Star Tribune Sun, 15 Jun 2008 03:00:55 GMT
Senior meal program in Ramsey County faces money woes
The clarification of a federal policy may mean some disabled residents will lose their reimbursed meals. A longtime senior nutrition program in Ramsey County that serves about 120,000 meals a year is facing a financial crisis that is threatening to trim back the program. The "congregate dining program,'' which offers warm meals and social time for seniors at apartment complexes and community centers, had been erroneously giving meals to too many disabled people under age 60, according to a clarification issued this year on federal requirements. Up to $1.6 million was spent on the meals for disabled and low-income residents since 2004 who were later found not to be eligible for reimbursement, said Ramsey County Commissioner Janice Rettman, who is on the board of directors of the agency running the dining program, Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties. It's unclear whether the money will need to be repaid. Under federal guidelines, disabled people can get the reduced-cost meals as long as seniors comprise more than 50 percent of the occupants of their apartment building. A shift in the makeup of people living in senior housing buildings meant nine of 17 buildings in Ramsey County no longer met that standard, said Kirk Hayes, acting executive director of the Community Action Partnership.
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