NORWICH ­— During the recent Health and Human Services Committee meeting, discussions were reintroduced over the tabled resolution to restructure and eliminate half of the staff at the Area Agency on Aging (AAOA).

The AAOA department would be restructured under the Department of Human Services.

After the board received a cover letter and 136-page document from New York State Office for the Aging, (NYSOFA), instructing compliance on AAOA restructuring, the committee moved forward to reinstate a new resolution for the department and title change for the new director.

Pharsalia Board Supervisor Jeremiah Miklas led the committee meeting. The additional supervisors in attendance were: for Norwich Ward 1, 2, 3 James McNeil, for North Norwich Robert Wansor, for German Patti Pittsley, for New Berlin Wendy Rifanburg, and for Lincklaen Sharon Monro. Also in attendance was Department of Social Services Commissioner Daniel Auwater.

Committee members were in alignment with the restructure and most voted yes for the director title change, yet New Berlin Supervisor Rifanburg voted no and remained unsettled with the department changes.

She said she would rather give the agency a chance first.

AAOA staff were also at the meeting and included Nutrition Services Coordinator Erin Confer, Deputy Michelle Wilson, and Senior Outreach Worker Aaron Weeks. They presented charts and answered questions regarding agency titles, structure, nutrition, and workflow.

Rifanburg questioned the committee members about the AAOA director position, and why it can't be filled now instead of later.

Auwater said if the director position is filled now, to create that as the department head, it would need to be vacated before the new restructure, adding," we would have to do it twice."

Supervisor McNeil also noted it takes quite some time to fill those higher positions.

Rifenburg also brought attention to the difference in pay from a senior outreach worker and outreach worker, saying there were more duties for a senior worker, but the pay didn't seem to compensate that.

She also noted there will be opportunity for some employees to move up in job title.

According to the board, they want to act quickly to follow NYSOFA guidelines and have the restructure sent to the state for approval as soon as possible.

Auwater said the state is very responsive and it's important to make this plan so they will approve it and the changes can then be made.

He said they will have a formal flow chart and will send it into the state to approve the title change of the director to Director of Aging Services.

Auwater made it very clear all services provided by the department will continue. With the restructure of AAOA, the agency funding and director position will 100 percent be all for the agency, with no commingling of funds.  

He also said the right sizing of the department is exactly what this is in favor of.

The current 2026 AAOA staff include the following:

Five outreach workers, two of whom are dedicated to New York Connects.

Four senior outreaches, one of which is dedicated to New York Connects.

One director, currently vacant.

Two deputy directors, one vacant.

Two program aides, one of which is dedicated to New York Connects.

Five drivers, extra hires for the meal delivery.

One additional extra hire, program aid.

 

Board supervisors reviewed the provided AAOA charts and asked questions of the staff.

Senior Outreach Worker Weeks gave a detailed overview of his job, and his team, including everything from answering phones to delivering meals, supporting seniors with applications to receive services, supporting seniors with insurance, HIICAP open enrollment duties, reports, training, and follow up reporting every month, quarter, and year.

He also spoke on Medicaid transportation and the lengthy process of scheduling, answering questions, distance needs, special help requirements and said, "We set that all up for them."

Supervisor Pittsley asked about delivery to German, as she receives calls all the time and is concerned it is so far out with no volunteers or buses.

Weeks explained there was a time when they would go out and pick up seniors in that area to take them to their destinations, but at the board's request, they stopped offering that service, adding, "there's not much we can do. We can use the tools we have at our disposal."

Pittsley asked how they would expand things out there, so those people in further areas would not be left out.

Weeks said it was a valid concern.

He continued listing additional programs that support seniors including housing programs, helping seniors with applications for section 8, CHIPS, home improvements, and more.

"It's a lot just for my program alone," Weeks added.

Supervisor Wansor pointed out the overall consensus being AAOA helps connect people in need to those services and facilitates all paperwork to help in approval for those services.

Nutrition Services Coordinator Confer explained her role in nutrition and how the department runs.

Confer noted she oversees the five senior centers, home delivered meals, all staff of part-time drivers, five part-time senior center managers and two full time in-office staff. 

She said the routing schedule is at times a balancing act when someone is out on vacation or out sick, but they make it happen. 

"The nutrition services aide is the liaison between me and the kitchen and the original point of that role was for quality control and actually having oversight of the kitchen, which we didn't have before." said Confer.

She explained the meals are made in the kitchen at the Sheriff’s building and the meals are all made by Sheriff’s office staff with two designated employees to help AAOA meet the needs of the seniors.

The nutrition service aid not only oversees the kitchen duties but also provides data entry and office work.

"The big thing about making that position part-time would be when one of our site managers is out on vacation or they're sick, and if I don't have those people, you would now pull from the outreach side of the office and other staff members and they wouldn't be able to do what they need to do on their end," Confer said.

"It is a large program and for three full time people to cover the entire county," she added." "We need the people in the department to cover the areas."

After reviewing a few different chart renditions, the supervisors and Auwater concluded there will be no changes under the nutrition program.

Miklas reviewed the outreach workers’ job descriptions and had concerns about the New York Connects outreach workers, saying they needed to be folded into this plan as long as grants are available, they have to be filled.

Wansor motioned to authorize the director of social services to work with AAOA to develop a coordinated and updated flow chart. The motion was seconded.

County Attorney Zachary Wentworth said the AAOA will schedule their public hearing at a later date and usually they have their annual meeting during the county fair on senior day, held in conjunction with the Senior Advisory Council.

For additional committee meeting minutes, visit the Chenango County Website at www.chenangocountyny.gov