RD191 - Summary of State Agency Reports on Progress in Addressing the Impact of the Aging of Virginia's Population


Executive Summary:
As the first baby boomers reach retirement age, Virginia, like much of the rest of the world, is poised to experience a dramatic and unprecedented aging of the population. It is projected that the number of Virginians age 60 and over will more than double between the year 2000 and 2030. In just over two decades, one in four Virginians will be age 60 or over and these “seniors” will comprise a higher proportion of the Commonwealth’s population than Florida has today. This “age wave” can be expected to impact life for both young and old and will necessarily affect how agencies of the Commonwealth serve the citizens of Virginia.

In recognition of this impending demographic shift, the 2004 General Assembly directed the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to study the impact of Virginia’s aging population on the demand for and cost of state agency services. In response to the findings of that JLARC report, The Impact of an Aging Population on State Agencies (House Document 10), the 2006 Virginia General Assembly directed state agencies to report to the Governor and General Assembly on how the aging of the population impacts the agency’s ability to deliver services and a description of how the agency is responding (HB 110, 2006 Acts of Assembly Ch. 54). In addition, agencies were required to designate staff to review policies and programs and identify opportunities to make those policies and programs more accommodating to seniors and persons with disabilities (HB 854, 2006 Acts of Assembly Ch. 345). The 2007 General Assembly modified agency reporting requirements by directing agencies to submit their reports to the Virginia Department for the Aging (VDA) and required VDA to submit a summary of the reports to the Governor and the General Assembly by June 30th (HB 2624, 2007 Acts of Assembly Ch. 507).

This document presents a summary of the eighty-eight (88) reports received from state agencies in response to HB 2624 and provides recommendations for improving preparations by state agencies in the future.

The majority of the state agency reports submitted pursuant to HB 2624 reflected concern about the growth of Virginia’s older population and many reported providing specific and valuable services to today’s seniors. Few agencies, however, reported specific plans to expand or develop new services to meet the future need. The reports of a small number of agencies failed to include any recognition of the potential impacts of Virginia’s aging population.

Almost all of the 88 agencies did report being acutely aware of the aging of their own workforce and the probable loss of knowledge and experience that lies ahead as retirements increase. Some agencies reported developing strategies to minimize the effect of this loss while others appeared concerned but did not report any succession planning activities.

The challenge facing the Commonwealth is to ensure that all agencies are realistically planning for the future and will be prepared to continue to serve the Virginia of tomorrow. Recommendations to assist agencies in preparing for the impact of an aging population include:

• Provide training for Cabinet Secretaries and/or Agency Heads on how the aging of Virginia’s population may impact the Commonwealth’s ability to provide services and how the next generation of older Virginians is likely to differ from today’s seniors.

• Following this training, each Secretariat should conduct an internal self-assessment of their agencies’ preparedness to serve a citizenry that is growing older. As subject matter experts, the agencies themselves are best-positioned to gauge if current plans will adequately meet future needs.

• Provide a forum for state agencies to share best practices for retaining older workers, engaging in succession planning activities and ensuring adequate knowledge transfer to younger workers.

• Modify current reporting procedures for agency reports due on November 15, 2008 to improve the quality of data and analysis provided for the Summary report in June 2009.

In addition, it is suggested that state agencies need to be mindful of certain emerging trends and “big picture” concepts related to the aging of the baby boom generation as new policies and services are developed. Finally, it is noted that more integrated and comprehensive planning efforts that cross agency boundaries will better position state government to maximize resources and continue providing a high level of service to all Virginians, now and in the future.