HHS Layoffs Impact Senior Services: Meals on Wheels Among Programs Affected

2025-04-02 politics

Washington, D.C., Wednesday, 2 April 2025.
On April 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initiated layoffs affecting vital senior services, including Meals on Wheels, impacting millions of older adults and disabled Americans.

Unprecedented Scale of Cuts

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is implementing a massive reduction in workforce, targeting approximately 20,000 positions - roughly one quarter of its entire staff [1][2]. Under the direction of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the department announced plans to decrease its workforce from 82,000 to approximately 62,000 employees [3]. These cuts are part of a broader federal staffing reduction that has affected over 100,000 federal workers in the past two months [3].

Critical Senior Services Under Threat

Among the most severely impacted divisions is the Administration for Community Living (ACL), where 40% of staff received layoff notices [4]. The ACL plays a crucial role in coordinating federal policy on aging and disability, distributing 216 million meals annually to older and disabled Americans [5]. Adding to the crisis, the Division of Energy Assistance, which manages the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program supporting 5.9 million low-income households, has seen its entire staff laid off [4].

Industry Leaders Sound Alarm

The Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO), representing 68 national nonprofit organizations, has expressed serious concerns about the reorganization’s impact on older Americans [6]. The proposed restructuring would dissolve the ACL and distribute its programs across three different HHS divisions, potentially disrupting essential services that help seniors maintain independence in their homes [6]. ‘There’s no way to have these RIFs (Reductions in Force) and not impact the programs and the people who rely on them,’ warns Alison Barkoff, former ACL head [5].

Future Implications and Timeline

The impact of these cuts is expected to intensify as LIHEAP funding is set to expire at the end of September 2025 [4]. Healthcare policy experts warn that the restructuring could severely impact Medicare and Medicaid services, which oversee care for over 150 million people and manage more than $1.5 trillion in spending [7]. A coalition of state attorneys general filed a lawsuit on April 1, 2025, challenging the legality of these cuts, particularly regarding their impact on public health services [8].

Sources

HHS layoffs senior services