NYSPOA & MPA: Working Together for New Yorks Seniors

The New York State Plan on Aging (NYSPOA) and the Master Plan on Aging (MPA) share common goals and coordinate efforts to improve the lives of older adults, individuals with disabilities, and family caregivers in New York State.

Shared Goals

Both plans emphasize:

• Supporting older adults to live healthy, fulfilling lives with dignity and independence.
• Enhancing care and services, including long-term care and support for family caregivers.
• Promoting community integration and economic security for aging populations.
• Building on existing partnerships and decades of work by state agencies.
• Coordinated multi-agency and stakeholder engagement to develop comprehensive strategies.
• Addressing demographic shifts, with over 25% of New Yorkers expected to be over age 60 by 2030, requiring realignment of healthcare, housing, and social infrastructure policies.

Distinct Roles

The NYSPOA focuses on the administration of Older Americans Act (OAA)-funded programs. The MPA is a broader 10-year strategic framework addressing issues like housing, transportation, workforce development, and age-friendly community design. The NYSPOA can be seen as a key operational arm of the state’s aging policy, while the MPA sets the long-term vision.

The MPA builds upon and expands the foundation laid by previous state aging plans, including the NYSPOA, by providing a more detailed and integrated roadmap for policy, regulatory priorities, and program design.

In summary, the NYSPOA and the MPA overlap in their shared mission to support aging populations through coordinated, multi-sector strategies that promote health, independence, and economic security, with the MPA serving as an expanded, updated, and more comprehensive blueprint for achieving these goals over the next decade.