and the state’s funding priorities.

“It’s shocking that we could lose this respect for our elders,” she said. For her, the cuts are more than just numbers.

“These are people,” she said. “And we need to take care of them.”